Casablanca – In an unprecedented escalation, the Moroccan regime is no longer hiding its political retaliations and score-settling with its own citizens behind the legal loopholes in its deliberately ambiguous penal code to pursue activists and dissidents alike; it is sending a clear and unequivocal message that any and all who dare oppose or otherwise raise their voice in disapproval of its policies will be arrested and tried for: Sedition, sacrilege against national values or symbol, slander of national values, symbols or institutions and other similar “crimes”, strictly based on political views and their peaceful expression
On this same token, authorities in Casablanca, the city that remained one of the very few that continued to take to the streets protesting corruption and other abuses within the system, have had its last 2 peaceful protests in the Feb 20th Square violently shut down by authorities, corresponding with citywide arbitrary arrests and/or prosecutorial summons of most of its activists. These coercions in the once “liberal” epicenter come as a shock to the rest of the country watching in astounding horror, as many other hotbeds have been systematically crushed namely: Fez, Sidi Ifni, Asfi, Al Hoceima and Rif, J’rada, Zagora and Tangier to list a few, cities that saw a methodical repression and ruthless persecution of its activists, thus aborting all forms of direct actions.
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This escalation is particularly perplexing as, after two decades of hard work to rectify its previous barefaced persecutions and blatant abuse of human rights under the reign of Hassan 2, the new Moroccan regime which has literally launched its rule early this millennia by declaring it an era of “justice/equity and reconciliation” in an effort to smooth its international image so as to sway the votes to its favor over the Western Sahara affair, has now resorted to a flagrant display of its disregard for human rights, starting with but not limited to the basic right to free expression
Morocco is currently treading on very thin ice on the personal liberties front, and is living a stage of proceeding-with-extreme-prejudice against any and all voices of opposition, in blatant disregard for the international community’s urging to exercise caution and allow a margin of liberties within its borders. Political observers and analysts around the world are wondering about this bold defiance just as Morocco, yet again received a substantial amount from the EU with the sole purpose of controlling its “illegal immigration” dilemma.
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With its strategic position, literally at the gate of Africa toward Europe, Morocco is a popular transitional destination for Sub-Saharan African immigrants seeking to flee their civil-war torn and pillaged countries toward better opportunities in the European continent. Europe, which had looted and ransacked the entire continent over the last century and a half until it was forced to withdraw politically and militarily, had to protect its economic interests by fueling civil wars and sponsoring armed militias that act as a political deterrent and distraction from ending said interests through the democratic process.
As such, tens of millions have been displaced and forced to flee with their lives seeking better opportunities up north. This life or death migration takes them through Morocco because of its close proximity to Gibraltar and Spain, and its two Spanish border cities of Ceuta and Melila. The EU union, trying to get a head start on its own illegal immigration problem, is generously endowing the Moroccan regime to police this migration before it reaches their borders.
However, this isn’t the only demon Morocco is using to pressure the EU into giving it free reign to terrorize its citizens. As it is working hard to recover from an era of religious fanaticism and zealotry that has dangerously spread a whole lot wilder than it has intended for it when it directly and indirectly boosted creed and superstition at the expense of science, arts and creativity. Consequently, social tendencies were gearing toward illiteracy and zealotry, creating a deadly combination that has reached critical mass breeding violence and terrorism within its borders, and beyond. To quell this perilous miscreation, Morocco cracked down on all sleeper cells and declared its own war on religious fanaticism, earning it billions of $$ from its allies up north who have also tasted from the bitter chalice of terrorism at the hands of North African indoctrinated individuals.
As both issues are of the utmost priority to the international community, and whereas Morocco proved its worth as an ally in combatting and quelling both woes, the EU is in no position to apply any sort of pressure on the Moroccan regime to respect the very bases of the Geneva convention regarding its treatment of prisoners in general, and political prisoners in particular.
As such, and while it has tried hard to balance between oppressing its people and maintaining a somewhat humanitarian image with the international community over the past two decades, Morocco’s new escalation in persecuting and imprisoning non violent activists for their Facebook posts is shockingly idiosyncratic in nature and raises more than a few worried eyebrows. For the first time in decades, Morocco, which has (falsely) prided itself on its ZERO political prisoners, can no longer make that claim in light of the newest arrests.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Amazigh World News’ editorial views.
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