A New Birth, A New Chance
04/03/07 18:52 |
Morocco Articles
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI announced Thursday after
the birth of his new daughter, named Lala Khadija,
that nearly 9,000 prisoners would be released and
nearly 25,000 prisoners would have their sentenced
reduced to mark the event. The news came from the
Ministry of Justice in Morocco and was revealed to
the Maghreb Arab Presse (MAP). Even though many
humanitarian groups saw the step as necessary due to
prison conditions, the King wanted to make a
statement by granting the largest royal pardon in
North African history.
Many who were released from the Moroccan prisons were
those with chronic illnesses, with physical
handicaps, and over 150 elderly people, along with
nearly 425 foreigners. The motivation for the massive
release and sentence reduction was rooted in the
Mohammed VI Foundation, in which one of its goals are
to promote the reintegration of prisoners into
society.
With Morocco’s recent vote to ban the death penalty and recent humanitarian works seen as progressive by groups such as Amnesty International, along with moves that have opened up women’s rights in Morocco, the country is setting an honorable standard that even first-world countries can look up to.
One spokesman for the Ministry of Justice claims that the release of the 9,000 prisoners will take a little more than a week. Morocco contains over 50 prisons, each that house just over 1,000 prisoners. Prison conditions in Morocco are anything but ideal, but certain NGOs are working to help the country meet international codes. Some of those released were suspected Islamic radicals, but who were later found not to be directly associated with any outlawed activities.
Brought to you by: Morocco News by Journey Beyond Travel
Tags: morocco morocco news morocco travel morocco tours moroccan
With Morocco’s recent vote to ban the death penalty and recent humanitarian works seen as progressive by groups such as Amnesty International, along with moves that have opened up women’s rights in Morocco, the country is setting an honorable standard that even first-world countries can look up to.
One spokesman for the Ministry of Justice claims that the release of the 9,000 prisoners will take a little more than a week. Morocco contains over 50 prisons, each that house just over 1,000 prisoners. Prison conditions in Morocco are anything but ideal, but certain NGOs are working to help the country meet international codes. Some of those released were suspected Islamic radicals, but who were later found not to be directly associated with any outlawed activities.
Brought to you by: Morocco News by Journey Beyond Travel
Tags: morocco morocco news morocco travel morocco tours moroccan
