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A New Birth, A New Chance
04/03/07 18:52 Filed in: 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
