Morocco Arrests Human Rights Activist over Money Laundering

Moroccan special forces stand guard at the entrance of a building during a counter-terrorism operation in Temara, on the outskirts of Rabat, Morocco September 10, 2020. (Reuters/Youssef Boudlal)
Moroccan special forces stand guard at the entrance of a building during a counter-terrorism operation in Temara, on the outskirts of Rabat, Morocco September 10, 2020. (Reuters/Youssef Boudlal)
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Morocco Arrests Human Rights Activist over Money Laundering

Moroccan special forces stand guard at the entrance of a building during a counter-terrorism operation in Temara, on the outskirts of Rabat, Morocco September 10, 2020. (Reuters/Youssef Boudlal)
Moroccan special forces stand guard at the entrance of a building during a counter-terrorism operation in Temara, on the outskirts of Rabat, Morocco September 10, 2020. (Reuters/Youssef Boudlal)

Morocco on Tuesday arrested human rights activist Maati Monjib after an investigation over money laundering, a security source said.

Monjib, 60, was brought before the attorney general at Rabat's court of first instance, the source at the General Directorate for National Security (DGSN) told AFP.

He was later referred by the prosecution to an investigative judge before being ordered into pre-trial detention at Rabat's El Arjat prison.

The prosecution said it launched a probe in October after the seizure of evidence pointing to money transfers and real estate assets beyond the means of Monjib and his family.

The historian said on Facebook that the information was "not new" and had already been part of a trial for "financial embezzlement" and "undermining state security" which opened in 2015.

"I am innocent of all these defamatory accusations," he wrote.

Monjib is being prosecuted along with six other human rights activists and journalists in a trial that had been scheduled to begin in 2015.



Palestinian Officials Say Israeli Forces Killed 2 People, Including a 13-Year-Old, in the West Bank

 People attend the funeral of two Palestinians killed in an Israeli raid, in Yabad near Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 25, 2024. (Reuters)
People attend the funeral of two Palestinians killed in an Israeli raid, in Yabad near Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 25, 2024. (Reuters)
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Palestinian Officials Say Israeli Forces Killed 2 People, Including a 13-Year-Old, in the West Bank

 People attend the funeral of two Palestinians killed in an Israeli raid, in Yabad near Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 25, 2024. (Reuters)
People attend the funeral of two Palestinians killed in an Israeli raid, in Yabad near Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 25, 2024. (Reuters)

The Palestinian Health Ministry said on Monday Israeli forces killed two people, including a 13-year-old, in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli military said the two had thrown explosives at forces overnight near the Palestinian town of Yabad and that the forces had responded by opening fire.

The Health Ministry identified the two as Mohammed Hamarsheh, 13, and Ahmad Zayd, 20. It did not disclose details about the circumstances behind their deaths.

It was the latest bloodshed in the West Bank, which has faced a surge of violence throughout the 13-month war in Gaza. The Health Ministry says nearly 800 people have been killed, with more than 160 of them 18 and younger.

Many have been killed in fighting with the Israeli military, but Palestinians throwing rocks and others not involved in confrontations have also been killed. There has also been an increase in Palestinian attacks against Israelis in the West Bank since the war in Gaza began.