Morocco Arrests Man for Using Violence During Protest

Teachers protest for better work conditions in Rabat, Morocco (Reuters)
Teachers protest for better work conditions in Rabat, Morocco (Reuters)
TT

Morocco Arrests Man for Using Violence During Protest

Teachers protest for better work conditions in Rabat, Morocco (Reuters)
Teachers protest for better work conditions in Rabat, Morocco (Reuters)

The judicial police of Rabat arrested the suspect who appeared in videos kicking teachers during the protests in the Moroccan capital last Wednesday.

The General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) said that judicial police services are investigating the case and launched all the necessary preliminary research in light of data and recordings published on social media, which made it possible to identify the man.

The suspect is in police custody for further investigation, the DGSN concluded.

The Attorney General at the Court of First Instance announced the judicial inquiry into the person in question, and authorities in Rabat asserted that a probe was launched to uncover the circumstances of the incident to determine responsibilities and arrange for necessary legal action.

The Minister of State in Charge of Human Rights and Relations with Parliament, Mustafa Ramid, described the suspect's behavior as “incomprehensible, unjustifiable, and unacceptable”.

Human rights activists and the Moroccan public were relieved upon the arrest of the attacker.

The National Human Rights Council (CNDH), an independent national institution, issued a statement Friday saying a number of individuals went violent during the protests, indicating that the intervention of the public forces resulted in the injury of a number of people.

The Council recalled the recommendation in its 2019 annual report, and a number of its substantive reports, on the need to subject the use of force to the supervision of the Public Prosecution.

It welcomed the statement of the Attorney General at the Court of First Instance in Rabat announcing a probe into the matter.

The Council called on the Public Prosecution to expand the investigation to include other incidents mentioned or circulated through various social media, platforms, calling upon it to publish the results of its inquiry.

The Council stressed the importance of enforcing the law and protecting public freedoms, including the right to peaceful protest.



Lebanon's Parliament Renews Army Chief's Term in First Session after Ceasefire

Lebanese policeman stand outside the parliament building in downtown Beirut, Lebanon October 17, 2017. (Reuters)
Lebanese policeman stand outside the parliament building in downtown Beirut, Lebanon October 17, 2017. (Reuters)
TT

Lebanon's Parliament Renews Army Chief's Term in First Session after Ceasefire

Lebanese policeman stand outside the parliament building in downtown Beirut, Lebanon October 17, 2017. (Reuters)
Lebanese policeman stand outside the parliament building in downtown Beirut, Lebanon October 17, 2017. (Reuters)

Lebanon's parliament Thursday renewed the term of army chief Joseph Aoun, who is seen as a potential presidential candidate in next year's vote.

The parliament has seldom met since Israel’s war with Hezbollah began 14 months ago, and has not convened to try to elect a president since June 2023, leaving the country in a political gridlock.

Thursday’s session is the first since a US-brokered ceasefire came into effect on Wednesday which has left the Lebanese military responsible for ensuring Hezbollah fighters leave the country's south and its facilities dismantled. The army is expected to receive international aid to help deploy troops to deploy in the south to exert full state control there, The AP reported.

Gen. Joseph Aoun is seen as a likely presidential candidate due to his close relationship with the international community and his hold on an institution that is seen as a rare point of unity in the country facing political and sectarian tensions. Lebanon has been without a president since Oct. 31, 2022.

It is unclear whether the decision to renew Aoun's term will impact his chances as Lebanon's next president.

Hezbollah and some of its key allies and their legislators have been skeptical of a Aoun presidency due to his close relationship with Washington.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who spearheaded negotiations with the United States to end the war, also called for parliament to convene on Jan. 9, 2025 to elect a president, the first attempt in almost 19 months.

French special envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, tasked by French President Emmanuel Macron with helping Lebanon break its political deadlock, observed the session before meeting with Berri and later caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

Berri, in an address Wednesday, urged political parties to pick a president that will bring Lebanon's rival groups together, in a bid to keep the war-torn and financially battered country from further deteriorating amid fears of internal political tensions between Hezbollah and its political opponents following the war.

The militant group's opponents, who believe Hezbollah should be completely disarmed, are furious that it made the unilateral decision to go to war with Israel in solidarity with its ally Hamas in the Gaza Strip.