عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Morocco Slams Remarks Made by US State Department Spokesman

A Moroccan activist holds a banner with the image of Moroccan journalist Suleiman Raissouni, who was sentenced to five years in prison, as his supporters protest on July 10, 2021, in the capital Rabat demanding his release. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
A Moroccan activist holds a banner with the image of Moroccan journalist Suleiman Raissouni, who was sentenced to five years in prison, as his supporters protest on July 10, 2021, in the capital Rabat demanding his release. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
TT
TT

Morocco Slams Remarks Made by US State Department Spokesman

A Moroccan activist holds a banner with the image of Moroccan journalist Suleiman Raissouni, who was sentenced to five years in prison, as his supporters protest on July 10, 2021, in the capital Rabat demanding his release. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
A Moroccan activist holds a banner with the image of Moroccan journalist Suleiman Raissouni, who was sentenced to five years in prison, as his supporters protest on July 10, 2021, in the capital Rabat demanding his release. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)

Morocco’s Interministerial Delegation for Human Rights (DIDH) has described the US State Department spokesperson's statement on two controversial court cases as based on "one-sided" information coming exclusively from supporters of the accused.

DIDH issued a press release in response to Ned Price’s comments on a Casablanca court’s sentencing of journalist Suleiman Raissouni to five years in prison.

“This information knowingly obscured the point of view of the complainants and their defenses, going so far as to deny their very status of victim and their universally recognized right to lodge a complaint,” the Delegation said.

It also emphasized Morocco’s attachment to respecting the fundamental rights of all people, whatever their status, citing the independence of the judiciary in the country.

“Morocco remains deeply attached to the consolidation of the values of individual and collective freedoms, in particular the freedoms of expression and association, which are constantly developing,” DIDH concluded.

The State Department criticized Morocco for sentencing detained journalist Suleiman Raissouni to five years in prison and called for press freedoms to be protected.

"We believe the judicial process that led to this verdict contradicts the Moroccan system's fundamental promise of fair trials for individuals accused of crimes and is inconsistent with the promise of the 2011 constitution and King Mohammed VI's reform agenda," Price told reporters.

"Press freedom is foundational to prosperous and secure societies, and governments must ensure that journalists can safely perform their essential roles without fear of unjust attention, violence, or threats," he added.

On Friday, a court in Casablanca sentenced Raissouni to five years in prison and fined him 100,000 dirhams ($10,000).

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Palestinians Receptive to Lebanon’s Call to Limit Possession of Weapons in Refugee Camps

The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee meets at the government headquarters. (Dialogue committee)
The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee meets at the government headquarters. (Dialogue committee)
TT
TT

Palestinians Receptive to Lebanon’s Call to Limit Possession of Weapons in Refugee Camps

The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee meets at the government headquarters. (Dialogue committee)
The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee meets at the government headquarters. (Dialogue committee)

Lebanon has started to exert serious efforts to restrict the possession of weapons inside Palestinian refugee camps in the country in line with President Joseph Aoun’s inaugural speech.

The president had demanded that the possession of weapons in the country and the camps be limited to the state.

The Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee met at the government headquarters in Beirut three days ago to discuss the issue.

All Palestinian factions attended the meeting, and the gatherers agreed to “completely” resolve the Palestinian possession of arms outside the camps. They also agreed to outline how to restrict weapons inside the camps in line with the president’s speech.

The Lebanese state has yet to come up with the mechanism to confiscate the weapons inside the camps.

A Lebanese security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the arms will be tackled through a political approach drawn up by the government. “It will be carried out by the army with the security agencies and in coordination with the Palestinian factions in the camp, led by the Fatah movement, which is the official representative of the Palestinian people,” it added.

The Palestinians have expressed their “complete understanding” of the issue, it remarked.

The laying down of weapons by Palestinian factions is a step towards all illegal weapons throughout the country being turned over to the Lebanese state, it went on to say.

“There are no longer any excuses for weapons to remain in possession of any organization,” stressed the source.

Lebanese groups will be demanded to lay down their arms after the Palestinian ones do, it added.

In a first, the Palestinian factions have been very receptive to a Lebanese head of state’s demand to cooperate in limiting the possession of weapons in the refugee camps.

Member of the Palestinian National and Central Councils Haitham Zaiter said that the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) recognizes that the camps are part of Lebanese territories, so they come under the authority of the state and its laws.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that “complete coordination” is ongoing between the Lebanese security agencies and PLO inside the camps where several wanted Lebanese and Palestinian suspects and others from other nationalities have been turned over to the authorities.

The suspects had sought refuge in the camps to avoid justice in the crimes they have committed, he acknowledged.

“The PLO is the sole representative of the Palestinian people inside Palestine and in the diaspora,” he stated.

Moreover, Zaiter explained that Palestinian weapons in Lebanon are either carried by the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC) outside the camps or by non-partisan individuals inside the camps.

The PFLP-GC laid down its weapons as soon as the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad collapsed in December.

Heavy weapons inside the camps had been previously brought in with the aim to undermine the PLO, he added.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas “has constantly called for coordination with Lebanese authorities to limit the possession of these weapons,” Zaiter said.