Morocco’s National Human Rights Council (CNDH) gave out compensations in the case of 80 civilians abducted by the Polisario Front in the 1970s.
Tuesday’s move came in line with the recommendations of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER) that ordered to settle the cases of 367 individuals.
CNDH President Amina Bouayach offered apology to the beneficiaries of these compensations for the delay, as she received the victims or their families on Tuesday at the Council’s headquarters in Rabat.
Bouayach noted that the case of the abductees doesn’t fall under the serious violations of human rights committed between 1956-1999.
The CNDH president highlighted the systematic torture of the abductees throughout their captivity as their relatives had been kept in the dark on their whereabouts and fate.
Bouayach addressed the victims saying although the Moroccan state didn’t violate their basic rights, it failed to protect them.
She added that CNDH adopted the risk theory, which considers the state responsible for protecting citizens and the damages they would incur even if it wasn’t responsible for the actions taken against them.
According to the statement, 624 people will benefit from the compensations.
CNDH explains that among the beneficiaries, 39 had submitted incomplete files to the IER and ended up presenting the missing documents, 80 are among the civilian victims abducted by the Polisario, 28 are dependants of missing victims whose fate remained unknown and who have submitted the necessary documents to complete their files.
Besides, 367 beneficiaries belong to the group of Ahermoumou students who had been involved in a coup in 1971. They had submitted their applications to the IER but their cases were not settled then, the statement said, adding that 110 victims or their dependants have benefited from social integration.
The committee implementing IER’s recommendations disclosed that 801 people considered kidnapped, forcefully disappeared or arbitrarily arrested had been killed during different incidents.
