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Morocco Tests Entire Prison Population at Ouarzazate

Moroccan security officer checks people at a roadblock in the capital Rabat for exemption from confinement orders. AFP file photo
Moroccan security officer checks people at a roadblock in the capital Rabat for exemption from confinement orders. AFP file photo
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Morocco Tests Entire Prison Population at Ouarzazate

Moroccan security officer checks people at a roadblock in the capital Rabat for exemption from confinement orders. AFP file photo
Moroccan security officer checks people at a roadblock in the capital Rabat for exemption from confinement orders. AFP file photo

The General Delegation for Prison Administration and Rehabilitation (DGAPR) decided to test all inmates at Ouarzazate prison in southern Morocco as part of preventative measures to confront the COVID-19 pandemic.

The decision comes after positive cases among prison staff and inmates.

The testing of staff members was carried out in two groups. The first had 36 out of 61 employees testing positive, while in group two, 24 out of 65 tested positive. In addition, six out of 17 inmates tested have already confirmed infections.

After the first coronavirus cases were recorded in the country, human rights organizations demanded the release of a number of prisoners to avoid a possible surge in infections.

Earlier this month, King Mohammed VI pardoned at least 5,654 prisoners due to the extreme vulnerability of inmates.

The Justice Ministry said they were selected on the basis of their age, frail health, time spent in prison and good conduct.

Prison staff and inmates who contracted the virus will be required to follow treatment as advised by health authorities, and uninfected staff will be placed in quarantine and required to adhere to strict precautionary measures, according to DGAPR.

The General Delegation also decided to appoint a new director for Ouarzazate prison and mobilize sufficient number of employees from other institutions to compensate the shortage.

New prisoners will be put in a special section and examined by medical staff before taken to the cells. In addition, new inmates who declare they had been in direct contact with foreigners will be isolated for 14 days until their health status was confirmed.

DGAPR also expressed concern over the potential psychological impact of COVID-19 on detainees. Prisoners suffering from psychological stress during this time will receive online support.

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US Eases Restrictions on Syria While Keeping Sanctions in Place

A worker stands at a bakery after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)
A worker stands at a bakery after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)
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US Eases Restrictions on Syria While Keeping Sanctions in Place

A worker stands at a bakery after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)
A worker stands at a bakery after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)

The US on Monday eased some restrictions on Syria's transitional government to allow the entry of humanitarian aid after opposition factions ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad last month.

The US Treasury issued a general license, lasting six months, that authorizes certain transactions with the Syrian government, including some energy sales and incidental transactions.

The move does not lift sanctions on the nation that has been battered by more than a decade of war, but indicates a limited show of US support for the new transitional government.

The general license underscores America's commitment to ensuring its sanctions “do not impede activities to meet basic human needs, including the provision of public services or humanitarian assistance,” a Treasury Department statement reads.

Since Assad's ouster, representatives from the nation's new de facto authorities have said that the new Syria will be inclusive and open to the world.

The US has gradually lifted some penalties since Assad departed Syria for protection in Russia. The Biden administration in December decided to drop a $10 million bounty it had offered for the capture of Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group whose forces led the ouster of Assad last month.

The announcement followed a meeting in Damascus between al-Sharaa, who was once aligned with al-Qaeda, and the top US diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, who led the first US diplomatic delegation into Syria since Assad’s ouster. The US and UN have long designated HTS as a terrorist organization.

HTS led a lightning insurgency that ousted Assad on Dec. 8 and ended his family’s decades-long rule. From 2011 until Assad’s downfall, Syria’s uprising and civil war killed an estimated 500,000 people.

Much of the world ended diplomatic relations with Assad because of his crackdown on protesters, and sanctioned him and his Russian and Iranian associates.

Syria’s infrastructure has been battered, with power cuts rampant in the country and some 90% of its population living in poverty. About half the population won’t know where its next meal will come from, as inflation surges.

The pressure to lift sanctions has mounted in recent years as aid agencies continue to cut programs due to donor fatigue and a massive 2023 earthquake that rocked Syria and Türkiye. The tremor killed over 59,000 people and destroyed critical infrastructure that couldn’t be fixed due to sanctions and overcompliance, despite the US announcing some humanitarian exemptions.