Bloomberg
Morocco Judges Strike to Demand Greater Independence From State
By Aida Alami
About 2,900 Moroccan judges began a week-long strike to protest against judicial corruption and interference by the executive branch that they say undermines their independence.
The judges will wear an armband for a week in the hope that the government will negotiate with them, and are ready to intensify their protest in the coming weeks if their demands are not met, the 3,700-member Club of Moroccan Judges said in an e- mailed statement today.
Pro-democracy protests in Morocco that started in February 2011, at the height of uprisings in other Arab nations, have sought to secure greater independence of the judiciary in the country. Last week, King Mohammed VI appointed a commission to draft judicial reforms.
The group representing the judges was established in August.
To contact the reporter on this story: Aida Alami in Cairo at aalami2
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden atbarden
.
