Morocco News Board
Morocco: Parliamentarian Assaulted By Police
Washington / Morocco Board News– Abdessamad El idrissi, the Parliamentary Deputy from the current Islamist governing PJD party, was subject to an aggression by security officers during a demonstration organized by young unemployed citizens in front of the parliament.
The incident took place on Thursday, Dec. 27, in Rabat. As Mr. El idrissi was walking by, he noticed a violent intervention of the security forces against the protestors. As a parliamentary deputy, and a human rights activist, Mr. El idrissi felt the obligation to intervene after witnessing a disproportional use of force against the protesters. To his own surprise, he was beaten himself, dragged, and humiliated, despite showing his credentials to the security officers.
Notwithstanding, Mr. El idrissi has repeatedly praised the progress of human rights and justice in Morocco, in an interview on Aljazeera, the BBC, and other media outlets. Now, after being himself a victim of the police aggression, he described the incident as “a flagrant violation of human right law on public gathering.”
From a legal standpoint, we can argue whether Mr. El idrissi was within his rights to protect a citizen, who was unfairly beaten. However, it is undeniable that the security officers committed a clear violation, by attacking a parliamentary deputy who was simply expressing an opinion. Most importantly, it raises concerns about the competence of the security apparatus in adapting to the new concept of freedoms described in the new constitution.
This incident created a discomfort and concerns within the PJD. In fact, during the National Council of Justice and Development Party, Mr. Othmani, current Minister of Foreign Affairs and a member of the PJD, denounced the aggression committed against a member of his party and revealed that Interior Minister, Mohand Laenser, has ordered an investigation.
During the last few months, thousands of young unemployed rallied in Rabat protesting against the government’s recruitment policy. Mr. Benkiran, head of the government, denied direct recruitment of thousands of unemployed citizens that were promised jobs by the previous government, a decision that was heavily criticized by leaders within the coalition, including Hamid Chabat, head of the current governing coalition partner, the Istiqlal party.
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