Head of Moroccan Prison Administration (DGPAR) Mohamed Salah Tamek responded to an article penned by Francisco Carrión in Spanish paper “El Independiente” on Sunday about the allegedly deplorable state of Moroccan prisons, and castigated such claims as advanced by people harboring a grudge against Morocco.
In a piece on “Morocco that Sanchez did not visit: the dungeons of the Kingdom,” Carrión described Moroccan prisons as purportedly “overcrowded” and “in poor sanitary conditions,” especially Sahrawi inmates imprisoned in connection with Gdeim Izik events.
Gdeim Izik is a camp that was set up by some Sahrawis to voice some social and economic demands. When law enforcement officers tried to dismantle the camp, the Sahrawi dwellers clashed with them and the ensuing violence led to the death and mutilation of several members of the Moroccan security forces.
Reacting to the content of Carrión’s article, Tamek clarified that testimonies referred to pertain either to individuals notoriously known for having some kind of agendas running counter Morocco’s interests, or to some locals who openly support the polisario and its mentor Algeria.
Tamek, also head of Ait Oussa Tribe, wondered about the timing of the article which coincided with the visit of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to Morocco and his meeting with King Mohammed VI; a timing that makes anyone conclude that this is a paid service rendered by the reporter to some political actors in Spain and in Algeria.
Tamek touched on the prison-related figures provided by the author, and explained that the same numbers are included in the report by the Moroccan Observatory of Prisons and the DGPAR as well, a fact that attests to the latter’s constructive and transparent approach.
On the overcrowding issue, he said that this is no secret as the Prison Administration warned repeatedly against this conundrum and its impact on security inside penitentiaries as well as on resources. “The exponentially-growing prison population is a problem not only in Morocco, but also in Spain, France and Belgium,” he explained.
Concerning the term of “political prisoners” used by the journalist, Tamek detailed that the said inmates were arrested and sentenced in criminal law-related charges and were guaranteed due process of law as per the Constitution. In addition, those convicts were never put in solitary confinement unless they asked for it for multiple reasons like pursuing studies or because of a given health condition. The administration usually receives the solitary confinement request when submitted by an inmate, process it and may answer it if possible, he said.
Tamek stated that these inmates receive family visits on a regular basis as does any other prisoner. They also receive visits from officials of the National Human Rights Council as per the regulations in force.
Tamek referred by the name to Lamine Haddi, one of Gdeim Izik violence instigators, and explained that he was not subject to any inhuman or degrading treatment, but he is simply serving his sentence for the crimes he committed. Haddi and others were sent to different prisons, which happened to be far away from the southern provinces, depending on the length of their sentences.
On a personal level, Tamek also responded to testimonies given to the reporter by a family member: Ali Salem Tamek. The head of DGPAR explicated that this person is actually his mentally unstable nephew who were caught back in the 90s at the Moroccan-Algerian frontier while attempting to join the polisario-run camps. After serving his sentence, Ali Salem Tamek was instrumentalized by the separatists and is considered ever since a traitor by his own family who disowned him.
Tamek concluded by saying that the journalist’s attempts to tarnish the image of the Kingdom have failed miserably as the country, led by its Monarch, is growing stronger by the day, and its partners, such as Spain, are multiplying.