The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) has called for an investigation into a suspected human trafficking network after 19 people were found detained under harsh conditions on a farm in Kelaat Sraghna province, in Central Morocco.
Local reports indicate the individuals were confined under the pretense of mental or psychological illness.
AMDH’s Attaouia-Tamallalt branch reported learning that 19 people were forcibly held on a farm in Douar Touwahra, Chaara commune, Attaouia district, where they were allegedly kept in harsh and degrading conditions, according to a press release by the association.
The association compared the situation to secret detention centers, citing “oppression, psychological, and physical torture.” It described the confinement as “a serious and barbaric violation threatening the right to life and constituting severe human rights abuses punishable by law.”
AMDH reiterated earlier warnings about abuses following the closure of the controversial Bouya Omar center. The group expressed concerns that similar practices could continue without effective oversight, potentially involving secret locations holding victims falsely labeled as mentally ill alongside those with genuine psychological disorders.
The organization condemned the “barbaric and criminal practices” and reiterated that “people with mental health conditions should be treated in hospitals, not subjected to unlawful detention.”
It called for a thorough investigation into what it described as “degrading acts involving forced confinement, abduction, torture, and violations of physical and psychological integrity.”
AMDH urged authorities to uncover the truth, publicly disclose findings, and hold accountable all those involved, including perpetrators, intermediaries, and accomplices.