VP/HR — The sentencing of Rif leaders

6.9.2018

Question for written answer E-004553-18
to the Commission (Vice-President/High Representative)
Rule 130
Miguel Urbán Crespo (GUE/NGL) , Estefanía Torres Martínez (GUE/NGL) , Javier Couso Permuy (GUE/NGL) , Ángela Vallina (GUE/NGL) , Paloma López Bermejo (GUE/NGL) , Marie-Pierre Vieu (GUE/NGL) , Anne-Marie Mineur (GUE/NGL)

The Casablanca Court of Appeals has sentenced the four main leaders of the demonstrations that shook the Rif region between 2016 and 2017 to 20 years in prison, accused of threatening the State’s internal security, rebellion and participation in illegal protests. A further 48 people have been sentenced to between 1 and 15 years.

Violations of due process have been reported, such as the police subjecting detainees to torture and other ill-treatment to force them to confess; the judges did not dismiss this type of declaration, thereby also violating Morocco's international obligations in the fight against torture.

1. Does the VP/HR intend to speak out publicly to demand that freedom of expression and the freedom to demonstrate are upheld in Morocco and that all political prisoners are released?

2. Has the VP/HR been monitoring the trial and the repression to which political activists in the region are being subjected? Has the EU mission to Morocco produced a report on the issue that can be made public?

3. Given the continuous violations of human rights, does she plan to suspend the current and planned trade agreements and cooperation programmes with the Moroccan authorities?