Reactions denouncing the criminalization by the Makhzen authorities of defenders of the Palestinian people and opponents of normalization with the occupying Zionist entity are increasing, following the sentencing of 13 activists to six months in prison and a fine, in at a time when Morocco currently chairs the United Nations Human Rights Council, raising questions about the capacity of such a state to defend human rights at the global level while it flouts them on its own territory.
In this context, the BDS Morocco movement (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) strongly condemned, in a press release, all forms of repression and intimidation used by the Moroccan authorities to silence activists opposed to any form of normalization with the Zionist entity. The movement demanded that Makhzen unconditionally drop all charges against these activists.
Expressing its unconditional solidarity with the activists of the Moroccan Front in Support of Palestine and the Fight Against Normalization and denouncing the unfair sentences handed down against them, BDS Morocco declared that “these trials reveal the hypocrisy of official speeches claiming to support the Palestinian cause, while establishing military alliances with the occupier and repressing those who oppose it.
The BDS Morocco movement reaffirmed its commitment to confronting the occupation on all fronts by calling for a boycott at all levels and the imposition of sanctions until the Palestinian people regain their freedom and establish their independent state with El Quds as its capital.
For its part, the National Action Group for Palestine denounced, in a press release, the unfair convictions against the 13 opponents of normalization, describing these decisions as serious attacks on freedom of expression, the right to demonstrate peacefully and for fundamental rights. The statement also highlighted “the blatant legal paradox where prosecutions against individuals supporting the Zionist entity remain unanswered, despite documented complaints filed by civil organizations, without the necessary legal procedures being implemented.”
The group expressed its total rejection of these unjust convictions, reaffirming its solidarity with these activists who embody the voice of the free Moroccan people and their categorical rejection of normalization. He praised their role in denouncing those complicit in the occupation and the heinous crimes perpetrated against innocent Palestinians, as part of a policy of genocide and ethnic cleansing condemned by the international community.
How can Morocco chair the Human Rights Council while repressing freedoms?
The Moroccan Front to Support Palestine and Fight Against Normalization held a press conference on Friday evening to discuss the arrests and trials targeting its activists and its activities in favor of the Palestinian struggle. These practices are intended to be an effective criminalization of opposition to normalization and support for the Palestinian people.
The Front recalled that this is happening while Morocco chairs the United Nations Human Rights Council, raising serious questions about the credibility of a state that does not respect human rights on its own soil.
He expressed his pride in the constant and principled position of the Moroccan people supporting the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with El Quds as its capital.
The Moroccan Front also condemned the restrictions and repressions targeting opponents of normalization and defenders of the Palestinian cause, as well as the banning and repression of several peaceful demonstrations organized by the Front in certain Moroccan cities. These violations, he recalled, have intensified since its creation on February 28, 2021, particularly after the signing of the normalization agreement with the occupying Zionist entity.
The lawyer and human rights activist Mohamed El Ghafri, for his part, denounced this sentence handed down on Thursday December 26, 2024 by the Makhzen justice system, describing it not only as unfair and severe, but also as an attempt to limit activities activists of the Moroccan Front in Support of Palestine and the Fight Against Normalization. “This judgment clearly tells us: do not show solidarity with the Palestinian people, otherwise you will suffer similar trials,” he regretted.
For his part, human rights activist Abou Chitaa Messaif declared that the day these sentences were handed down against opponents of normalization “marks a new dark episode for the country, echoing the “doomful day” of the signing of the normalization agreement on December 22, 2020. Support for the Palestinian cause and opposition to normalization will continue until their abolition, he concluded.
APS
