[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 150 (Wednesday, November 17, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1953]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IS MOROCCO WHAT IT CLAIMS TO BE?

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                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 17, 2010

  Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, I submit for the Record an October 31 
Reuters article that describes a recent protest that occurred in 
Morocco.
  The story opens with the following description: ``About 900 Moroccan 
rights activists took to the streets in Rabat on Sunday in a rare 
protest against what they call widespread rights abuses by the 
authorities, including illegal detention and torture.''
  The government of Morocco has long sought to cultivate its image, 
employing high- powered U.S. lobbyists, as a beacon of tolerance in the 
Muslim world. This human rights protest is further evidence that 
Morocco isn't all that it claims to be.
  Earlier this year the Moroccan government deported, without due 
process, dozens of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals, many of whom 
were engaged in vital humanitarian work--for allegedly proselytizing.
  If the government of Morocco hopes to maintain its image, it is going 
to take more than some well-positioned lobbyists.

               Moroccans Stage Rare Human Rights Protest

       RABAT (Reuters)--About 900 Moroccan rights activists took 
     to the streets in Rabat on Sunday in a rare protest against 
     what they called widespread rights abuses by the authorities, 
     including illegal detention and torture.
       Protesters chanted: ``Shut down illegal detention centres 
     now!'' and ``Where is the respect for rights and truth?''
       Officials were not immediately available to comment on the 
     protest but the government has repeatedly said that its 
     commitment to improve and protect human rights is 
     irreversible.
       Morocco won international praise for an improvement in its 
     human rights record since reformist monarch Mohamed VI took 
     over in 1999 from his father Hassan during whose rule 
     hundreds of people were tortured and killed at the hands of 
     the government.
       But local human rights groups at home and abroad argue that 
     the country's rights record has deteriorated since 2003 when 
     it mounted a crackdown against militants linked to al Qaeda.
       ``The reality of human rights conditions totally belies the 
     government's claim of improvement. Illegal detention, torture 
     and crackdowns on press freedom are pervasive now,'' said 
     Abdeslam Abdelilah, Vice-President of the independent 
     Moroccan Human Rights Association (AMDH).
       Independent journalists and security officials at the scene 
     estimated the number of demonstrators at around 900. Security 
     forces have in the past broken up similar protests but they 
     did not interfere in Sunday's demonstration.

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