Fez Riots - Students jailed and tortured

Morocco - 5/8/2013 

Reports of torture from Ain El Kadous prison in Fez multiply as Mohammed El Harrass, yet another student at D'har El Mahraz Law School was arrested on May 6th, 2013 following clashes that broke in April between police and students at the university. He's severely wounded and was reportedly taken today to Cell 9 of the prison located in Taouba district, along with 21 other political detainees who had been arrested. Proceedings of a mock up trial took place at the court of first instance in Fez today. Mohammed immediately collapsed and lost consciousness when he got to the cell, due to the wounds sustained during the two days he spent at the municipality, where he was beaten prior to the trial. Witnessing non-stop bleeding from Mohammed's eyes and his body entirely bruised prompted his 21 cellmates to protest inside the cell, with slogans and chants denouncing the crime and demanding immediate medical assistance for the political detainee. Mohammed El Harrass is now in the prison's hospital. U.N rapporteur on torture Juan Mendes visited Morocco on February 2013 and reported that "highly charged events" that the regime perceives as a "threat to national security" including "large demonstrations" result in "a corresponding increase in acts of torture and ill-treatment during the detention and arrest process". The report highlights the fact that "conditions in most prisons are still alarming, due to overcrowding, cases of ill-treatment and abusive disciplinary measures, unsanitary conditions, inadequate food and limited access to medical care". Today, Cell 9 of Ain El Kadous, its 22 political detainees and Mohammed's torture show that the situation hasn't changed in Morocco.