Cairo August 25, 2012

ANHRI strongly denounces the Moroccan police use of force to disperse demonstrations organized by a number of Moroccan activists, in several Moroccan cities to protest against the devotion and allegiance to the king in Morocco as usual.

The Moroccan police have used batons and tear gas to disperse the demonstrations called by the February 20 Movement to denounce the ritual ceremony of devotion to the kingship of which some say it is remnants of the Middle Ages, as the audience, after appears in classes before the king then kneel in front of him and chanting the phrase “God bless My Sir, “this is the first time the members of the Islamic forces who refused to kneel attend. The police forces in Morocco using excessive force to disperse the demonstrations through kicking, punching and beating with batons and sticks and disperse people gathered in front of the parliament, including some journalists, such as the Omar Proxy, a journalist in France Press, who was beaten and bleeding by the police.

In addition to curses and insults directed to anyone participated in the demonstration, in addition to the police forces to hunt down activists who tried to escape from them, surrounded them and prevent them from gathering and assaulted them, looking for any suspects who belong to the February 20 Movement, but it reach sweep the trains’s pavement searching for anyone who belongs to this movement.

It is noteworthy that the attacks of the Moroccan police force came surpassing the legal rules and regulations prescribed by the Moroccan law, the need to highlight the badge “intervention force” at the forefront of police forces, as well as giving demonstrators three warnings before using force to disperse them.

ANHRI said “that the Moroccan authorities ensure and protect peaceful demonstrators and not use violence and force to disperse them, a policy that proves failure day after day and only add more to the demonstrators to adhere there demands”.

ANHRI said “You should not prosecute demonstrators and non-use of force to break up peaceful demonstrations demanding freedom and dignity and respect for the right of refusal and ritual practices they consider alien to the dignity”.

ANHRI calls for the investigating in this incident and punishing those who participated in committing assault on the peaceful protesters, and respect their right to peaceful expression of opinion.”