WGEID in Morocco

The Advisory Council on Human Rights (CCDH) received on June 23, 2009 at 11:00 the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID).

The WGEID met with the CCDH President and members, and former members of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER) to learn more about the Moroccan experience in transitional justice in all its dimensions, including reparation, process of reconciliation and institutional reforms in human rights and in consolidation of the democratic process.

A field visit was also organized to Derb Moulay Cherif and Kelaat Megouna and Agdez, old centers of detention, to see the progress made in the community reparation program, mainly concerning the preservation of memory. Meetings with human rights associations as well as former victims or their families are also on the agenda.

The WGEID which will hold its 88th session in Morocco, for the first time in an Arab and African country, is visiting Morocco from June 22 -25, 2009 to inquire about the various reform projects undertaken by Morocco.

The holding of this session in Morocco reflects the respect for the Moroccan experience, which is unique and exemplary in the region in the field of transitional justice, particularly the aspects of the establishment of the truth about gross human rights violations perpetrated in the past, mainly the issue of enforced disappearance.

Indeed, the Moroccan experience in this area has already applied the provisions of the draft Convention on Enforced Disappearances before its adoption, both in qualifying cases and in defining this violation, adopted in the final report of the Commission. The IER recommendations were devoted specifically to these questions (Criminalization of enforced disappearance and other serious human rights violations, fight against impunity, security governance ...). The WGEID, in its recently-published reports, submitted respectively in 2008 and 2009 to the Human Rights Council, commended the cooperation of the Moroccan Government for the clarifications it provided on the cases falling under its remit, stating that this attitude should be emulated by other countries.

It should be noted that the WGEID, founded in 1980 by the UN Commission on Human Rights, works to assist the families of missing persons to elucidate the fate of victims. WGEID serves mainly as a contact between families of missing persons and the Governments concerned.

NEWS ABOUT THE WGEID VISIT

Minister of Justice Receives WGEID

Rabat - The experience of Morocco's Equity and Reconciliation Commission in the area of enforced disappearances is "exceptional" and "exemplary" at both regional and international levels, a member of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) underlined on Monday.

The assertion came during a meeting of visiting WGEID delegation with Morocco's minister of Justice, Abdelwahed Radi. This meeting focused on WGEID's achievements since its inception in 1980.

The visit of this group reflects the level of cooperation between Morocco and GWEID, said Olivier De Frouville, who affirmed the group's readiness to offer its expertise to Morocco.

Radi said that Morocco's collaboration with the WGEID is based on mutual trust to finally close the issue of enforced disappearances, which, he explained, is an "irreversible choice" for Morocco.

In a related development, the GWEID delegation met with Speaker of the House of Advisors (upper house) and Nasser Bourita from Morocco's Foreign Ministry. The latter said this meeting falls within the framework of the country's "very fruitful" relations with the UN group.

The UN group has always paid special attention to Morocco’s experience in enforced disappearances, especially in IER’s, Director General of the department of Multilateral Relations and Global Cooperation told reporters.

The WGEID –that is expected to hold its 88th ordinary session in Morocco- sees the IER as “a source inspiration in the fight against enforced disappearances,” Bourita went on. (MAP)
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CCDH Informs WGEID of Morocco's Experience in Transitional Justice

Members of the Advisory Council on Human Rights (CCDH) and former members of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER) informed, on June 22, 2009 in Rabat, the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) on Morocco's experience in transitional justice, particularly enforced disappearances.

The UN working group, who is paying a visit to Morocco, was richly informed of the different dimensions of the Moroccan experience in transitional justice, particularly the aspects relating to the establishment of the truth about the gross human rights violations, reparation, reconciliation process and legislative and institutional reforms in the areas of human rights and democracy.

In a press statement, the CCDH President, Mr. Ahmed Herzenni, stressed that the visit of WGEID was an opportunity to assess the outcome of the longstanding cooperation between Morocco and the WGEID, recalling that Morocco, a country who signed the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons against Enforced Disappearance, was preparing for its final ratification.

He said that the very fruitful cooperation between the two parties helped to resolve a number of cases registered by the WGEID in addition to other cases identified by the IER, noting that the CCDH and government were working together with WGEID for the final settlement of pending cases.

Speaker of House of Councilors Talks with WGEID Delegation

The Speaker of the House of Councilors, Mr. Benkaddour Maati, held talks on June 22, 2009, in Rabat with a delegation of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID).

During these talks, Mr. Benkaddour, praised the noble humanitarian action undertaken by the group, stressing the qualitative progress made by Morocco during the reign of His Majesty King Mohammed VI in the protection of human rights.

He also highlighted the positive contributions of several national institutions in this area, including the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER) which has done a remarkable job that allowed Morocco to turn the page on the past.

The Speaker has also highlighted the roles of parliament in the defense of human rights, enjoying fully its constitutional and legislative mechanisms of control in the field.

On the other hand, he drew the attention of the UN Group to the fact that no political prisoner existed in Morocco, claiming that the group members could visit the various prisons to make sure of this.

Group members, for their part, stressed the great importance of their mission in Morocco, which is the first of its kind, pointing out that it aims to collect information on pending cases of enforced disappearance in order to arrive at solutions and to help families of victims to establish the truth about their fate.

Also, WGEID's visit aims to consider the constitutional and legislative measures taken after the experience of the IER to ensure that such practices of the past do not recur.

They stressed the leading role that could be played by parliaments in this field, mainly through strengthening the national legislative framework and its harmonization with the relevant international conventions.

WGEID delegation received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation

A delegation of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) was received on June 22, 2009 in Rabat by the Ambassador and Director General of Multilateral Relations and Global Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Mr. Nasser Bourita.

In a statement to the press after the meeting, Mr. Bourita said that this visit fell within the scope of very fruitful cooperative relations that Morocco has developed in recent years with the UN group.

He said that WGEID has always paid special interest to the Moroccan experience, including that of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER), stressing that the Group considered the action of the IER as a source of inspiration in the fight against enforced disappearances.

The current visit, he said, would enable the WGEID to deepen its knowledge about the work of the IER and its methodology in determining cases of enforced disappearances in Morocco, noting that Morocco was among the countries who have been actively involved in drafting the International Convention against Enforced Disappearance, which it signed in February 2007.

CCDH Secretary General: WGEID Meeting in Morocco Is Recognition of Moroccan Experience in Transitional Justice

According to the Secretary General of the Advisory Council on Human Rights (CCDH), Mr. Mahjoub El Haiba, the holding in Morocco of the WGEID 88th ordinary session, (June 26-28), is a recognition of the experience of Morocco in transitional justice.

This meeting reflects the exemplary relations of cooperation between Morocco and WGEID, said Mr El Haiba in a statement to the MAP, a Moroccan news agency, recalling that the session would be held for the first time in an Arab, Islamic and African country.

The meeting, which will focus on progress in resolving outstanding cases of enforced disappearance, is a mark of respect towards the progress of Morocco with regard to the implementation of the recommendations of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER), regarding the positive conversion of the old centers of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance and the preservation of positive memory.

All this was done using a participatory pedagogy involving all political and civil actors, including representatives and families of victims, said El Haiba.