The Moroccan Court of Cassation dismissed Ali’s appeal.
This is devastating news. Ali’s lawyers are considering with the international secretariat of Amnesty International what the next steps should be.
The Moroccan authorities continue to ignore the rulings and demands of international bodies such as the UN Committee Against Torture which called on them again recently to respect his fundamental rights by putting an end to his solitary confinement and to the prison conditions which have severely damaged his physical and mental health.
Throughout his imprisonment, he has suffered threats, pressure, unjustified searches and seizures, beatings, deprivation of basic medical care, interference with correspondence, restrictions on visits from friends and lawyers. Since October last year he has been in solitary confinement with inadequate food and bedding, and no medical care despite his repeated sickness and vomiting, causing him to lose 18kg in weight.
The Belgian authorities too have ignored the demands of his family and of human rights groups to come to his aid, despite his Belgian nationality.
If you would like to write to Ali (preferably in French or Spanish, but English would do), so that he knows people are thinking of him, his address is:
Ali Aarrass (no. d’ecrou 930)
Prison de Tiflet 2
Tiflet
Morocco
Thank you.
