Morocco’s youth movement calling for political reforms announced Wednesday it would stage a protest “picnic” on May 15 near a secret detention centre where rights groups say people have been tortured. “This picnic will be organised in front of the Temara secret detention centre as part of a day of action against such detentions,” the group known as the February 20 Movement said in statement sent to AFP.
“With this peaceful action, the February 20 Movement is demanding that those responsible for torture and serious violations of human rights be brought to justice,” the statement said. Groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have denounced the existence of the detention centre at Temara, near Rabat. According to HRW, the centre is run by the Moroccan intelligence services (DST) and many people suspected of terrorism, including Islamists, have been tortured there.
