Years of Lead (Morocco)

The Years of Lead (

Hassan II of Morocco, from roughly the 1960s through the 1980s, marked by state violence and repression against political dissidents and democracy

activists.

Timeframe

Hassan II

in 1983

Hassan II was king from 1961 until his death in 1999. His reign was marked by political unrest and a heavy-handed government response to criticism and opposition. Political repression increased dramatically upon Hassan's ascent to the throne of the country in 1961, and this repressive political climate would last for nearly three decades.

Due to strong popular mobilization from the Moroccan democracy and human rights activists and pressure from the general Moroccan population, as well as pressure from the wider international community, Morocco experienced a slow but notable improvement in its political climate and human rights situation. The pace of reform accelerated with Hassan II's death and the accession of his son Mohammed VI to the throne in 1999.

Repression and its victims

1972 coup attempt

Western Sahara war (1975-1991). In yellow, the territory under control by the Polisario Front

Political oppression plateaued in the 1960s and wound down only in the early 1990s. During the Years of Lead, dissidents were arrested, executed,

disappeared", newspapers were closed and books were banned. There are few reliable lists of victims for the time, but there were hundreds of political killings and forced disappearances. Arbitrary arrests and torture affected many, including some of those outside the usual opposition networks. The reports about these human rights issues sparked domestic and international criticism. By the early 1990s, international condemnation of Morocco's poor human rights record became so strong, that Hassan II had no choice but to liberate the country at least somewhat, in order to avoid international isolation and tension with other countries, so that Morocco would avoid becoming a pariah state

. As a result, Morocco gradually became more democratic and free over time.

Some examples of government repression during this period included:

Targeting of dissidents: Opposition politics was a life-threatening activity in Morocco during the low points of the Years of Lead. Harassment of dissidents was commonplace and several outspoken anti-government activists were jailed and tortured or forcibly disappeared by government forces or died mysteriously.

Hassan II

upon his liberation in September 1991.

Crackdowns on protesters: Hundreds were killed and thousands arrested in connection with demonstrations and politicized labor

Fes

in 1990.

Purges of the army: After the attempted military coups against the king in 1971 and 1972, officers and other involved putschists were rounded up and sent to secret detention camps such as Tazmamart, where many died. Mohamed Oufkir, Hassan II's right-hand man in the 1960s, convicted in France for the assassination of Mehdi Ben Barka, was himself executed in 1972 after a failed coup attempt. Oufkir's children were imprisoned in retaliation. His daughter, Malika Oufkir, wrote a book title Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail, recounting the experience.
Rif Wars: in 1958–1959, the Moroccan
Alaouite Dynasty
's rule. The uprisings were harshly put down with thousands of casualties. Including these events as forming part of the "Years of Lead" would greatly increase the figures concerning victims.

ERC: Looking into the past

As the more

Islamists and Sahrawi independence seekers),^[1]^[2] important reforms have been instituted to examine past abuses. The press is considerably freer than before and debate on many subjects is intense, although the monarchy, political Islam and Western Sahara remain more or less untouchable. Parliament still holds no power over the King, but elections are semi-fair,^{[citation needed]} whereas they were blatantly rigged

or suspended for many years during the 1970s and 1980s. Several independent human rights organizations have formed to investigate the impact of state repression during the years of rule and to press claims for damages suffered.

One of the most significant developments was the setting up of the

Sahrawis with the same forcefulness as with Moroccans.^[4]

On January 6, 2006, King Mohammed VI expressed regret for the human rights abuses that had occurred during his father's reign and spoke of the need for lessons to be drawn from the past.^[5]

The commission's work, and the emotional legacy of the Years of Lead on four families, is also explored in the 2008 documentary film Our Forbidden Places (Nos lieux interdits).^[6]

References

^ "Human Rights Watch". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
^ "Amnesty International - Library - Report 2004 - Morocco / Western Sahara". Archived from the original on 2004-06-14. Retrieved 2007-02-11.
^ "Morocco's Truth Commission: Honoring Past Victims during an Uncertain Present: V. Constraints on the ERC". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
^ "Morocco's Truth Commission: Honoring Past Victims during an Uncertain Present: VII. Equality of Approach to Victims: the Sahrawis". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
^ "Humanitarian | Thomson Reuters Foundation News". news.trust.org. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
^ Mandelbaum, Jacques (29 September 2009). ""Nos lieux interdits" : enquête autour de disparus sous la dictature d'Hassan II". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 12 March 2012.

External links

Morocco Finds Graves of 50 killed in 70's - New York Times
1981 martyrs' mass grave found in Casablanca - Moroccan Times
Morocco's Truth Commission: Honoring Past Victims during an Uncertain Present - Human Rights Watch
Royal Gulag - The Economist

[1] "Human Rights Watch". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2019-06-19.

[2] "Amnesty International - Library - Report 2004 - Morocco / Western Sahara". Archived from the original on 2004-06-14. Retrieved 2007-02-11.

[3] "Morocco's Truth Commission: Honoring Past Victims during an Uncertain Present: V. Constraints on the ERC". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 2019-06-19.

[4] "Morocco's Truth Commission: Honoring Past Victims during an Uncertain Present: VII. Equality of Approach to Victims: the Sahrawis". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 2019-06-19.

[5] "Humanitarian | Thomson Reuters Foundation News". news.trust.org. Retrieved 2019-06-19.

[Mandelbaum-6] Mandelbaum, Jacques (29 September 2009). ""Nos lieux interdits" : enquête autour de disparus sous la dictature d'Hassan II". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 12 March 2012.

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v t e Protests of 1968
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