Moroccan human rights advocates called today, Friday, for the release of a former Minister of Human Rights and prominent lawyer after he began a hunger strike "due to the neglect of his health condition," considering his continued imprisonment as persecution. The "National Body to Support Prisoners of Opinion and Victims of Violations of Freedom of Expression in Morocco" (composed of several rights advocates and civil society organizations) stated in a statement obtained by Reuters that it is "following with great concern the announcement by Captain Mohammed Zian, before the authority responsible for his 'disciplinary' trial at the Court of Appeal in Rabat, that he has entered a total hunger strike due to the neglect of his health situation by the General Delegation for Prison Administration after he experienced a heart attack today, Friday, that nearly cost him his life."
Zian (81 years old) entered the (Arajate 1) prison on the outskirts of the capital Rabat to serve a three-year prison sentence after being convicted in November 2022 for "insulting the judiciary and public officials, disseminating statements aimed at influencing judicial decisions before issuing a verdict that cannot be appealed, and contempt of judicial decisions."
However, human rights advocates claim that his arrest was "retaliation" for his criticisms, opposing media statements, and his defense of cases involving prisoners of opinion. The local prison administration Arajate 1 denied any abuse against Zian in a statement the day before, saying that "the inmate in question enjoys all the rights guaranteed to him by law, including health care and accommodation that meets the necessary health conditions." Zian was the first Minister to hold the position of Minister of Human Rights in Morocco during the era of the late King Hassan II.
