PUSL.- The Committee against Torture on August 6th discussed follow-up to concluding observations, individual communications, and reprisals under the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
The Rapporteur on follow-up to reprisals, Ana Racu, informed that the committee met with the Permanent Mission of Morocco. The Rapporteur said that the Committee had repeatedly requested the State party to issue interim measures to alleviate the deplorable conditions of Abdallah Abbahah. The lawyer of Mr. Abbahah, Maitre Olfa Ouled presented an individual complaint in his case against Morocco that has received immediate interim measures in May 2018, requesting immediate alternative measures to detention, such as surveilled house arrest, ceasing of all ill treatment and access to a doctor of is choice. Morocco did not comply with any of the interim measures.
The Rapporteur said that the case Abbahah vs. Morocco has been considered on the 5th of August 2019 in the plenary and that the Committee issued repeatedly a request for interim measures to alleviate the deplorable conditions of the complainant. Since the committee has adopted admissibility decision on the individual complaint, the committee reiterated the previous request for the protection of the complainant which the rapporteur said “may be hopefully respected given the admissibility decision of the Committee and also given the fact that a meeting with the permanent mission of Morocco has taken place”.
On the case Naama Asfari versus Morocco Ana Racu reminded the committee that the previous recommendation on this case is to keep the follow up dialogue on-going in order to improve the implementation process of the decision on this case, and therefore the committee has decided to refer to this case in the committee’s annual report to request a meeting with the permanent mission and to express interest to monitor the follow up of the case by carrying out a visit to morocco.
We recall that interdiction of reprisal against Naama Asfari and his Family due to the presentation of an individual complaint have so far not been respected by Morocco and that his wife, Claude Mangin has been recently prohibited to enter Morocco to visit her husband.
The rapporteur also informed that the committee will have to assess the level of implementation of their decisions very soon regarding the cases vs. Morocco.