Read
- Microsoft unveils Xbox One with Spielberg, Activision tie-up
- Whole neighborhoods razed by Oklahoma tornado that killed 24
|
- White House threatens veto of bill to bypass Obama on Keystone
- Russia moves closer to jail terms for offending religion
- UPDATE 1-Regeneron, Sanofi asthma drug seen as potential game changer
Reuters Photojournalism
Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography. See more | Photo caption
Devastated by tornado
A huge tornado tears through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, killing dozens. Slideshow
Nuclear tsunami wall
Safety upgrades designed to prevent a repeat of the Fukushima disaster. Slideshow
Sponsored Links
Morocco jails 24 over Western Sahara clash in 2010
RABAT |
RABAT (Reuters) - A Moroccan military court on Sunday jailed 24 defendants accused of killing members of the security forces who stormed a protest camp in the disputed Western Sahara in 2010, state news agency MAP said.
The Rabat court jailed eight of the 24 for life and four dependents received 30-year prison terms. Another eight were given 25 years and two others were handed 20-year sentences.
Two of the accused who received the lightest sentences, two years in jail, have already served their terms in custody. One defendant was tried in absentia and given a life sentence.
Moroccan authorities say 13 people were killed - including 10 security officers, a firefighter and two civilians - and dozens injured on November 8, 2010 when authorities dismantled a camp where thousands of Western Saharans, known as Sahrawis, were living.
The camp had been set up in Gdeim Izik, near the Western Sahara capital Laayoune, to protest against unemployment and the Moroccan government which annexed the territory in 1975, when former colonial power Spain withdrew.
The camp was stormed in the early hours of the morning with helicopters and forces using water cannon to disperse its occupants but clashes then erupted with protesters.
"We are going to the cassation court to cancel this verdict," defense lawyer Mohamed Fadel Al-Layly told Reuters, adding the military court had declined the defense team's request for a medical examination after "our clients alleged torture" while in custody.
Protests have been held outside the court during the politically charged trial, which began in early February. In a statement earlier this month, Amnesty International said the trial of civilians before a military court did not meet internationally recognized standards for a fair trial.
Western Sahara is a sparsely populated tract of desert about the size of Britain, with rich fishing grounds off its coast and reserves of phosphates. Morocco says the territory should come under its sovereignty, while the exiled Polisario Front says Western Sahara is an independent state.
(Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by Jason Webb)
- Tweet this
- Link this
- Share this
- Digg this
- Reprints
The fact is those security forces were ordered to not open fire on protesters, while most the protest was valid, legitimate and peaceful, and while most protesters had social demands similar to what the rest of the country (Morocco) is experiencing, some elements were clearly infused into the crowds to create chaos and they almost succeeded.
What does protesting and demanding rights has to do with killing, no not killing, it was butchering policemen… and no they did not stop there, while those were slaughtered like cattle and their blood was still dripping on the ground, the killers urinated on their bodies. It looks like plan was to get the Moroccan security forces to loose their nerves and open fire on protesters by provoking them by any means necessary. if those provocations were successful and if the Moroccan security forces had opened fire, the the Polisario front which is probably behind sending those killers to infiltrate the camp, would have used that to play the victim on the international news.
what the killers did not account for though is that some of the firefighter helicopters were equipped with cameras that recorded their actions.
The fact is those security forces were ordered to not open fire on protesters, while most the protest was valid, legitimate and peaceful, and while most protesters had social demands similar to what the rest of the country (Morocco) is experiencing, some elements were clearly infused into the crowds to create chaos and they almost succeeded.
What does protesting and demanding rights has to do with killing, no not killing, it was butchering policemen… and no they did not stop there, while those were slaughtered like cattle and their blood was still dripping on the ground, the killers urinated on their bodies. It looks like plan was to get the Moroccan security forces to loose their nerves and open fire on protesters by provoking them by any means necessary. if those provocations were successful and if the Moroccan security forces had opened fire, the the Polisario front which is probably behind sending those killers to infiltrate the camp, would have used that to play the victim on the international news.
what the killers did not account for though is that some of the firefighter helicopters were equipped with cameras that recorded their actions.
The fact is those security forces were ordered to not open fire on protesters, while most the protest was valid, legitimate and peaceful, and while most protesters had social demands similar to what the rest of the country (Morocco) is experiencing, some elements were clearly infused into the crowds to create chaos and they almost succeeded.
What does protesting and demanding rights has to do with killing, no not killing, it was butchering policemen… and no they did not stop there, while those were slaughtered like cattle and their blood was still dripping on the ground, the killers urinated on their bodies. It looks like plan was to get the Moroccan security forces to loose their nerves and open fire on protesters by provoking them by any means necessary. if those provocations were successful and if the Moroccan security forces had opened fire, the the Polisario front which is probably behind sending those killers to infiltrate the camp, would have used that to play the victim on the international news.
what the killers did not account for though is that some of the firefighter helicopters were equipped with cameras that recorded their actions.
Follow Reuters