Morocco Islamists get royal pardon
King Mohammed VI of Morocca has granted pardon to seven Islamists on the occasion of his birthday, Aljazeera’s correspondent in Morocco reports.
The seven were convicted and sentenced to jail terms ranging between two and 16 years after the 16 May attacks in Casablanca in which 45 people were killed.
The pardons come following the king’s recent statements on supposed excesses committed during the trials of Moroccan Islamists under the anti-terrorism law, Aljazeera’s correspondent added.
On Friday, AFP reported quoting the Moroccan Justice Ministry that the king had granted full or partial pardons to 417 people, including suspected Islamists, to mark the annual anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People.
The Revolution of the King and the People is celebrated every
20 August.
“About 70 Islamists convicted as part of inquiries linked to terrorism in Morocco are going to be freed after having asked for the king’s pardon,” a governmental source told AFP.
The identities of the suspected Islamists were not given.
The king’s pardon, however, did not concern “Islamists sentenced to heavy prison terms in the framework of terrorist attacks of 16 May 2003” in Casablanca, the source added.