Benzekri, detainee and seeker of truth

Driss Benzekri (57), a former political prisoner who later headed a truth commission in Morocco, has died.

Benzekri was president of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission, founded in 2004 by Morocco’s King Mohamed VI to look into past human rights abuses — including under the monarch’s father, King Hassan II. It was the first such truth-seeking body in the Arab world and has been praised as a model for other Arab countries confronting dark pasts.Benzekri, a former Marxist, was one of many Moroccans illegally detained, imprisoned, tortured, or forcibly “disappeared” by state security forces from the 1950s to the 1990s.The commission put the number of victims in the hundreds; most human rights activists say it is in the thousands.”Despite chronic back pain caused by torture and a debilitating illness, Driss continued to fight for human rights until the end of his life,” said Joe Stork, deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Human Rights Watch.Last year, the commission issued a report naming those they judged perpetrators of abuses, outlining a reparations plan for victims and calling for institutional and legislative reforms to prevent further human rights violations.Moroccan and international human rights groups have said the commission’s efforts may be undone if the Moroccan government fails to act on the report’s recommendations.Nampa-APIt was the first such truth-seeking body in the Arab world and has been praised as a model for other Arab countries confronting dark pasts.Benzekri, a former Marxist, was one of many Moroccans illegally detained, imprisoned, tortured, or forcibly “disappeared” by state security forces from the 1950s to the 1990s.The commission put the number of victims in the hundreds; most human rights activists say it is in the thousands.”Despite chronic back pain caused by torture and a debilitating illness, Driss continued to fight for human rights until the end of his life,” said Joe Stork, deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Human Rights Watch.Last year, the commission issued a report naming those they judged perpetrators of abuses, outlining a reparations plan for victims and calling for institutional and legislative reforms to prevent further human rights violations.Moroccan and international human rights groups have said the commission’s efforts may be undone if the Moroccan government fails to act on the report’s recommendations.Nampa-AP