For Erraji’s provisional freedom. It usually takes weeks if not months for such procedures to be processed through the Moroccan Justice bureaucracy. This unanticipated release bears all the symptoms of a surreptitious intervention by the king. I am sure the king’s intervention, seeking to correct this serious slippage of justice, will not stop here; Erraji, who was wheedled to submit to a speedy trial without the luxury of a defense, will now stand, on 16 September, before a court of justice that will adhere to “due process” (we use the term rather loosely in Morocco.) If found guilty, he will be slapped with nothing more than a fine. I will not be surprised if Erraji is exonerated altogether.
Why such an underhanded intervention? considering the international response to the convulsive judgment Erraji was a victim of, the stealthy intervention seeks to depict the Moroccan justice as a functional system, the Moroccan governance as democratic and stable; these characteristics are catnips to foreign investors. Domestically, such an intervention will avert a greater erosion of confidence in the justice system.
But why did such a travesty happen in the first place? Are the officials who orchestrated it so blatantly incompetent? They are not. Is the judge who sent Erraji to rot in jail so ignorant of judicial procedures? He is not. They are simply following a deeply ingrained political and social tradition in Morocco: ingratiating themselves with the Palace hoping for a “GRIMA.”
Ahmed T. B. Copyright © 2008
[...] Moroccan About the World Around Him explains how Erraji was freed and why the Moroccan judicial system refuses change: Why such an underhanded [...]
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Ahmed,
Right on the money. That’s exactly what came to my mind. The internet police or whoever called the shot on the case of Erraji over last weekend were definitely trying to impress the king or his men, who are now intervening to minimize the damage.
His arrest and sentencing must have been the work of some old school folks who have no understanding of the realities of today’s world.
But it ain’t over ’till it’s over. We still have to wait and see what will happen to Erraji few days from now.
Comment by adilski — September 12, 2008 @ 2:27 am |
[...] About the World Around Him [”Um Marroquino Sobre o Mundo Que o Cerca”, em inglês] explica [En] como Erraji foi libertado e por quê o sistema judiciário do Marrocos se recusa a mudar: Why [...]
Pingback by Global Voices em Português » Marrocos: Blogueiro Mohammed Erraji Está Livre, Por Hora — September 12, 2008 @ 8:40 pm |
[...] Moroccan About the World Around Him spiega [in] come è stato liberato Erraji e perchè il sistema giudiziario marocchino rifiuta ogni [...]
Pingback by Global Voices in Italiano » Marocco: solo temporanea la scarcezione di Mohammed Erraji — September 16, 2008 @ 8:36 pm |