Moroccan king pardons detainees, including some Hoceima protesters

‘Morocco’s monarch, King Mohammed VI, has granted pardon to more than a thousand detainees, some of whom had been under arrest for taking part in protests in the troubled northern Rif region.
The Justice Ministry announced on Saturday that the monarch had pardoned a total of 1,178 people.
It said those pardoned included an unspecified number of detainees who had been arrested for taking part in demonstrations in the northern port city of al-Hoceima in the Rif region to protest alleged social injustice in the impoverished region.
Pardons were granted to those “who have not committed crimes and who are not implicated in serious acts… bearing in mind their family and humanitarian conditions,” the ministry said.
The pardons come ahead of celebrations marking the 18th anniversary of King Mohammed’s monarchy.’
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