Morocco refuses to extradite Egyptian opposition figure, releases him

Moroccan authorities released Egyptian opposition figure Dr Abdel Basset Imam yesterday after a court ruled that he would not be extradited to Egypt, the Shehab Centre for Human Rights announced.

Imam, who also holds Turkish citizenship, was arrested on 3 November at the airport in Casablanca, pursuant to an extradition request issued by the Egyptian government. He has been sentenced to life in prison in Egypt due to his opposition to the ruling regime of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.

The Shehab Centre for Human Rights praised the Moroccan authorities’s decision to ask the Moroccan Court of Cassation to consider Egypt’s extradition request.

Imam’s wife had previously issued a video statement calling on Morocco not to extradite her husband to serve a life term in Egypt.

Since the Sisi regime came into power in 2013, human rights groups have warned that opposition figures have been tortured in prison. The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) prohibits the deportation of individuals to countries where they may be subjected to serious human rights violations.

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