5 Moroccan Minors Escape From Prison

Five Moroccan minor convicts on Monday escaped from the prison of Salé (near Rabat), an official source told APA. According to the general delegation of the prison and reinsertion administration in charge of the prisons in Morocco, the detainees were accused of “common law” offense.

In the eyes of observers, this rules out the terrorism charges tried in early 2008 for involvement in terrorist acts in Casablanca in 2007.

Two prisons warders, among them the custodian, were suspended on the decision of the general prison delegate in Morocco for “dysfunctions”, the source said.

This evasion is the second of its kind in Morocco after nine Islamists convicts escaped from prison when they were given sentences ranging from the death penalty to life imprisonment, following the 16 May 2003 terrorist assaults in Casablanca which claimed 45 dead, including 12 suicide-bombings.

In the wake of this evasion termed as “spectacular” in the country’s prison history, a new warder was appointed to take over from the dismissed custodian.

The police recaptured only one out of the nine escapees from the prison of Kenitra (45km north of Rabat).

The inmate population in Morocco is estimated to be 57,000 including 2,000 new prisoners in 2008 so far.

To strengthen the security in the prisons, the government plans to recruit 6,000 warders by 2012 to improve the current 11 inmates/one warder ratio.

Source African Press Agency

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