Turkish authorities arrested Mohamed Rafiî, a member of Al Adl Wal Ihsane (AWI), at Istanbul airport yesterday evening. «We are surprised by this arrest, even though Rafiî has been on Turkish territory since August 22, where he has been spending his vacation with his family» AWI spokesman Hassan Bennajeh told Yabiladi. «The Turkish authorities have refused to provide Mohamed Rafiî's wife with any explanations justifying this arrest, limiting themselves to saying that Rafiî is the subject of deportation proceedings», he added. «With this arrest, Turkey is committing a flagrant violation of human rights, even though the person concerned is not the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by the Moroccan authorities. This arrest is part of the cooperation between the two countries' intelligence services», stressed Hassan Bennajeh. In August 2023, Turkey had arrested Mohamed Atitich, another AWI member, upon his arrival at Antalya airport with his wife, their child, and his mother. On January 17, 2016, Turkey had turned back three AWI members, including its number 2, Fathallah Arsalane, as they had just landed at Istanbul airport from Casablanca. On the same day, Ankara also decided to suspend the holding of a congress in homage to the cultural and religious heritage of the Jamaâ's founder, Abdeslam Yassine. The event was organized in Istanbul by the Abdeslam Yassine Foundation, established in Turkey in 2014.
