Dutch MPs in the Netherlands have urged their government to pressure Morocco into releasing Hirak detainees. This initiative might affect diplomatic relations between the two countries. In the Netherlands, political parties are paying close attention to the situation of Hirak detainees in Morocco. The country's Minister of Foreign Affairs Stef Blok is also on the same page. Indeed, MPs from three political parties sent letters to Blok, writing about the «hunger and thirst strike that Nasser Zefzafi and other Hirak detainees held at the Casablanca local prison (Oukacha) are conducting», and which Ahmed Zefzafi announced last week, reports Dutch online newspaper Marokino.info. In their letters, MPs urged Stef Blok to consider the consequences this strike would have on the entire group's health. They have also recalled that Amnesty International had asked the Kingdom to release Hirak figure Nasser Zefzafi and other detainees, convicted in the same case. MPs demanded the Foreign Minister to inform them about his talks with the Moroccan authorities, regarding the arrest of Hirak activists. Moreover, they concluded, stressing that the Dutch government should put pressure on Morocco to release these detainees. A diplomatic crisis between Rabat and Amsterdam The Hirak movement have long been a subject of disagreement between Rabat and Amsterdam. The joint press briefing held last April in Rabat by Stef Blok and his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita revealed these differences. Annoyed by the comments of the Dutch Minister on the situation in the Rif and freedom of expression in Morocco, Bourita replied, reminding him of the fact that «Rabat is not willing to be lectured about the subject and is not ready to discuss it either». Bourita stressed that «laws, restrictions and departments (in Morocco) guarantee freedom of expression and the right of manifesting». For the record, on June 28th, and during a parliamentary debate that was held after 53 Hirak activists were sentenced by the Casablanca appeal court, the Dutch Minister urged Moroccan-Dutch activists to be cautious when traveling to Morocco for summer holidays. Two days later Rabat summoned Morocco's ambassador to the Netherlands.
