The general Delegation for prison administration and reintegration (DGAPR) denied, on Friday, the «false allegations» published by the organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) on its website regarding the situation of Belgian-Moroccan detainee Abdelkader Belliraj. DGAPR states that the prisoner Belliraj, currently being held at Toulal 2 prison, is placed in a cell that meets all the necessary hygienic conditions (lighting, ventilation, etc.), as he enjoys his right to a daily one-hour walk, during which he performs his sporting activities, like all other prisoners in the same ward, especially since he also enjoys, the same source adds, meals that comply with the diet prescribed for him by the doctor, while at the same time enjoying the right to buy food at the prison grocery store. Regarding family visits, this detainee is subject to special treatment allowing him to receive his family even outside the days set for him, for longer periods, the DGAPR stresses, adding that he also receives several visitors, because his family does not reside in Morocco and does not visit him regularly. He also benefits from his right to call his family members regularly and to send and receive letters, the same source points out. For the record, Human Rights Watch wrote, Friday, that Belliraj has reportedly been held in «abusive solitary detention for more than three years». The international NGO, which recalls that the «mass trial in which he was convicted was marred by serious rights violations», added that the sentence imposed on Belgian-Moroccan convict Abdelkader Belliraj was based on his and co-defendants' «confessions, which they said were obtained under police torture». His wife told HRW that Belliraj «has been deprived of contact with inmates and confined to his cell 23 hours a day since 2016».
