Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Thugs hired by the ruling elite have threatened reformers in
Morocco.

Human rights activists said the so-called Baltajiyas, known as thugs
hired to intimidate pro-democracy organizers, were being allowed to break up
meetings and assault key activists.

On Oct. 27, the thugs stabbed and killed
a senior human rights activist, Kamal Hassani, in front of his supporters.

“The martyr Kamal Hassani was stabbed on broad daylight, in full view of everyone, by an element of the Baltajiyas, a group known for its harassment and intimidation directed at Feb. 20 Movement activists, in full knowledge of citizens and officials, and with complete impunity,” the Moroccan
Association for Human Rights said.

The association said attacks by the Baltajiyas have increased since June and targeted pro-democracy demonstrations in such cities as Casablanca, Rabat and Tangiers. In a statement on Oct. 30, the human rights group blamed the Interior Ministry for failing to arrest and prosecute the attackers ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for Nov. 25.

“The interior minister merely investigated some cases that led to no prosecution or results, notably the murder cases of the martyrs Kamal Amari and Mohammed Boudouroua, both in the city of Safi,” the association said.
“Meanwhile, the savage attacks against activists of the February 20 Movement
continued, perpetrated by law enforcement elements and Baltajiyas alike.”

Civil unrest has risen sharply since Morocco announced a constitutional
referendum on June 17. Human rights activists said senior officials were
believed to have hired thugs to attack and intimidate reformists. Several
prominent activists have also been arrested in wake of their criticism of
the kingdom.

Hassani was identified as a leading critic of the regime. He was a
senior member of the National Association of Unemployed Graduates in
Morocco, said to have represented a growing force in the opposition
movement.

“AMDH considers that the authorities, by their stubborn sponsorship and
encouragement of elements and practices of the Baltajiyas against activists
and in total impunity, are using these same elements as informal agents of
repression in a clear violation of the state’s own claims to protect the
right to life and physical safety and the right to expression and
manifestation for all citizens,” the association said.

  Baltajiyas, Casablanca, Kamal Hassani, Moroccan activist said killed by thugs hired by kingdom, National Association of Unemployed Graduates, Rabat, Tangiers