We are concerned by reports that authorities continue to refuse to accept certain Amazigh first names when parents attempt to register those names for their newborns at bureaus of the Civil Registry, which is part of your ministry.

Human Rights Watch writes to urge Dr. Ihsanoglu to use his position as Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to support measures at the upcoming Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference in Dakar, Senegal on March 13-14 that would improve and strengthen the 1999 OIC Convention on Combating International Terrorism. In particular, the OIC should consider two amendments to the Convention to narrow its overbroad definition of terrorism and make absolutely clear that there is no sanction in Islam for deliberately attacking civilians, whatever the circumstances or justifications.

We are writing to express our concern about the apparent police mistreatment of Dahha Rahmouni and Brahim Alansari. Moroccan police held the two human rights advocates from El-Ayoun in custody without charge in that city from December 14 to 16.

The Spanish government must ensure that its new agreement on the repatriation of unaccompanied children to Morocco fully complies with Spain’s international human rights obligations, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

Human Rights Watch is concerned by the apparent mistreatment of Mr. Mourad Belmâachi, a thirty-nine-year-old Moroccan citizen. He has now spent over two years in pretrial detention on charges of falsifying a document in order to escape liability for an unpaid debt.

We address this open letter to you respectfully in your capacity as Protector of the rights and liberties of citizens, social groups and organizations; as President of the Supreme Council of the Magistracy; and as the authority in whose name sentences are passed and executed, as per Articles 19, 86, and 83 respectively of the Constitution of Morocco.

Human Rights Watch and Liberty are deeply concerned about the British government’s stated intention to seek diplomatic assurances against torture in order to deport terrorism suspects to their home countries or to third countries where they would be at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Human Rights Watch and Liberty consider returns on the basis of such assurances as incompatible with the international prohibition on the return of persons to countries where they face a risk of torture (nonrefoulement). We urge you to reconsider this fatally flawed initiative and immediately to halt any negotiations with countries of return regarding securing such assurances.