A-HRC-13-42

A/HRC/13/42
page 36
instance, in response to a question by the Human Rights Committee in November 1990 about the
secret detention centres of Qal’at M’Gouna and Tazmamart, the Moroccan delegation replied
that “these prisons are not on any list held in the prison administration division at the Ministry of
the Interior”. 114 Cells in some police stations or military barracks, as well as secret villas in the
Rabat suburbs, were also allegedly used to hide the disappeared. 115 Until 1991, the Government
of Morocco not only denied any knowledge of these disappeared and their whereabouts, but also
their existence. 116 The Equity and Reconciliation Commission considered some of the cases of
secret detention occurring between 1936 and 1999. 117 In its submission concerning the present
report, the Government of Morocco stated that all cases of enforced disappearances registered in
Morocco had been considered by the Commission and that, in most of these cases, compensation
had been granted.
77. In its opinion No. 8/1998, adopted in 1998, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
addressed several cases of individuals suspected of acts of terrorism being held in secret
detention facilities run by Israeli forces since the late 1980s. 118
78. In 1998, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances received and
transmitted to the Government of Yemen numerous cases of secret detentions and enforced
disappearances in the context of counter-terrorism operations in the country since the period
between January and April 1986. Other sporadic cases of secret detention were brought to the
attention of the United Nations human rights bodies and mechanisms with regard to Egypt, 119
Saudi Arabia, 120 the Syrian Arab Republic 121 and Tunisia. 122
114
Written statement submitted by Amnesty International 8E/CN.4/1996/NGO/26).
115
Report of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (E/CN.4/1995/36).
116 In its 2009 visit to Morocco, the Working Group met with people who had been held in
secret detention; see A/HRC/31/Add.1.
117
Equity and Reconciliation Commission, summary of its findings, available at the address
www.ictj.org/static/MENA/Morocco/IERreport.findingssummary.eng.pdf.
118 E/CN.4/1999/63/Add.1.
119 Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, opinion No. 15/1999, (E/CN.4/2000/4/Add.1).
120 Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, decisions No. 40/1992 ((E/CN.3/1993/24), No.
60/1993 (E/CN.4/1995/31/Add.1 and E/CN.4/1995/31/Add.2) and No. 48/1995
(E/CN.4/1997/4/Add.1).
121
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, decisions No.1/1994, (E/CN.4/1995/31/Add.1 and
E/CN.4/1995/31/Add.2), No. 2/1997 (E/CN.4/1998/44/Add.1).
122
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, opinion No. 5/1999 (E/CN.4/2000/4/Add.1).