Excerpt from the statement drafted by Clinic Student Attorney Pablo Das with TrialWatch:
“The Clooney Foundation for Justice and the USC Law International Human Rights Clinic announced today that the Clinic intends to monitor criminal proceedings against academic and activist Maâti Monjib in Morocco as part of CFJ’s TrialWatch initiative. Mr. Monjib was arrested late last year on suspicion of money laundering based on allegations that he received funding from foreign sources that he then diverted for his own use. The charges carry a potential sentence of up to 10 years.
While Mr. Monjib was recently released from pre-trial detention, the pre-trial process has been marred by irregularities—and has taken a considerable toll, with Mr. Monjib having lost 25 pounds on a hunger strike. For instance, after his arrest, Mr. Monjib was taken to the Rabat Prosecutor’s office and interrogated without a lawyer present. Then, a pre-trial judge ordered his detention (which lasted three months) “with a view to continuing the
investigation,” despite the fact that this is not, standing alone, a legitimate basis for pretrial detention. More recently, although it is customary for the defense to be able to make copies of the case file, Mr. Monjib’s team has been denied this opportunity based on a cramped interpretation of the Moroccan Code of Criminal Procedure. As a result, Mr. Monjib has been unable to review the full details of the charges levied against him.”