Six Moroccans risk execution in Somalia

Six Moroccans have been sentenced to death in Somalia for their alleged ties to the terrorist organization Daesh. Moroccan human rights organizations are demanding the immediate cancellation of the sentence and calling for the six men to be repatriated.

In a joint statement, the Coalition of Moroccans Against the Death Penalty, the Network of Lawyers Against the Death Penalty, and four other organizations express their deep concern about the death penalty handed down by a military court in northern Somalia. The men were to be executed by firing squad.

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The organizations emphasize that the death penalty “can never be justified, even for the most serious crimes.” They urge the Moroccan authorities to take all necessary steps to save the lives of the six men and ensure their return to Morocco.

The identities, ages and exact circumstances of their arrest and trial remain unclear. According to the communiqué, some of the convicts stated that they had gone to Somalia to look for work and that they knew nothing about the true nature of their employers. They long to return to Morocco.

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The lawyer for the six men confirms that they were ignorant of their recruiters’ ties to extremism. He has appealed the verdict and hopes for an acquittal. Somalia is one of the few countries where the death penalty is still applied. Last year, 55 people were executed.