Press release: ITF continues campaigning for Moroccan detainees ahead of legal hearing

News Release International Transport Federation (ITF) July 6, 2012

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The ITF is continuing to show its
support for detained Moroccan trade unionists Said Elhairech and Mohamed
Chamchati ahead of their court hearing in Rabat on Monday 2nd
July.
 
Elhairech, general secretary of the
Syndicats UMT des Transports and chair of the ITF Arab world regional committee,
and Chamchati, general secretary of the merchant seafarers’ union, were arrested
on charges of sabotage and endangering national security. Both men have utterly
denied the accusations.
 
ITF (International Transport
Workers’ Federation) general secretary David Cockroft explained: “There is no
doubt that a mistake has been made and that there is still time for it to be
rectified. It is our earnest hope that justice will be done on Monday and both
men released.”
 
He continued: “We continue to
forcefully press our case to the Moroccan government that these detentions were
a major error. We believe they spring from a backlash against the valuable work
done by trade unions in helping all those seafarers stranded by the
Comarit-Comanav failure. I personally asked Said to help those stranded
seafarers and he did so magnificently. He was on ITF business and the ITF is
backing him all the way.”
 
ITF president and chair of
itsdockers’ section, Paddy Crumlin, added:
"From Australia, from
England, from Germany, from across the Mediterranean countries and the Arab
World the message is being sent that a miscarriage of justice is a whisker away
from being committed. These men have been caught up in a whirlwind of
accusations – including, unbelievably, sabotaging ships, ports and national
security – that stretch credulity well past breaking point. I don't see how any
independent and fair minded court can do anything but free
them."
 
He continued:
 “Earlier this year
Moroccan prime minister Abdelilah Benkirane stressed the
country’s respect for human rights*. Continued detention on these heinous
charges is incompatible with such a pledge.”
 
In an email message to his
supporters Said said that he was feeling “proud and
strong”.
 
The ITF has protested to the
Moroccan government over the arrests, and its general secretary and president
have approached Morocco’s ambassadors in the UK and Australia to push the case
that a mistake has been made that can still be corrected. Meanwhile the
organisation and its member unions have been showing their support through
protests to Moroccan ministers and shows of solidarity with the two men (see
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href="redir.aspx?C=597da60751784553a58bf6e1ee4e9fd0&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.itfglobal.org%2fsolidarity%2fSaid-Elhairech.cfm"
target=_blank>www.itfglobal.org/solidarity/Said-Elhairech.cfm</A>)
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