Driss Basri

Following Driss Basri's dismissal by Mohammed VI in November 1999, the British press reported the opening of investigations into how the former minister had become one of the kingdom's wealthiest men, citing, among other assets, a floodlit golf course, two tourist resorts and a highly valuable Paris duplex.

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Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Interior Minister for twenty years, Basri is described as one of the central figures in the apparatus of control and repression under Hassan II's reign.

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Attribution

Political responsibility

Following his dismissal, Basri was accused of "crimes against humanity" before the Belgian courts by a former opposition figure.

State of the evidence

Alleged

Attribution

Accused

Under Driss Basri, the Interior Ministry issued a circular in 1996 containing a list of first names considered acceptable for Moroccan civil registration. Academic studies document that this policy was used to refuse Amazigh names deemed inconsistent with the official Arab-Islamic identity, fuelling a prolonged controversy over Amazigh cultural rights.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Following the bombing of the Atlas-Asni hotel in Marrakech in August 1994, Moroccan authorities suspected Algerian involvement, imposed visas on Algerian nationals and introduced measures targeting Algerians living in Morocco. Algeria retaliated by closing its land border, a closure that lasted for decades. Retrospective sources attribute a significant role to Driss Basri in this security response.

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Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Despite Basri's announcement that passport procedures would be simplified, HRW found that many former political prisoners remained unable to travel because their applications were not processed.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Political responsibility

Opposition parties held Basri personally responsible for manipulation during municipal and parliamentary elections.

State of the evidence

Allegations

Attribution

Political responsibility

Testimonies and archives reported by Le Monde describe close relations between Basri and Jean-Marie Le Pen/Jean-Claude Martinez, involving travel, gifts and political intermediaries on Moroccan issues.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Directly implicated

Still serving as Interior Minister, Driss Basri was associated with the repression of the December 1990 events in Fez. Le Monde wrote that he had "crushed" the riots; the IER subsequently recorded 112 deaths due to disproportionate use of force by the authorities.

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Documented

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Political responsibility

Driss Basri was Interior Minister during the January 1984 riots in several Moroccan cities. Security forces and the military repressed the demonstrations; the Equity and Reconciliation Commission subsequently established 49 deaths resulting from disproportionate use of force by the authorities during this period.

State of the evidence

Documented

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Political responsibility

Driss Basri, Interior Minister since 1979, headed the internal security apparatus during the repression of the 1981 Casablanca riots. Le Monde retrospectively wrote that he had "crushed" the riots; the IER subsequently established 114 deaths resulting from disproportionate use of force by the authorities.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility