Tazmamart Victims' Memorial

I recall, as a teenager, when the utterance of the word “Tazmamart” (prison) evoked emotions and feelings of mystery, misery, and ultimate cruelty. My imagination proved useless in its attempts at simulating events of what could have been taking place in that prison. Demystifying Tazmamart consumed me for some odd reason. “Change the Subject” was the most common expression used as a reaction to having heard that “sinful” word uttered.

Fast forward to few days back when I came across Aljazeera’s program “Shahid ala AlAssr.” Its guest was Ahmed AlMarzouki, a former detainee for twenty years in that prison. I religiously watched all the episodes. I tried to put myself in his shoes and I could not help but feel disappointed. It is unbelievable that such indescribable atrocities and deplorable acts, to put it mildly, could have been committed.

Tazmamart prison has been closed and demolished few years back. The dead buried and the survivors released. Some of them went on to write books of their accounts among other things. The fundamental questions yet to be answered include: i) has justice been done by the surviving victims and their families, and the families of the dead?
ii) what guarantees and measures are in place to ensure that this would never happen again, knowing that international pressure played an important role in bringing an end to the infamous Tazamamart?

There is an overwhelming consensus and agreement that that entire episode is sad and tragic. The attitude in official Moroccan circles is that Tazmamart is a thing of the past; and we would do well to move on and forget about it. I am unable to find words that would capture the degree to which I am opposed to this approach and notion. I could not register my strong opposition enough. The contrary ought to happen and take place, I argue, because that would be most beneficial to the country in the short and long runs, as counterintuitive as that may be. A “Tazmamart Prison Victims’ Memorial” ought to be erected in the center of a big city. Such a monument will serve as reminder to future generations to appreciate the country’s human rights struggles.

As an example, the United States (US) went through a civil war, a dark chapter in its history. There are many civil war memorials allover the United States including the National Civil War Memorial http://www.nationalcwmemorial.org/ . Slavery and Civil Rights struggles are another example. The third Monday of every year is a federal holiday in the US commemorating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, a prominent leader and a symbol of the civil rights movement. There is also a memorial in his honor. http://www.mlkmemorial.org/ .

And it is not just the US, in central Berlin Germany, you can find the Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas (The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe) also known as the Holocaust Memorial http://www.holocaust-mahnmal.de/ . The list of example-countries goes on. Such memorials have educational dimensions not only for the current generation but for the generations to come.

Building a Tazmamart Prison Victims’ Memorial would have a profound effect on the population. It will send a clear and a loud message to them and to the international community that Morocco has entered a new era in respecting human rights, and that it is as serious about it as any other government. This will also go a long way in silencing many voices of criticism. It will truly signal a new beginning which could prompt other nations to follow suit. May be, just may be this is an opportunity for Morocco to impact the world at a whole new level!!

Jamal Laoudi (c)
April 04/30/09