... ... when holding a women's political
The years of lead have also had their wives. In these times of duty of memory, truth and reconciliation, the former political prisoners break the silence to claim their own history. Clandestine militants, abducted, tortured, convicted, they fought on behalf of an ideal and a bright future. Free, they continue to invest on behalf of citizenship. "Think of me without pain and talk to me your children", had once written Menebhi Sidon.
This sentence now epitaph bears the struggles of a young woman who died at age 25, having dreamed of a bright future, and especially defended a certain idea of freedom, democracy and citoyenneté.La Moroccan youth, the rebel and rebellious, made up today where the hero image and models is more blurred than ever, the symbol of activism. Heroin Sidon, killed in action December 11, 1977, after an indefinite hunger strike. In this new millennium, there is no student meetings, which are expected to last, without his name being mentioned. Not the memory of Sidon was Menebhi as alive in these times of duty of remembrance and catharsis on the path of years that have felt the lead, repression and arbitrary. At the mention of Sidon, is a past activist resurfaces and apply today to explore with confidence and precision the national commission for truth which is chaired by former political prisoner Driss Benzekri. A
past, so where had multiple convictions for imaginary plots and strong convictions amounted to centuries of imprisonment imposed against those who, like Che, has chosen to be realistic and to dream the impossible.En this year, Saida Menebhi was not alone in prison. Six other women were on this journey through hell prison, two of which she shared the same cell. In these years of repression and the all-safe, torture was also coupled with the feminine. A veil of shame and silence covered the pain of those who had invested Moroccan body and soul into militancy.
In 2001, a former political detainee, Fatna El Bouih, broke with unprecedented courage silence that hit like a wall of silence by publishing Editions Le Fennec, a book of testimony, oozing with emotion, " A very long dark night. " "Men and women we were equal before the torture. We suffered the same abuse, the same degradation, with the added threat of rape, "remembers El Fatna Bouih now fully dedicated to defending the rights of prisoners in the Moroccan Observatory of Prisons. Submissions restive
are struggling to imagine that women in this country, too, experienced the horrors of the lawless, secret detention and prison policy. Fatima Mernissi, who interviewed F. El Bouih in a booklet published under the title of "torturer failed" has the right words to evoke the presence of women in this long dark night where men and women were only shadows. "How do you imagine a former political prisoner? I asked around me in the circles of the megalopolis Rabat-Casablanca that I frequent. To my surprise, the majority of colleagues interviewed said they did not know that among our political prisoners there were women. Some remembered Menebhi Sidon, who died in prison in December 1977 when she led a hunger strike which showed the world a new phenomenon: the emergence of young women in Arab political theater, hitherto exclusively male "wrote the famous sociologist, author among other things, "Harem politics." They were young and wore pegged their commitment to the body of their convictions. Most of them were students and activists in clandestine cells because decreed prohibited. In that time, the Jean's sweater and wide were de rigueur. As if they forget their femininity with classmates to fiery speeches about democracy, which lasted the entire evening. "We were constantly caught in a dilemma, that to prove to society, our families and our flat-nosed us that we were also activists who fought Morocco for a better and not women to be dredged, "said a former leader of" March 23 ".
By the strength of their commitment, these Moroccan campaigned until losing their freedom and suffer the same fate as their comrades of the other sex. They called Latefa, Fatna Nezha, Rabéa, Hayat, Saida, Khadija, Nezha, Amina ... They were kidnapped, held incommunicado, tortured. "We were Derb Moulay Cherif, parked in a long corridor, blindfolded, a pale light over our heads and with no contact, move and can even kill the lice that infest us," relates Latefa Jbabdi-today member of the Equity and Reconciliation in the book-testimony Fatna Derb Moulay Cherif El Bouih.A in this high place of torture, they were more women. Their female identity was carefully negated, erased, erased. Their captors had given them the names of men, followed by number. Thus Fatna El Bouih was only a "Rachid No. 45" while Latefa Jbabdi would no longer respond to the names of Saeed, Touil or Doukkali. There, in that long night, "a sleepless night on a dark night, a night without night full of night," women were more women. Just wounded bodies, gaping wounds, watched by men. Exclusively. The story they will surely one day justice. These activists, in secret, never giving decision. Determined to stay upright, spine straight, despite the humiliation and torture. From Derb Moulay Cherif, the sisterhood was organized. In the hell of the night, drew these women, each other, forces and unsuspected reasons to resist again and again. In the long line, which should lead to tough interrogation sessions, clenching a hand could be enough to give courage to fellow galley to face the unspeakable. "Do you think they're going to shave my hair? "Whispers one of them. A question which, in itself, said the distress of these women's dignity trampled upon. "Ban communicate, or else ...", had threatened the executioners.
Cunning of women defied the ban is yet a thousand and one ways. They communicate, sending messages through gestures, sometimes even write on the body of the neighbor. "That day, we had to line up by hand (...) When Khadija shook my hand very hard, I answered with the same strength and pleasure. This comforted my soul. At this moment, it seemed that all had gone away, we were all united. Since that moment I vowed to stick it out till the end of this ordeal, "said Fatna El Bouih in" the torturer failed ". It is this same solidarity that sealed the lives of these activists in jail busily rebuild a life destroyed and in pieces, in prison. They will resume their studies. Will of hunger strikes to demand the most basic rights. Right to education, right to information, right to the light beyond 30 ... 20 hour days, weeks, months, years passed. From laughter to tears when one of them was released, when a dish concocted in a cell smelled good home and the outside world or a review was passed successfully. To accommodate and resist, they lived in groups, almost a family this past reconstituée.De bruised and this fight they have in common with men, women speak with modesty. "The activists were reluctant to take glory for their actions, preferring instead to ask what remained to do and undertake. This is probably due to this strange feeling because of h'chouma, we are taught from an early age. We were always taught that a woman, it is still down, it never stands forward, "attempts to explain one of them. So, this silence is not forgotten. Almost a kind of omerta on the Moroccan who spent time in prison for political reasons.
research work on women, political prisoners in the 1970s, is claimed by some and others. A page of history exclusively female, and must also be read prior to the tour of the violations and abuses. "Nobody is talking about all these women and all others who have been mountains of resistance. And it is they who must reclaim their own history. Nobody else will do it for them, "says F. El Bouih. The exercise is painful. Also difficult, especially when we know that violence against women remains a taboo subject. "Some steps have certainly been taken. We hear more and more violence. Harassment is now sanctioned. Maybe soon we will evoke more clearly the torture women, "says a survivor of the Derb, Commissioner of sinister memory. 20 years after a little more for some and less for others they are, as the poet wrote, not quite the same nor wholly other. Some of them speak of an experience, at once strong and terrifying, they would not want for anything in the world see their daughters to live in their turn. "In Morocco, we had a hard time accepting that a man is in opposition, saying that a woman?" Exclaims Fatna, who quickly compare these shoes to the prison of Chinese mythology intended to prevent the development of the feet of brides. Cries and Whispers. "The hardest part was also the silence of relatives, family, friends, who were first out of modesty obscured what we had experienced. As if they wanted to forget our past, then we wanted, we talk about it, as in therapy, "adds a former political prisoner before saying in a long sigh that" freedom is sometimes even harder than prison. " These activists will they ever forget this sky low and heavy, these bars, these captors but also those relationships strong and beautiful, knotted behind bars and in confinement? Probably not. Their journey and what they have now become reflected. President of women's association, member of the National Commission for Truth, listening in a center for battered women, prison visits, an activist in human rights association humans, these women lead years never stop fighting, to get involved and advocate respect for the dignity and rights. That their daughters are truly citizens of Moroccan land.
Fatna El Bouih, former political prisoner now in prison visitor
The heroines are never tired: Fatna El Bouih is flayed. The frail young woman born in 1955, adopted in 1977, sentenced to 5 years in prison "for having had dreams of democracy" and released May 23, 1982 looks, modesty intact and slightly misty eyes in the mirror years of lead. "Men and women, we were equal before the torture," said a low voice the mother of two small filles.Son father, a teacher from Ben Ahmed, was wont to call him "Al Sayyida Horra" freedom of name of this queen of the 16th century became "Hakim" Tetouan. Sign of destiny? Fatna-the-rebellious-Fatna the fast-shocked awake very early to freedom, citizenship, droits.La militant cell in an underground organization to resist seven months of torture. After holding secret prison. The prison environment created by all the feminine these women held a new kind. "It was almost light and fighting broke out again to demand our basic rights." And like the heroines are never tired, F. El Bouih, a high school teacher in Casablanca, continues today to fight. In associations whose name Inssaf or Moroccan Observatory of Prisons. Exactly where the rights are violated, bruised bodies, wounded souls. Should we still be surprised?
Latefa Jbabdi, a member of the IER
On the path of truth ... After a heated debate or an act of disobedience, his father was quick to address "Chouyouyia" communist. Latefa Jbabdi had barely reached puberty and the father's mouth, like those of many in this era, this was the ultimate insult. And for good reason, Latefa, now a member of the Equity and Reconciliation, came in and stirred the troubled years, beginning his initiation into politics by plunging into the writings of Marxists joined briefly above its 14-year Party Liberation and Socialism, the Communist Party Moroccan interdit.Lycéenne then, she has been at the forefront of the struggle of the students. 1971 is enacted white and dry years. Agadir City Latefa, knows this same year a student strike at particular reason, that the release of this young leader contestaires thought to be arrested when she was 22 years old fuite.Elle the day of his arrest. After seven months in Derb Moulay Cherif, it is just a huge wound, a vivid memory of long sessions of torture. In 1977, Latefa Jbabdi is convicted of endangering the security of the state and will be released after two and a half years imprisonment and a long stay in the recovery room. In 2004, that his father dealt with "chouyouyia" and that the state has tortured and jailed is officially a member of the National Commission for Truth, established by the Sovereign to shed light on violations and abuses of the past.
History always ends up doing justice ...
