HIBAPRESS – Rabat
The Public Prosecutor's Office at the Court of Appeal in Rabat broke its silence today, Tuesday, to clarify the data circulating on social media regarding the prisoner Mohamed Ziane, after the publication of a statement attributed to his family stating that he "is on a hunger strike" on the grounds that he is in a "state of arbitrary detention" since November 21, 2025, a date on which the statement attributed to the family confirms the end of the prison sentence issued against him in the first case.
In an official statement, the Attorney General of the King affirmed that these claims are baseless, clarifying that the prisoner Mohamed Ziane is convicted in two separate cases, and that the continuation of his detention is legal because he is in pre-trial detention in a second case in which the ruling has not yet become final. Two different cases.. and two separate penalties. The statement explained that the first case resulted in a final decision sentencing Ziane to a prison sentence of three years, which began to be implemented on November 21, 2022. During the execution of this sentence, the investigating judge issued an order on January 10, 2024, to remand him in custody in a second case related to embezzlement and squandering of public funds. A criminal ruling was issued on this case, convicting Ziane of three years in prison, and it was upheld on appeal on May 7, 2025. The statement explained that this decision is still being challenged by cassation, and therefore the penalty has not yet become final, which makes his detention after November 21, 2025, a legal detention, "as he is still in pre-trial detention in accordance with the law." Ziane's defense submitted a request to merge the two penalties. The statement indicated that the defense of the person concerned, convinced of the existence of two legal grounds for detaining Ziane on the grounds of two different cases, submitted a request on November 4, 2025, to the Court of Appeal in Rabat aimed at merging the two penalties. The request was presented to the competent judicial body during the session on November 12, 2025, before consideration of it was postponed until November 26, 2025, at the request of his defense. There is no arbitrary detention. The Public Prosecutor's Office stressed that the continued detention of Mohamed Ziane "is not arbitrary in any way," confirming that his legal status is fully controlled in accordance with legislative and regulatory texts, and that the second case for which he is in detention has not issued a judgment that has acquired the force of res judicata. The statement concluded by emphasizing that the Public Prosecution will remain keen on the proper application of the law regarding Ziane's criminal situation.
