Latest news with #Belliraj
Ya Biladi
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
After royal pardon in Morocco, terror convict Abdelkader Belliraj receives Belgian passport
Weeks after walking free from a Moroccan prison following a royal pardon granted on Eid al-Fitr, terrorism convict Abdelkader Belliraj has received a Belgian passport, Belgian Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden confirmed on Tuesday. The 67-year-old, who holds both Moroccan and Belgian nationalities, was sentenced to life in prison in 2010. After his release, he contacted the Belgian embassy in Rabat, which issued him a passport. «The man has Belgian nationality and also has family in our country», Minister Verlinden told the Justice Committee, responding to a question from Vlaams Belang MP Alexander Van Hoecke. While it remains unclear whether Belliraj intends to return to Belgium, Verlinden assured the committee that «the relevant security services, including State Security, are well aware of the risk and are assessing the measures and actions that can be taken in the event of a return». She added that the matter «will be discussed with our Moroccan partners if necessary», emphasizing that the royal pardon was a sovereign decision by Morocco. «There are clear signals that Belliraj plans to return soon», Van Hoecke warned. «This is a man sentenced to life for terrorism and suspected of political assassinations. For the victims, this pardon sends a very strange signal». At the time of his release, alongside 33 terrorism and extremism-convicted detainees, Morocco's Ministry of Justice stated that these individuals had expressed their commitment to the «fundamental principles and sacred values of the Nation and national institutions», officially renouncing extremism and terrorism. The Belliraj case first drew public attention in 2008, when then-Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa announced the dismantling of what he called «one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations recently neutralized». Thirty-five men were arrested. belliraj's sentence was later reduced to 25 years in 2022.
Morocco World
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Convicted Terrorist Abdelkader Belliraj Released Following Royal Pardon
Rabat – King Mohammed VI has granted a royal pardon to Abdelkader Belliraj, a Belgian-Moroccan convicted of leading a radical Islamist network and sentenced to life in prison. His wife, Rachida Hatti, confirmed his release, telling AFP on Monday: 'My husband has been granted a royal pardon and left prison last night (Sunday).' Belliraj was among the 31 inmates convicted in extremism and terrorism-related cases who received clemency after officially renouncing their beliefs and expressing their commitment to national values, according to a statement from the Ministry of Justice. The ministry did not disclose the names of those pardoned but stressed that they had 'revised their ideological views and rejected extremism and terrorism.' Arrested in 2008, Belliraj was sentenced to life in prison the following year for leading a radical Islamist network and carrying out six murders in Belgium in the late 80s and early 90s — charges he has consistently denied. His sentence was upheld on appeal in 2010. In the same trial, 34 co-defendants received sentences ranging from suspended prison terms to 30 years. Some of them, including political figures from moderate Islamist parties, were granted royal pardons in 2011. Human rights advocates criticized the 2009 mass trial, citing 'serious violations' of the defendants' rights. Since 2012, several co-defendants, including politicians and a journalist, have been released through royal pardons — some for health reasons, while others had completed their sentences. Belliraj remained one of the last convicts still behind bars until his recent release. The pardon was part of a broader royal amnesty benefiting 1,533 convicts on the occasion of Eid Al Fitr. Tags: abdelkader BellirajEid Al Fitr 2025royal pardon
