King Mohammed VI of Morocco has issued a royal pardon to Abdelkader Belliraj, a Belgian-Moroccan who was serving a life sentence for his alleged involvement in a radical network, according to his family on Monday.
Belliraj was convicted in 2009 for allegedly masterminding a group of 35 individuals dismantled by Moroccan authorities a year earlier.
Additionally, he was accused of six murders in Belgium during the 1980s and 1990s—claims he has consistently denied.
His trial, which faced criticism from rights groups, raised concerns about violations of fair trial standards.
Belliraj’s wife, Rachida Hatti, confirmed his release, stating, “My husband received a royal pardon and left prison last night.” The pardon was part of a larger royal amnesty that saw 31 prisoners, all convicted of extremism and terrorism-related offenses, receive clemency.
According to Morocco’s justice ministry, those granted pardons had “reviewed their ideological orientations” and renounced extremism and terrorism.
This amnesty was issued in celebration of Eid al-Fitr, a common occasion for clemency in Morocco, with a total of 1,533 prisoners, both incarcerated and free, benefiting from the royal gesture.
