Moroccan king pardons prisoners to mark Independence Day

A royal decree by King Mohammed VI on Friday pardoned 1,304 inmates sentenced by Moroccan courts on the anniversary of a national holiday for the Kingdom.

The amnesty comes "on the occasion of the Independence Manifesto Day, celebrated on January 11," according to a statement by the Justice Ministry.

The official news agency, MAP, said the pardon is a customary practice in Morocco to mark national and religious holidays.

The country's nationalists in coordination with King Mohammed V presented the Manifesto of Independence on January 11, 1944, to French colonial authorities, demanding Morocco’s full independence from colonial rule.

The event is marked as one of the steps in Morocco's path toward independence and liberation.

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