Abdelkader Belliraj freed after royal pardon for terrorism conviction
Abdelkader Belliraj, a Belgian-Moroccan citizen sentenced to life imprisonment in 2010 for leading one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations, has been granted freedom following a royal pardon. His sentence was previously reduced to 25 years in 2022. Belliraj is among 33 inmates convicted of extremism who received clemency during the Aïd Al-Fitr celebrations.
He was released from the Oudaya prison in Marrakech, part of a larger group of 1,533 prisoners benefiting from this royal amnesty. The Ministry of Justice stated that the pardoned individuals expressed their commitment to the "constants and sacralities of the Nation and national institutions," officially renouncing extremism and terrorism.
The Belliraj case gained attention in 2008 when Chakib Benmoussa, then Minister of the Interior, announced the dismantling of what was described as "one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations recently neutralized," resulting in the arrest of 35 individuals.
In 2009, a first-instance court found all the accused guilty, with the verdict upheld on appeal in 2010. Sentences ranged from suspended prison terms to life imprisonment. Since 2012, several royal pardons have been granted to Belliraj's co-defendants, including political figures and a journalist, some of whom were released for health reasons or after serving their sentences. Until his recent release, Belliraj remained one of the last convicted individuals still imprisoned.
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