Abdellatif Hammouchi

Abdellatif Hammouchi
عبد اللطيف حموشي
Director of the DGST
Incumbent
Assumed office
15 December 2005[1]
Preceded by Ahmed Harrari
Advisor to Mohammed VI on counter-terrorism[2]
Incumbent
Assumed office
1999
Personal details
Born 1966 (age 48–49)
Fes, Morocco

Abdellatif Hammouchi (Arabic: عبد اللطيف حموشي‎; born 1966 in Fes, Morocco) is the head of the Moroccan secret services, the DGST (Formerly known as the DST, French: Diréction de surveillance du térritoire).[3][4] He is also an advisor to Mohammed VI on terrorism-related affairs.[2]

Controversies

Hammouchi's organisation has faced accusations of torture and abductions of mainly political opponents, people suspected of terrorism and Sahrawi dissidents. On 20 February 2014, while Hammouchi was attending a meeting with French officials in Paris, he was summoned by a French judge to testify on torture cases after multiple complaints by torture victims, such as Zakaria Moumni, against him and his organisation.[5][6][7] His name has been often cited in connection to secret detention centres in Morocco such as the Temara interrogation centre and the Ain Aouda secret prison.

In Morocco lawsuits against the DST and Hammouchi in connection to the death of detainees under torture have been rejected for lack of evidence.[8]

In April 2011, Moroccan journalist Rachid Niny was imprisoned after he published sensitive details about Abdellatif Hammouchi.[9] In 2011, Hammouchi received an Alaouite Wissam decoration from Mohammed VI in recognition of his efforts for maintaining security.[10]

Decoration in Spain

On 23 August 2014, the official press agency of Morocco, Maghreb Arabe Presse, announced that Hammouchi was awarded a decoration in Spain.[11] This was reportedly done in response to his prosecution in France for torture, which angered Mohammed VI.[11] It was later revealed that the decoration he received was only given to him by the Spanish administration of police and not the Ministry of the Interior and was thus inadequate with his stature as a director of a foreign intelligence agency.[11]

Early life

He graduated from the University of Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah in Fes and joined the police as an officer in 1993.[1] After Hamidou Laanigri left the DST a day after the Casablanca bombings of 16 May 2003 and was appointed as the Director of the General Directorate for National Security, he was replaced by his deputy Ahmed Harrari, who was replaced by Hammouchi in December 2005.[1]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Maghress : DGST : Abdellatif Hammouchi remplace Ahmed Harrari". Aujourd'hui le Maroc. 16 December 2005. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "06RABAT330_a: DELIVERY OF MESSAGE TO GOM 1ON TSCTI CONFERENCE". Wikileaks.org. February 24, 2006. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  3. ↑ "cable:07RABAT1229_a APHSCT TOWNSEND'S VISIT TO MOROCCO". Wikileaks.org. July 31, 2007. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  4. ↑ Driss Bennani; Mohamed Boudarham (24 September 2011). "Enquête. L’homme le plus secret du royaume". Telquel. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  5. ↑ "Zakaria Moumni a déposé plainte contre le patron de la DST marocaine". Demain Online. 21 February 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  6. ↑ "Une ONG demande l’audition d’Abdellatif Hammouchi en visite en France". Demain Online. 21 February 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  7. ↑ Aziz El Yaakoubi; Patrick Markey (2 February 2014). "Morocco summons French ambassador over torture lawsuit". Reuters. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  8. ↑ "Le tribunal rejette la plainte de Mejjati". Les Ecos. 17 February 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  9. ↑ Ali Lmrabet (28 April 2011). "Rachid Niny placé en garde à vue". Demain Online. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  10. ↑ Ali Anouzla (15 August 2011). "Paradoxes ramadanesques". Lakome.com. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "سؤال برلماني لحكومة مدريد حول توشيح الحموشي رغم متابعته قضائيا في فرنسا والداخلية تنفي مسؤوليتها السياسية". Alifpost. 24 October 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2014.