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The Years of lead ( marked by state violence against dissidents and Democracy activists. TIMEFRAME The Years of lead was a period of Morocco's modern history during the rule of Hassan II ( King between 1960-99). This period was marked by political unrest and a heavy-handed response by the government to criticism and opposition. While some count the Years of lead as beginning with Moroccan Independence in 1956 (under Mohammed V ), repression reached a climax in the 1960s , and wound down only in the early 1990s , possibly related to the end of the Cold War and diplomatic pressure exerted by the United States and Europe an states. During the 1990s, Morocco saw a slow but notable improvement in its political climate and Human Rights situation, and with the taking of the throne in 1999 by Mohammed VI , the pace of reform accelerated. REPRESSION AND ITS VICTIMS During the Years of lead, dissidents were arrested, executed or " Disappeared ", newspapers were closed, and books were banned. There are few reliable lists of victims for the Years of lead, but political killings and forced disappearances came in the thousands, and arbitrary arrests and torture affected many even outside the Opposition networks. Some examples of government repression include:
ERC: LOOKING INTO THE PAST As the more , Political Islam and Western Sahara remain more or less untouchable. Parliament still holds little or no power over the King, but Elections are semi-fair, whereas they were blatantly rigged or suspended for many years during the 1970s and 1980s. Several independent human rights organizations have formed to investigate the impact of state repression during the years of rule, and to press claims for damages suffered. One of the most significant developments was the setting up in January 2004 of the , a neighbouring territory that was controversially militarily annexed by Morocco in the 1970s, is been mentioned by rights groups as especially serious. There are complaints that the ERC either can not or will not examine the cases of disappeared or killed Sahrawi s with the same forcefulness as with Moroccans. {Link without Title} In January 6 , 2006 , King Mohammed VI regreted Human Rights abuses during the Years of lead and called for drawing lessons from the past. {Link without Title} SEE ALSO
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