Jailed drivers' review planned
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by Karen Miles • Lorry drivers languishing in Moroccan jails on disputed drugs convictions are hoping for a review of their cases thanks to a planned meeting of the Moroccan ambassador to the UK with lawyers and trade unionists.
A meeting in June has been called to try and persuade Morocco to show more flexibility in its drugs laws. Drivers caught with drugs in their loads are automatically convicted under Moroccan law, regardless of whether they knew they were carrying drugs. Foreigners usually receive sentences of six to 12 years.
The delegation of United Road Trans port general secretary David Higginbottom, International Transport Federation assistant general secretary Graham Brothers, and chairman of Fair Trials International Stephen Jakobi, are asking Moroccan ambassador Khalil Haddaoui to persuade his country to take a more sympathetic attitude to drivers.
Those already in jail include British driver Stephen Bryant and 10 Dutch drivers. All are hoping for reviews of their cases.
Bryant, from Waltham Abbey, Essex, was last year sentenced to eight years in jail after Tangier customs found hashish in his load. He later appealed—only to have his sentence increased by two years.
Fair Trials International fears a tunnel planned to link Morocco with Spain could lead to soaring numbers of drivers in Moroccan jails if the law does not change.
Jakobi says: "One has got to get a sensible attitude well before it happens or we will be talking about hundreds of drivers stuck rather than tens of them."