Step 1: Recognize The Abuse

The Moroccan government has helped a human rights commission to find the graves of 50 political prisoners who died at secret detention camps in the 1970s, under King Hassan’s regime, the NY Times reports.

The group, the Equity and Reconciliation Commission, was set up by royal decree by King Mohammed VI to help discover what happened to hundreds of Moroccans arrested and tortured by security agents in the 1970’s, while the country was fighting separatists in Western Sahara. No official figures exist on how many people disappeared, but rights groups say it was up to 600. (…) “The recognition of the existence of the graves is a great step which underscores the willingness of the authorities that past abuses will not happen again,” a senior official with the commission said.

A great first step, to be sure, though much remains to be done to ensure that such repugnant practices never happen again.