Christine Daure-Serfaty
Encyclopedia
Christine Daure-Serfaty is a writer and a French human rights
activist, who distinguished herself in Morocco
where she embraced the fight of the victims of King
Hassan II
, during the "Years of Lead
," and from afar, played a major role in the evolution of the regime and the human rights in Morocco. She is the widow of Abraham Serfaty
, a Moroccan dissident
.
, she hid two political dissidents wanted by the Moroccan police: Abraham Serfaty
who ended up sentenced to life in prison in 1974, and Abdellatif Zeroual
, who died under torture after his arrest. During these years, she fought to save Abraham Serfaty from the same fate. She finally obtained the right to marry him in jail in 1986 and settled in Rabat
.
She was the first person to denounce the existence of the secret prison of death Tazmamart
, which was denied for years by the Moroccan authorities. The following year, the book "Notre ami le roi"("Our friend, the King") by Gilles Perrault, a book she helped to write though her name didn't appear, mentioned the prison at a political level, radically changing the image of Hassan II’s regime in the western world and contributing to its evolution in the following years.
As a result, many prisoners were, one after the other, saved from certain death. Her husband Abraham Serfaty was released from jail in 1991, after seventeen years of imprisonment, torture and isolation, and was immediately expelled (to France). Christine Daure-Serfaty was also expelled, without any explanation, after being arrested and detained at a police station for one night.
It was only after eight years of exile and two months after Hassan II’s death, in September 1999, that the couple was authorized by King Mohamed VI of Morocco to return to Morocco.
She was previously married to the French politician Pierre Aguiton, with whom she had a son Christophe Aguiton, a left-wing trade-unionist born in 1953, and a daughter, Lise Aguiton-Moro.
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
activist, who distinguished herself in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
where she embraced the fight of the victims of King
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
Hassan II
Hassan II of Morocco
King Hassan II l-ḥasan aṯ-ṯānī, dial. el-ḥasan ettâni); July 9, 1929 – July 23, 1999) was King of Morocco from 1961 until his death in 1999...
, during the "Years of Lead
Years of Lead (Morocco)
The Years of Lead is the term used especially by former opponents to the rule of King Hassan II of Morocco to describe a period of his rule marked by state violence against dissidents and democracy activists.-Timeframe:...
," and from afar, played a major role in the evolution of the regime and the human rights in Morocco. She is the widow of Abraham Serfaty
Abraham Serfaty
Abraham Serfaty was an internationally prominent Moroccan dissident, militant, and political activist, who was imprisoned for years by King Hassan II of Morocco, for his political actions in favor of democracy and development’s regime, during the Years of Lead...
, a Moroccan dissident
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
.
Biography
Christine Daure arrived in Morocco in 1962. In 1972, in CasablancaCasablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
, she hid two political dissidents wanted by the Moroccan police: Abraham Serfaty
Abraham Serfaty
Abraham Serfaty was an internationally prominent Moroccan dissident, militant, and political activist, who was imprisoned for years by King Hassan II of Morocco, for his political actions in favor of democracy and development’s regime, during the Years of Lead...
who ended up sentenced to life in prison in 1974, and Abdellatif Zeroual
Abdellatif Zeroual
Abdellatif Zeroual was a philosophy teacher and member of the national committee of the "Ila Al Amame" movement....
, who died under torture after his arrest. During these years, she fought to save Abraham Serfaty from the same fate. She finally obtained the right to marry him in jail in 1986 and settled in Rabat
Rabat
Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
.
She was the first person to denounce the existence of the secret prison of death Tazmamart
Tazmamart
Tazmamart was a secret prison in south-eastern Morocco in the Atlas Mountains, holding political prisoners. The prison became a symbol ofoppression in the political history of contemporary Morocco...
, which was denied for years by the Moroccan authorities. The following year, the book "Notre ami le roi"("Our friend, the King") by Gilles Perrault, a book she helped to write though her name didn't appear, mentioned the prison at a political level, radically changing the image of Hassan II’s regime in the western world and contributing to its evolution in the following years.
As a result, many prisoners were, one after the other, saved from certain death. Her husband Abraham Serfaty was released from jail in 1991, after seventeen years of imprisonment, torture and isolation, and was immediately expelled (to France). Christine Daure-Serfaty was also expelled, without any explanation, after being arrested and detained at a police station for one night.
It was only after eight years of exile and two months after Hassan II’s death, in September 1999, that the couple was authorized by King Mohamed VI of Morocco to return to Morocco.
She was previously married to the French politician Pierre Aguiton, with whom she had a son Christophe Aguiton, a left-wing trade-unionist born in 1953, and a daughter, Lise Aguiton-Moro.
External links
- Amnesty International Report 1997
- Notre ami le roi ISBN 978-2-07-032695-2