to 1ifQ 247, With reference to that issue, members of the Committee wished to know whether any consideration was being given to reducing the number of crimes oarrying the death penalty or to the abolition of the death penaltyi what the rules and regulations were governing the u6e of firearms by the police and security forces and whether there had been any violations of such rules and regulations; whether independent and impartial machinery existed to effectively investigate such violations; what disciplinary and other measures had been taken against those found guilty] and what measures had been taken to reduce the rate of infant mortality. 248. In addition, members of the Committee wished to know what crimes were conshaerea as “offence8 against State security *’ and how many persons haa been sentenced to death for such crimest whether criminal laws could be applied retroactively, particularly those involving the death penalty; how many detainees were currently under sentence of death and what had been the nature of the of their crimes9 what was meant by “crimes against the well-being Nation” and how many persons had been sentenced for such crimes; what measures bad been taken by the authorities to investigate the deaths of inmates of Tasmamart prison and deaths during detention or police custody more generally; under what circumstances and what rules were persons charged with offences against the security or well-being of the State hela in detention centres; whether persons had been condemned to death in abE&, without legal to families assistance or the benefit of witnesses i what means were available who wished to trace disappeared relatives or arrange for a detained relative to be brought immediately before a judge: whether any government body was empowered to investigate allegations of disappearances and, if so, what had been the results of its investigationst whether any officials suspected of involvement in disappearances had been protiecuted and convicted: whether, in respect of the disappearance of the Oufkir family, those responsible in tbe case had been identified and convicted and compensation awarded; whether abortion was permitted in Morocco; and how many victims were claimed by the conflict in Western Sahara. 249. In his reply, the representative said that the death penalty was applied in Morocco to punish only the most odious and abhorrent crimes for which the courts found no mitigating circumstances. It was based on the mtaliania, Its abolition was not under consideration, but which haa a religious origin. it could not be its application was subject to fundamental guarantees: carried out before it had been appealed against by the accused or the Prosecutor-General and, if the appeal wa6 rejected, a request for pardon was always submitted. In practice, the death penalty was usually suspended or commuted to life imprisonment. There had been no executions in Morocco in the forces past decade. The royal armed forces, the police and the auxiliary never opened fire on crowds without prior warning , which usually consisted of When they did fire, it was always at the feet, and three shots into the air. Anyone violating the regulations was subject to they did so only when forced. Educational and. vaccination campaigns for mothers and disciplinary action. children were being carried out in cooperation with WHOand UNICEP. said that the only 250. Responding to other questions, the representative crimes carrying the death penalty were those listed in the Criminal Code. expression “crimes against the well-being of the Nation” in the &&j& of -62- The