Morocco's king retracts pedophile's pardon

RABAT — Morocco's king rescinded his pardon of a Spanish pedophile on yesterday after an unusual bout of protests in the case. It was the first time in recent memory that a Moroccan sovereign had reversed a pardon.

But the Spaniard convicted of raping 11 children, named by Morocco as Daniel Galvan Fina, is believed to be in Spain now, and it was unclear whether he will be brought back to Morocco.

In a statement late in the day, King Mohammed VI said he had asked his justice minister to work with his Spanish counterpart to see how the pardon could be undone in what he described as "an exceptional reversal." He also said he has ordered an investigation into the pardons process.

The decision was made "considering the flaws that marred the process, the gravity of the crimes committed and with respect to the rights of the victims," the statement said.

On July 30, at the request of Spain's King Juan Carlos, the Moroccan monarch pardoned 48 Spaniards who had been imprisoned here, including Fina. Earlier yesterday, the Moroccan king said he would not have pardoned the Spaniard if he had been aware of his crimes.

Hundreds of peaceful demonstrators gathered late Friday to rally against the pardon — a rare protest against the king. The demonstration was broken up by police with clubs, leaving at least 63 people injured.