Derb Moulay Cherif

Derb Moulay Cherif (درب مولاي الشريف) is a neighborhood in Hay Mohammadi, Casablanca.

Derb Moulay Cherif prison
The neighborhood was the site of a clandestine torture and detention center during the Years of Lead of King Hassan II, though its history dates back to the period of French Protectorate, when it was used for the torture of Moroccan Nationalist Movement. Victims of torture at the prison include Saida Menebhi, Abraham Serfaty, Fatna El Bouih, Salah El-Ouadie, Abdellatif Zeroual, and others.

In literature
Salah El-Ouadie addressed his torturer in a famous open letter: Lettre ouverte à mon tortionnaire. Fatna El Bouih published Talk of Darkness (حديث العتمة; 2001). Jaouad Mdidech wrote his memoir Derb Moulay Cherif: The Dark Room (درب مولاي الشريف - الغرفة السوداء; 2002) about his experience.