Yahya Yahya (born March 9, 1967) is a Moroccan politician and a fugitive from Spanish justice for having been accused of ill-treatment in politics in Morocco. He was a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

of the kingdom of Morocco and former mayor of

Beni Ansar Beni Ansar (Tarifit: Bni Nṣaa, ⴱⵏⵉ ⵏⵚⴰⴰ; Arabic: بني أنصار; Spanish: Beni Ensar) is a town in Nador Province, Oriental, Morocco, located 12 km (7½ miles) north of the city of Nador. It is bordered on the north by th ...

, as well as co-president of the Spanish-Moroccan Friendship Commission. He has dual Moroccan and Dutch nationality. He is one of the main promoters of the Moroccan claim on his hometown, as well as on

Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ar, سَبْتَة, Sabtah) is a Spanish autonomous city on the north coast of Africa. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of several Spanish territorie ...

. He is linked to the Moroccan Sahara Association. Yahya Yahya was born in

Melilla Melilla ( , ; ; rif, Mřič ; ar, مليلية ) is an autonomous city of Spain located in north Africa. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was par ...

on March 9, 1967, the son of a Moroccan father and a Dutch mother. He studied law at the

University of Granada The University of Granada ( es, Universidad de Granada, UGR) is a public university located in the city of Granada, Spain, and founded in 1531 by Emperor Charles V. With more than 60,000 students, it is the fourth largest university in Spain. Apar ...

. In 2004 he was a member of the Moroccan

House of Councilors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or ...

(upper chamber of the Moroccan legislature, elected by

indirect suffrage An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office (direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the old ...

), belonging to the

Socialist Union of Popular Forces The Socialist Union of Popular Forces ( ar, الاتحاد الاشتراكي للقوات الشعبية, translit=Al-Ittihad Al-Ishtirakiy Lilqawat Al-Sha'abiyah; zgh, ⵜⴰⵎⵓⵏⵜ ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵍⴰⵢⵜ ⵏⵉⵖⴰⵍⵍⵏ ⵉⴳ� ...

, the date on which he was appointed co-president of the Spanish-Moroccan Friendship Commission created by the upper chambers of Spain and Morocco. His goal was to "improve relations between two friendly and neighboring countries and start a new stage of dialogue." In 2009, already a member of the

Al Ahd AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

party, he was elected mayor of the city of

Beni Ensar Beni Ansar (Tarifit: Bni Nṣaa, ⴱⵏⵉ ⵏⵚⴰⴰ; Arabic: بني أنصار; Spanish: Beni Ensar) is a town in Nador Province, Oriental, Morocco, located 12 km (7½ miles) north of the city of Nador. It is bordered on the north by the ...

, bordering Melilla. He has been involved in several legal proceedings and convicted of crimes in Spain (for an event of

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

that occurred at his home in Melilla on November 9, 2006) and Italy ("rebellion and injuries" to a public official and gender violence with

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

on August 4, 2008). His supporters argue that these police and judicial problems are conspiracies by the Spanish and Italian secret services to discredit him. He was involved in the diplomatic conflict between Spain and Morocco in 2007 and occupied water wells in Melilla during the crisis over the eviction of the Saharawi camp in Agdaym Izik. He also led the assault on the Peñón del Vélez de la Gomera in 2012. In 2014, after a sentence from the Moroccan justice system, he resigned as mayor of Beni Ansar and dissolved the Committee for the Liberation of Ceuta and Melilla, of which he was president. He also resigned as senator due to, according to him, lack of official Moroccan reaction to an alleged Spanish insult to the

King of Morocco This is the list of rulers of Morocco, since the establishment of the state in 789. The common and formal titles of these rulers has varied, depending on the time period. Since 1957, the designation King has been used. The present King of Moroc ...

, the interception and boarding of the Moroccan royal yacht by the

Guardia Civil The Civil Guard ( es, Guardia Civil, link=no; ) is the oldest law enforcement agency in Spain and is one of two national police forces. As a national gendarmerie force, it is military in nature and is responsible for civil policing under the a ...

while it was sailing in Spanish waters. In 2015, he was identified at the Melilla airport by the police, but he was not arrested as he had apparently resolved his problems with the Spanish justice system.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yahya Yahya 1967 births Living people Moroccan people of Dutch descent People from Nador Mayors of places in Morocco Members of the House of Councillors (Morocco) Politicians from Melilla University of Granada alumni Socialist Union of Popular Forces politicians Morocco–Spain relations People convicted of domestic violence People convicted of sexual assault