ERC's actual independence from the current administration and its ability to reach culprits in the Moroccan elite, known as the "makhzen", has been seriously disputed. The ERC is not mandated to identify or prosecute discovered human rights offenders and there has been no trials against government employees for their actions during the Years of Lead. The situation in Western Sahara, a territory annexed and occupied by Morocco after the Madrid Accords in the 1970s, has been mentioned by rights groups as especially serious. There are complaints that the ERC either cannot or will not examine the cases of disappeared or killed Sahrawis with the same forcefulness as with Moroccans. On January 6, 2006, King Mohammed VI expressed regret for the human rights abuses that had occurred during his father's reign and spoke of the need for lessons to be drawn from the past. The commission's work, and the emotional legacy of the Years of Lead on four families, is also explored in the 2008 documentary film Our Forbidden Places (Nos lieux interdits). See also Human rights in Morocco Sand War 1965 Moroccan riots Mehdi Ben Barka 1971 Moroccan coup d'état attempt 1972 Moroccan coup d'état attempt Green March and Western Sahara War 1981 Moroccan riots Politics of Morocco History of Morocco References Further reading Malika Oufkir and Michelle Fitoussi (2001), Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail, Miramax Books ( ) Ali Bourequat (1998), In the Moroccan King's Secret Gardens, Maurice Publishers Christine Daure-Serfaty (2002), Tazmamart, () Ahmed Marzouki (2000), Tazmamart Cellule 10 (Tazmamart Cell 10), Editions Paris Méditerranée; Casablanca: Tarik Editions () Interview with Mr. Marzouki: Tahar Ben Jelloun (2000), This Blinding Absence of Light (Cette aveuglante absence de lumière), Editions du Seuil and New Press, () Summaries of the book: & Sonja Hegasy, Bettina Dennerlein. "Die Marokkanische Wahrheitskommission zwischen Politik und Geschichte. " In: Christoph Marx (ed.), Bilder nach dem Sturm. Wahrheitskommissionen und historische Identitätsstiftung zwischen Staat und Zivilgesellschaft, Berlin: Lit Verlag. (). External links Morocco Finds Graves of 50 killed in 70's - New York Times 1981 martyrs' mass grave found in Casablanca - Moroccan Times Morocco's Truth Commission: Honoring Past Victims during an Uncertain Present - Human Rights Watch Royal Gulag - The Economist 20th century in Morocco History of Western Sahara Political and cultural purges Political repression Human rights abuses in Morocco Torture in Morocco Dirty wars Cold War conflicts