Topic

Mehdi Ben Barka

France19 Nov 2025

The Ben Barka Affair: At 75, Bachir Refuses to Give Up and Demands the Truth About an Unresolved Political Crime

Settled for the past three years in Pornichet, Loire-Atlantique, to enjoy a peaceful retirement facing the ocean, Bachir Ben Barka remains haunted by a past that won’t go away. At 75, this former mathematics professor devotes his time and energy to a relentless quest: to know the truth about the fate of his father, Mehdi Ben Barka, the famous Moroccan opponent who was kidnapped in the heart of Paris sixty years ago.

Morocco22 Oct 2025

Unveiled: Cold War Spy Plot Behind Ben Barka's Vanishing Act

The authors of a new book on Mehdi Ben Barka make rare revelations about the kidnapping and disappearance of the most famous opponent to Kings Mohammed V and Hassan II, in Paris in October 1965.

France23 May 2022

Former Ben Barka Case Judge Faces Trial, Claims Moroccan Interference

Patrick Ramaël, a former investigating judge in the Mehdi Ben Barka case, the leader of the Third World movement and the most famous opponent of Kings Mohammed V and Hassan II, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances in France, is being prosecuted before the Paris Court of Appeal for violation of the secrecy of the investigation. He accuses Morocco of being behind these defamation proceedings. The verdict will be handed down on June 23.

Morocco27 Feb 2022

Czech Archives Reveal Mehdi Ben Barka's Alleged Role as Soviet Spy in 1960s Arab World

Following the denial of Bachir Ben Barka, son of Mehdi Ben Barka, leader of the Third World movement, Czech researcher Jan Koura, assistant professor at Charles University in Prague, makes new revelations about the most famous opponent of Kings Mohammed V and Hassan II.

Morocco29 Dec 2021

Ben Barka Family Rejects Cold War Espionage Claims Against Moroccan Opposition Leader

The allegations of espionage against the anti-colonialist activist Mehdi Ben Barka, leader of the Third World movement, have provoked a reaction from his family. The former Moroccan opponent is accused of having been a spy who provided information to the Czechoslovak secret services, Státní Bezpečnost (StB) in exchange for substantial payments, in cash or in kind.

Morocco28 Dec 2021

USFP Dismisses Claims of Moroccan Opposition Leader Ben Barka's Alleged Espionage

The disturbing revelations made about the anti-colonial activist Mehdi Ben Barka , leader of the Third World and Pan-African movement, are eliciting reactions from the Union of Socialist Forces of the People (USFP). New archives confirm that the Moroccan opponent was a spy and that he provided information to the Czechoslovak secret services, Státní Bezpečnost (StB), in exchange for substantial payments, in cash or in kind.

France30 Oct 2020

Moroccan Opposition Leader's 1965 Paris Disappearance Still Unsolved After 55 Years

October 29, 1965, was the last time Mehdi Ben Barka was seen in Paris. France and Morocco have never explained the circumstances of the kidnapping and disappearance of Hassan II’s main opponent, whose centenary of birth and at the same time the 55th anniversary of his disappearance could not be commemorated due to the health crisis.

Morocco5 Mar 2020

55 Years On, Lawyer Seeks Truth in Moroccan Dissident's Paris Disappearance

The mystery remains intact, 55 years after the kidnapping and murder of Mehdi Ben Barka, an intellectual and political figure of the anti-colonial movement, and opponent of King Hassan II, on October 29, 1965, near Paris. Maurice Buttin, 91, the family’s lawyer, continues to fight for the truth to emerge.

Morocco16 Feb 2020

Mossad Linked to 1965 Disappearance of Moroccan Politician Mehdi Ben Barka, Book Claims

In his book "Rise and kill first", published in 2018, Israeli journalist and writer Ronin Bergman lifted the veil on the kidnapping and murder of Mehdi Ben Barka .