While the Kingdom has broken very publicly with the "Years of Lead," during which there was widespread torture of political dissidents under King Hassan II, incidents such as those reported by Lalami are a chilling counterpoint to the current regime's bright face of prosperity, particularly when coupled with ongoing suppression of any kind of free press.
Aunque el reino ha dejado con mucha publicidad los "Años de plomo" en los que la tortura era ampliamente practicada hacia los disidentes políticos durante el reinado de Hassan II, incidentes como los informados por Lalami constituyen una contrapartida escalofriante de la faz de prosperidad del actual régimen particularmente cuando son comparados con la actual supresión de todo tipo de prensa libre.