Moroccan Human Rights Minister Urges Caution on Death Penalty Debate

Faced with the outcry caused by the debate on the application or non-application of the death penalty, Mostapha Ramid affirmed that "the right to life is a supreme human right" recognized and approved by international covenants and conventions. In Morocco, it has been suspended because unanimity is hard to come by around its abolition. In a publication on his official Facebook page, the minister did not take a clear position on the issue. He simply presented what the international human rights covenants say, and then explained the subtleties of Moroccan legislation on the subject.

But what does Moroccan justice say on the matter? In the penal code, at least 31 crimes can be punishable by the death penalty. According to Mostapha Ramid, "the death penalty is written into Moroccan law with a set of controls and standards that govern it. Minors under the age of 18 are not sentenced to death or life imprisonment, the death penalty can only be carried out after the rejection of the pardon request, the death penalty cannot be applied to a pregnant woman until two years after childbirth," the minister said.

He emphasizes that "the right to life, in accordance with international human rights law, is a fundamental right, with which the death penalty can only be pronounced with precautions related to serious crimes and conditions related to the necessary guarantees of a fair trial."