Morocco’s Courts Face Surge in Cases as COVID Restrictions Ease

According to the report on the functioning of the public prosecutor’s office and the implementation of the criminal policy for the year 2021, many Moroccans have complained about the police and security forces. A total of 199 complaints related to allegations of violence, 28 complaints of abuse, 24 complaints of arbitrary arrests, 23 complaints of acts of torture and one complaint of forced disappearance were received. Similarly, 435 medical examinations were carried out on suspects brought before the courts.

During the past year, the public prosecutor’s offices carried out 854 visits to penitentiary establishments, 154 to psychiatric hospitals, 24,626 to places of custody and 151 inspection visits to places of placement and accommodation for children. According to the same report, the number of people placed in pre-trial detention decreased by 42.19%, while the number of cases of violence against women reached 23,879, an increase of 31%.

Regarding the fight against corruption, the direct telephone line received 8,090 calls, and financial crime cases recorded a 47.30% decrease. As for the fight against crime and the protection of security and public order, the report mentions a 35% increase in the number of cases related to attacks on security and public order and a 7% decrease in the number of cases related to forgery, counterfeiting and identity theft.