Morocco’s Human Rights Record Criticized in Amnesty International’s 2021 Report

Restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly, torture and ill-treatment, women’s and girls’ rights, migrants’ rights, the kingdom is severely criticized by the NGO, stating that progress remains to be made on human rights.

On the issue of freedom of expression and association, the organization points out that in 2021, several people were repressed in the legitimate exercise of their right. It cites the example of the appearance of 7 people for offenses related to freedom of expression, including the academic and human rights activist Maati Monjib, who was detained in the El Arjat prison, near Rabat, the capital, before being released on provisional release on March 23.

The report also lists cases of "people who have been detained in extremely harsh conditions, including prolonged and indefinite solitary confinement, in violation of the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment." It thus cites the case of Soulaimane Raissouni, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Akhbar Al Yaoum.

Regarding violence against women, the Amnesty report estimates that women still face discrimination and other gender-based violence. The same goes for the marriage of underage girls, for which the organization denounces "article 19 of the Family Code, setting the marriage age at 18 years, but articles 20 and 21 gave family court judges the right to authorize requests for child marriage."