Human rights groups urge legislative reform and treaty ratification as the nation prepares to host an international anti-death penalty event.
Moroccan human rights organizations and activists on Tuesday renewed calls for the abolition of the death penalty, urging the government to reform national legislation and ratify an international treaty banning capital punishment. The calls come as the country prepares to host the 10th World Congress Against the Death Penalty. Participants at a conference stressed the need to accelerate abolition efforts and align the nation's criminal justice system with its international human rights commitments.
Abderrahim Jamai, coordinator of the Moroccan Coalition for the Abolition of the Death Penalty, stated that Morocco's upcoming hosting of the global congress carries significant political and human rights responsibilities. He called for the removal of capital punishment from all legislation and urged authorities to apply abolition retroactively to the 56 individuals, including one woman, currently on death row. Jamai also advocated for reviewing cases of prisoners whose sentences may have expired.
Abdellah Messad, secretary-general of the Moroccan Observatory of Prisons, noted that while international human rights have faced setbacks, global abolition efforts are supported by various country commitments, Morocco's hosting of the congress, and backing from 75 UN experts. He cited Morocco's 2011 Constitution, recommendations from the Equity and Reconciliation Commission, and the country's vote for a UN resolution calling for a moratorium on executions as national-level support for abolition.
Why it mattersHuman rights activists and organizations are affected by the potential abolition of the death penalty and the reform of national legislation.
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