On 2 February 2026, Alkarama submitted a communication to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls concerning the situation of Ms. Kholoud MOKHTARI, a Moroccan national subjected to reprisals linked to her peaceful activism.
Gender-based violations
A screenwriter and human rights activist, and the mother of two children, Ms. Kholoud MOKHTARI has been targeted not only because of her public engagement but also due to her active support for her husband, journalist Mr. Soulaimane Raissouni. Active on social media and particularly critical of the authorities, the journalist had previously been arrested in a case whose arbitrary nature was recognized by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD).
As her voice grew stronger in the public and international sphere, the pressure against Ms. MOKHTARI intensified. It took the form of smear campaigns, repeated violations of her privacy, media and online harassment, as well as surveillance and acts of intimidation. These forms of violence, explicitly gender-based, sought to discredit her voice, undermine her dignity, and obstruct the continuation of her activism.
Ms. MOKHTARI’s case illustrates the instrumentalization of private life and the role of motherhood to silence women activists who denounce violations or seek recourse to international mechanisms.
By documenting these facts, Alkarama highlighted overlapping violations of the right to privacy, freedom of expression, and women’s rights. To fully capture their scope, it engaged several United Nations mandates, including those related to privacy, freedom of expression, and discrimination against women, thereby revealing the intersection between gender-based violence and restrictions on fundamental freedoms.
Lack of effective domestic remedies
The communication also underscored the absence of effective protection at the national level. Despite numerous efforts, no serious investigation has been initiated and no measures have been taken by the authorities of the Kingdom of Morocco to put an end to the violations of the victim’s rights. This has placed her in a situation of vulnerability, making recourse to the United Nations special procedures indispensable.
Through this submission, Alkarama called on the UN experts to urge the authorities to immediately cease all forms of harassment and reprisals, to initiate independent and impartial investigations into the violations committed, and to guarantee an effective right to reparation proportionate to the harm suffered by the victim.