Articles for Morocco

The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee has called on the Moroccan authorities to take interim measures in favour of the lawyer, Mohamed ZIAN, who was sentenced at the end of 2022 to three years' imprisonment after an unfair trial and for publicly criticising the authorities. 

Mohamed Attaoui, a Moroccan political detainee and environmental activist, has gone on hunger strike to protest the lack of a decision in a fabricated case. 

Attaoui, a member of the National Authority for the Protection of Public Funds, has been detained at the local prison of Midelt in eastern Morocco since 8 December 2023 amid charges of insulting public officials in what he says is a trumped-up case. He is on hunger strike and demands that his case be examined, decided and immediately released. 

On 22 December 2023, Alkarama submitted to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, the case of Ms Ouahiba KHOURCHECH, a former Moroccan police officer, and her minor daughter, both victims of multiple gender-based violations. 

On 22 August 2023, Alkarama addressed the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to the environment regarding the case of Mr. Mohamed ATTAOUI, a committed human rights activist and environmentalist, victim of reprisals and acts of intimidation by the local and regional authorities of Midelt (Middle Atlas) since he denounced the smuggling of cedar wood in rural communes of the region. 

On 16 May 2023, Alkarama submitted a communication to the UN Special Procedures, including the Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy, informing them of the multiple violations suffered by Ms. Ouahiba Khourchech, a former police officer, and her minor daughter.  

Victim of harassment while on duty 

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a process conducted by States within the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, consists of "reviewing the human rights achievements of all UN Member States".

The United Nations Committee against Torture, initially seized by Alkarama on 30 October 2018, has recognized the responsibility of the Moroccan State due to the torture suffered by Mohamed Hajib following his arrest and conviction for alleged terrorist acts to ten years in prison based solely on confessions extracted under torture.

The human rights situation in Morocco will be examined for the fourth time in the framework of its next Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the United Nations Human Rights Council scheduled for November 2-18 2022 in Geneva.

On 1 July 2021, Alkarama sent an urgent appeal to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) regarding the situation of Mr Driss SEDRAOUI, President of the Moroccan League for Citizenship and Human Rights, who was arrested and imprisoned for having participated in a rally organised on 8 March 2021 in honour of International Women's Day.

The facts