Amnesty International UK. ... Amnesty International … Courts sentenced at least five individuals to prison terms for “insulting” public officials. Authorities opened an investigation, but results had not been made public by the end of the year. Security forces arrested and detained thousands of migrants, forcibly transferring some to the south of Morocco and others to other countries. You can use this tool to change your cookie settings. In July, a court in Laayoune fined citizen journalist Nazha El Khalidi 4,000 dirhams (US$400) for livestreaming on Facebook a protest in 2018 without the correct media accreditation. Mouvement mondial de +7M de personnes qui s'engagent pour protéger les droits humains Twitter: @AmnestyMorocco Instagram: @amnestymaroc Since 2015, Ramid said, Amnesty International has published hundreds of press releases and reports that ignore Morocco’s structural reforms in the field of human rights and do not adhere to … A new law confirmed Amazigh as an official language, alongside Arabic. In February, Morocco suspended its membership of the coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the armed conflict in Yemen. The authorities failed to investigate allegations of torture and other ill-treatment adequately, leading to unfair trials. [1] Amnesty International, Morocco: Sentencing of rapper Gnawi to one year in prison a flagrant assault on freedom of expression (Press release, 25 November 2019). "This smear campaign and the false claims made against Amnesty International … Mouvement mondial de +7M de personnes qui s'engagent pour protéger les droits humains Twitter: @AmnestyMorocco Instagram: … Women continued to face discrimination, including sexual and other gender-based violence, and prison sentences were issued in relation to alleged illegal abortions. Her fiancé Amin Rifaat was also sentenced to one year in prison in relation to the same allegations.   |   Overview. Morocco has reiterated its call for Amnesty International to provide material evidence to support its allegations of spying on activists. From June onwards, the Polisario Front, which administers camps in Algeria for refugees from Western Sahara, detained at least two critics while an investigating judge explored treason and other charges against them. According to a 2004 census, 8 million people – a quarter of the population – spoke one of the three main dialects of Amazigh in Morocco every day. Privacy Policy https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/10/moroccan-human-rights-defenders-targeted-using-malicious-nso-israeli-spyware/, [3] Amnesty International, Morocco: Abandon attempts to dissolve cultural group (Press release, 18 January 2019). Although Morocco passed a law for the prevention of violence against women in 2018, mechanisms for its implementation remained weak. In November, a court in Salé convicted rapper Mohamed Mounir (known as Gnawi) for “insulting” public officials and sentenced him to one year in prison and a fine.[1]. They forcibly transferred over 11,000 to the south of the country and expelled over 1,000 to their countries of origin, allegedly without following due process in many cases. Abortion remained criminalized in all circumstances unless the health of the pregnant woman was at risk and her spouse agreed to the procedure, restricting women’s autonomous decision-making. Morocco pressed the organization for proof, and Amnesty International has since framed the country’s insistence on material evidence as a “smear campaign” against the NGO. You can use this tool to change your cookie settings. In June, after decades of campaigning by activists, parliament unanimously approved a bill that confirmed Amazigh as an official language, alongside Arabic. Prolonged solitary confinement of prisoners, which amounts to torture or other-ill-treatment, was recorded in several cases. 22K likes. Amnesty International Morocco, Rabat (Rabat, Morocco). The authorities harassed journalists, bloggers, artists and activists for expressing their views peacefully, sentencing at least five to prison terms for “insulting” public officials and apparently targeting others with spyware. Police continued to harass lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people (LGBTI) people; same-sex sexual relations between consenting adults remained a criminal offence. Up to 80 people were thought to have been injured, but the exact number remained unclear as many did not go to hospital fearing reprisals.[4]. Middle East and North Africa Media Managers Sign the petition to the effective implementation of the recommendations made in the Report of the Mapping Exercise documenting the most serious violations of human rights and international … On 17 October, the King pardoned all five on grounds of compassion.[5]. Last year, Amnesty allegedly uncovered “targeted digital attacks [by Moroccan authorities] against two prominent Moroccan Human Rights Defenders using NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware,” and … The defendants were convicted of responsibility for the deaths of 11 security force members during clashes that erupted when the forces dismantled a large protest encampment in Gdeim Izik, in Western Sahara in 2010. Amnesty International has discovered that since at least October 2017, HRDs from Morocco have been targeted with the infamous “Pegasus“ spyware produced by the Israeli company ‘NSO Group’. From June onwards, the Polisario Front, which administers camps in Algeria for refugees from Western Sahara, detained at least two critics while an investigating judge explored treason and other charges against them. Courts handed down death sentences; there were no executions. Amnesty said the timing of the alleged attacks in Morocco indicated that they occurred after NSO published a new human rights policy in September 2019, and after the company became … Security forces arrested and detained thousands of migrants, forcibly transferring some to the south of Morocco and others to other countries. Your choice regarding cookies on this site sara.hashash@amnesty.org, mohammed.abunajela@amnesty.org, 20, Rue Ouargha, N. 5, Women continued to face discrimination, including sexual and other gender-based violence. Mouvement mondial de +7M de personnes qui s'engagent pour protéger les droits humains Twitter: @AmnestyMorocco Instagram: … The language was initially recognized as such in the 2011 constitution, but the new law aimed to operationalize the language’s official status in all priority areas of public life, integrating it into education, legislation, media and communication, as well as artistic and cultural activities. If you are talented and passionate about human rights then Amnesty International wants to hear from you. [3] In July, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) was banned from holding a previously authorized event after it had to be moved to the premises of the Democratic Confederation of Labour in Azrou.   |   A new law confirmed Amazigh as an official language, alongside Arabic. Prison authorities punished prisoners who staged protests with solitary confinement and restricted family visits. Mouvement mondial de +7M de personnes qui s'engagent pour protéger les droits humains Twitter: @AmnestyMorocco Instagram: @amnestymaroc   |   2ème étage, Agdal The Moroccan authorities have carried out a chilling wave of arrests rounding up scores of protesters, activists and bloggers in the Rif, northern Morocco, over the past week following … NSO Group, the Israeli company marketing its technology in the fight against COVID-19, contributed to a sustained campaign by the government of Morocco to spy on Moroccan journalist Omar Radi, a new investigation by Amnesty International … Mouvement mondial de +7M de personnes qui s'engagent pour protéger les droits humains Twitter: @AmnestyMorocco Instagram: … According to a national survey on the prevalence of violence against women carried out between January and March, over half of Moroccan women had been affected by violence, but only 6.6% of survivors had filed complaints with the authorities for lack of trust in the authorities’ ability to carry out proper investigation and hold perpetrators accountable. 23K likes. In October, an appeal court in Casablanca increased his sentence for sexual assault from 12 to 15 years’ imprisonment. In April, the government dissolved the legally registered cultural group Racines after guests at an online talk hosted by the group criticized the authorities. Morocco Rejects Amnesty International’s Letter, Demands ‘Convincing Evidence’. They were convicted on the basis of evidence allegedly obtained by torture or other ill-treatment. In February, a court in the city of Tétouan sentenced blogger Sofian al-Nguad to two years in prison for online posts that criticized the authorities. Your choice regarding cookies on this site Morocco recently did away with a similar law, although other laws in the country are still failing survivors of sexual violence. Mi piace: 23.304. It refused to accept registration renewal documents submitted by 52 of them and failed to provide 10 others with receipts for such documents. According to the AMDH, the authorities held dozens of sub-Saharan men, women and children in an informal detention centre in Arekmane, close to the city of Nador in the Rif region, before forcibly transferring them to cities in the south of the country or deporting them to Algeria, where they faced further detention, or expelling them to countries including Cameroon, Mali and Senegal. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/10/morocco-release-of-journalist-jailed-after-being-accused-of-having-an-abortion/.   |   MOBILE VIEW Journalist and activist Omar Radi waits outside court in Casablanca, Morocco … Amnesty International, Morocco: Sentencing of rapper Gnawi to one year in prison a flagrant assault on freedom of expression (Press rel… Mouvement mondial de +7M de personnes qui s'engagent pour protéger les droits humains Twitter: @AmnestyMorocco Instagram: … Following the uprisings in 2011, Morocco’s leaders promised to pursue new, progressive legal reforms, including prohibiting torture. Analysis, opinion, personal stories and more. Cookie Statement Permissions Courts continued to hand down death sentences; there were no executions. The authorities harassed journalists, bloggers, artists and activists for expressing their views peacefully, sentencing at least five to prison terms for “insulting” public officials and apparently targeting others with spyware. The report also revealed that, while the rest of the world has kept turning, Amnesty International appears to be stuck in the early 1990s as far as its view of Morocco is concerned. Following an unfair trial, a court upheld prison sentences of up to 20 years against 43 people convicted in relation to social justice protests in 2017 in the northern Rif region. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/11/morocco-rapper-sentenced/, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/10/moroccan-human-rights-defenders-targeted-using-malicious-nso-israeli-spyware/, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/01/morocco-abandon-attempts-to-dissolve-cultural-group/, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/08/morocco-western-sahara-investigate-brutal-crackdown-on-sahrawi-protesters/, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/10/morocco-release-of-journalist-jailed-after-being-accused-of-having-an-abortion/. 21K likes. On 30 September, journalist Hajar Raissouni was sentenced to one year in prison for allegedly having an illegal abortion and premarital sexual relations. The Polisario Front, which administers camps in Algeria for refugees from Western Sahara, detained at least two critics. Moroccan law allows an association to operate once it has submitted registration documents to the local administrative authorities and received a corresponding receipt, as long as the authorities do not formally object to its formation. Amnesty International launched recently an unprecedented campaign on its social media against Morocco. The Polisario Front failed to ensure that those responsible for committing human rights abuses in the camps in previous decades were brought to account. But behind the liberal image of a human rights-friendly … Amnesty International Morocco, Rabat. [2] Both received messages containing links that, if clicked, would secretly install Pegasus software, allowing the sender to gain near-total control of the phone. The charges were based on Penal Code provisions that criminalize legitimate speech. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. 21K likes. Refunds of donations. Amnesty International Morocco, Rabat. Amnesty International Morocco, Rabat (Rabat, Morocco). Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. Amnesty International yesterday sent a letter to the Moroccan government standing by its research findings and providing further detail of its research methodology. The authorities harassed journalists, bloggers, artists and activists for expressing their views peacefully, sentencing at least five to prison terms for “insulting” public officials and apparently targeting others with spyware. In April, the government submitted a draft bill to parliament to regulate strikes. Morocco has rejected the letter that Amnesty International sent to the Moroccan government regarding the … Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Because anyone who has followed the ongoing Amnesty International vs Morocco saga would have, and for good reason, expected AI’s Moroccan candidate to be Omar Radi.   |   Beatings, stress positions, asphyxiation, simulated drowning, psychological and sexual violence are among an array of torture techniques used by Moroccan security forces to extract “confessions” to … Amnesty International Morocco, Rabat (Rabat, Morocco). Morocco’s highest court is examining the case of 19 Sahrawi men imprisoned since 2010 after violent clashes with the police, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said today. NSO Group is known to sell its spyware only to government agencies, raising serious concerns that Moroccan security agencies were behind the surveillance. Police continued to harass LGBTI people on account of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The authorities continued to harass journalists, bloggers, artists and activists for expressing their views peacefully. Cookie Statement Following pressure by national and international labour organizations, the bill was withdrawn. On 23 April, police used unnecessary and excessive force against a peaceful protest by teachers in Rabat calling for better working conditions. Following an unfair trial, a court upheld prison sentences of up to 20 years against 43 people convicted in relation to social justice protests in 2017 in the northern Rif region. Consensual same-sex sexual relations between adults remained a criminal offence punishable by up to three years in prison under this article. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/11/morocco-rapper-sentenced/, [2] Amnesty International, Moroccan human rights defenders targeted using malicious NSO Israeli spyware (Press release, 10 October 2019). On 19 July in Western Sahara, police used excessive force, including rubber bullets, batons and water cannons, against protesters celebrating Algeria’s victory in the final of football’s Africa Cup of Nations. 23 mil Me gusta. Amnesty International … We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. If you are talented and passionate about human rights then Amnesty International wants to hear from you. In October, the National Human Rights Council recommended decriminalizing sexual relations between unmarried adults.