|2016

WORLD REPORT 2016
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Morocco and Western Sahara
Morocco regressed on human rights in several areas in 2015, and advanced in
few. Restrictions tightened on human rights groups, both domestic and international;
at least two Moroccans spent the year in prison for “falsely” denouncing
torture, and many continued serving long prison terms after unfair trials for politically
motivated offenses. Authorities often tolerated protest demonstrations,
but in Western Sahara systematically prevented gatherings supporting self-determination
for the contested territory.
More positively, a new law took effect that ended military trials of civilians, and
authorities for the first time legally recognized a human rights organization in
Western Sahara led by people critical of Moroccan rule. Morocco granted temporary
legal status to United Nations-recognized asylum-seekers and thousands of
economic migrants, pending an overhaul of its laws on asylum and foreigners on
Moroccan soil.
Freedom of Expression
Laws that criminalize acts deemed harmful to the king, the monarchy, Islam, or
Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara limited the rights to peaceful expression,
assembly, and association.
Independent print and online media continued to investigate and criticize government
officials and policies, but faced prosecution and harassment if they criticized
the king or his advisors. The press law mandates prison terms for
“maliciously” spreading “false information” that authorities believe may disturb
public order, or for speech ruled defamatory.
Authorities arbitrarily imposed administrative obstacles to impede the efforts of
journalist Ali Lmrabet to register a new satirical weekly, following his completion
of a 10-year sentence banning him from practicing journalism in Morocco. Police
in Rabat confiscated tapes from and expelled two French television journalists
on February 16 on the grounds that they had been filming in the country without
authorization.
Moroccan state television allows some space for debate and investigative reporting
but none for direct criticism of the palace or dissent on key issues.
Freedom of Assembly and Association
Authorities tolerated numerous marches and rallies demanding political reform
and protesting government actions but forcibly dispersed some peaceful gatherings.
In Western Sahara, authorities prohibited all public gatherings deemed
hostile to Morocco’s contested rule over that territory, dispatching large numbers
of police who blocked access to demonstrations before they could even assemble.
Officials continue to arbitrarily prevent or impede many associations from obtaining
legal registration, although the 2011 constitution guarantees freedom of
association. However, authorities registered the Sahrawi Association of Victims
of Grave Human Rights Violations Committed by the Moroccan State (ASVDH) in
2015, nine years after it first applied and eight years after an administrative court
ruled that authorities had wrongly refused to register it.
Morocco also registered several, but not all, associations formed to defend the
rights of migrants in Morocco. In July, a Tiznit first instance court ordered the closure
of the Ifni Memory and Rights Association, partly on grounds that it harmed
Morocco’s “territorial integrity” by asserting the rights and identity of the population
in the Ifni region.
Among the many associations arbitrarily denied legal registration were scores of
charitable, cultural, and educational associations whose leadership includes
members of al-Adl wal-Ihsan (Justice and Spirituality), a nationwide movement
that advocates an Islamic state and questions the king's spiritual authority.
Authorities prohibited dozens of activities prepared by legally recognized human
rights associations, notably the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH)
and its branches. After allowing Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch
researchers relatively unimpeded access for nearly 25 years, authorities expelled
two Amnesty researchers in June and demanded in September that Human
Rights Watch suspend its activities in Morocco until officials could schedule a
meeting with the organization to discuss its “bias.” At time of writing, officials
had yet to respond to invitations from Human Rights Watch to meet.
In October, authorities charged historian Maâti Monjib, Hicham Mansouri, and
three other associational activists with accepting foreign funding “to harm internal
security,” punishable by up to five years in prison. The case, set to go to trial
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