Human Rights Watch said Moroccan authorities «continued their crackdown on dissent, and security forces forcibly dispersed peaceful protests» in its 2024 report on the human rights situation in Morocco. «Moroccan authorities continued their crackdown on dissent, and security forces forcibly dispersed peaceful protests», wrote Human Rights Watch (HRW) in its annual report on Morocco's human rights situation for 2024. The New York-based NGO began its report by highlighting key events of the year. In 2024, King Mohammed VI pardoned nearly 5,000 cannabis farmers. However, HRW expressed regret that the pardon excluded activists from the Hirak movement, who are serving sentences of up to 20 years for protesting living conditions. That same year, the King also pardoned nearly 2,500 detainees in July, including three outspoken critics of government policy, HRW noted. Despite these pardons, HRW reported continued restrictions on freedom of speech. In November, a court in Rabat sentenced journalist Hamid Mahdaoui to 18 months in prison for alleged defamation against the justice minister and fined him 1.5 million Moroccan dirhams. A month earlier, police arrested prominent human rights and democracy activist Fouad Abdelmoumni, releasing him provisionally on the same day. He was later charged with «insulting organized bodies [institutions], publishing false allegations, and reporting an imaginary crime that he knows did not occur». Journalists Omar Radi, Soulaiman Raissouni, and Taoufik Bouachrine were released in July alongside 2,500 others through royal amnesty. HRW described the charges against these journalists as «questionable», alleging that accusations of sexual misconduct have been used as «a tactic by authorities to discredit dissidents». Arrests through 2024 The report also highlighted the arrest of blogger Youssef El Hireche for a Facebook post deemed insulting to the ruler of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). El Hireche was sentenced to 18 months in prison for «[i]nsulting a public official, insulting organized bodies, and distributing confidential information without the owner's consent». In March 2024, authorities arrested blogger Abderrahman Zankad, affiliated with an Islamist party, over Facebook posts critical of Morocco's decision to normalize relations with Israel. Zankad was sentenced to five years in prison for insulting the King, an act deemed an «insult to a constitutional institution and incitement». HRW further reported crackdowns on freedom of assembly, noting that Moroccan security «forces forcibly dispersed peaceful protests». These included a demonstration organized by disability rights groups outside Parliament in May and healthcare workers' protests in July. The report also noted that 40 Hirak protesters, including leaders Nasser Zefzafi and Nabil Ahamjik, remain imprisoned. They are serving decades-long sentences after an appeals court upheld their convictions in 2019, despite «credible allegations that their confessions were obtained under torture». Personal freedoms On issues related to personal freedoms, HRW criticized Morocco's penal code for «criminalizing several aspects of private life». Abortion remains punishable by up to two years in prison, with providers facing up to five years. Article 490 penalizes sex outside of marriage with at least one year of imprisonment, while adultery under Article 491 is punishable by up to two years. Same-sex relationships are criminalized with sentences of up to three years under Article 489. Regarding migrants and refugees, HRW reported that Moroccan security forces blocked thousands of Moroccans and African nationals from crossing into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. The blockade followed mass mobilization on social media in September encouraging migration attempts. Authorities arrested 152 people in connection with the incident, accusing them of rallying others for the mass migration effort. The report also noted that Morocco's parliament has yet to approve a 2013 draft law on the right to asylum. Additionally, the 2003 migration law criminalizes irregular entry into the country without providing exceptions for refugees and asylum seekers.
