The Center for Common Memory for Democracy and Peace announced Wednesday that Royal Advisor Omar Azziman has been awarded its 2025 international prize. The organizers describe the honor as a «recognition of his exceptional legal, intellectual, and political career, his fundamental contributions that align with the philosophy and universal objectives of the prize, and his pivotal role as one of the main architects of Morocco's experience in equity and reconciliation, which has become a pioneering model in transitional justice». In announcing the award, the Center highlighted the «unique status of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER) as a pioneering model for promoting positive human values, and as an open forum for peace, harmony, dialogue, and coexistence, within a universally shared vision of equality among all human beings». The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, November 15, 2025, in Nador, during the opening of the 14th edition of the International Festival of Cinema and Common Memory. The following day, Omar Azziman will deliver the keynote address at the festival's international symposium, titled «The Necessity of Peace: Towards Universal Transitional Justice». According to the organizers, the gathering will focus on «the Moroccan experience in transitional justice as a model of reconciliation and the strengthening of peace values». This prestigious prize has previously been awarded to leading figures and institutions, including Houcine Abassi, Tunisian union leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate; the Three Cultures Foundation of the Mediterranean in Seville, Spain; José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, former President of the Spanish Government; Aïcha El Khattabi, daughter of Moroccan resistance leader Mohamed Ben Abdelkrim El Khattabi; Juan Manuel Santos, former President of Colombia and Nobel Peace Prize laureate; Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, French politician and human rights activist of Moroccan origin; Mohamed Cheikh Biadillah, Sahrawi Moroccan politician; and the Moroccan Coalition for Climate Justice, among others. For the Center, the legacy of this prize underscores «its universal dimension and confirms its role as an international platform for memory, democracy, human rights, peace, and coexistence».
