Morocco to vote on abolishing the death penalty for first time

Morocco will vote for the first time on abolishing the death penalty in a pivotal moment for human rights in the North African kingdom, according to TheNewArab.

On December 9th, Justice Minister Adbellatif Ouahbi announced a vote on a two-year suspension of the death penalty and pledged to legislate a permanent abolition.

Ouahbi said: “This is a commitment to protecting the right to life, in line with the Moroccan Constitution.”

Though Morocco has not carried out an execution since 1993, the courts continue to place convicts on death row, with 88 people currently listed.

In the MENA region, Malta and Dijbouti are the only countries that have officially abolished capital punishment, but countries like Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Lebanon have not carried out executions in decades and are in practice abolitionist.

TheNewArab