Morocco: Worries arise concerning legislative corruption

Amid the controversial modifications to Morocco’s Criminal Procedure code, some of the country’s key human rights figures have expressed their opposition to the changes and their possible implications, Algerian-based platform AL24 News reported on July 9th.

The Moroccan Space for Human Rights conducted a seminar recently, allegedly focusing on the amendments made to the Criminal Procedure Code. Key figures such as the former president of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, Aziz Ghali, and the current president of the organizing body, Mohamed Ennouini, were in attendance at the event.

It is claimed that participants were worried in regard to the possibility of the law restricting fundamental civic rights, including reduced guarantees of fair trials and the imbalances it could bring to judicial authority.

According to the Algerian news source, Aziz Ghali noted how the recent policy shifts pose a danger to civil society’s ability to combat corruption. The report asserts he referenced the withdrawal of the enrichment bill and the dissolution of the conflict of interest law, believing it could potentially “create an environment conducive to corruption,” though the statement has not been independently verified.

Mohammed Ennouini apparently also gave his opinion on the law, allegedly expressing concerns about how it took only four months for the bill to get through the entire legislative process, compared to other laws that have been stalled in the House of Representatives for years.

Human rights have been a contentious topic in Morocco recently. According to Maghrebi, a recent protest on May 31st demanding the release of Sahrawi political prisoners was forcibly broken up by police, resulting in the deaths of 36 Sahrawis and 11 officers. Furthermore, Morocco currently stands, statistically, as one of the worst offenders of workers rights, according to the 2025 Global Rights Index.

It is important to note that the issue in the Western Sahara has also been a source of ongoing tension between Morocco and Algeria, with both countries severing diplomatic ties back in 2021 due to disputes.

AL24 News, Maghrebi.org