UN Lauds Morocco’s Successful Efforts to Eradicate Torture
UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Andrew Gilmour said Morocco made significant progress in eradicating torture and all forms of ill-treatment.
The UN official also commended Morocco for its support for UN Office for Human Rights (OHCHR) in promoting human rights and combating all forms of violence.
Gilmour made the remarks during a meeting with minister of Justice, Mohamed Aujjar, and minister of State for Human Rights, Mustapha Ramid, on the sidelines of the regional symposium of the Convention against Torture Initiative (CTI), held under the theme “Administration of justice and law enforcement: international cooperation and exchange of experiences,” held in Fez.
During their talks, the two parties examined ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation and the exchange of practices and mechanisms to eliminate all forms of torture.
On this occasion, Glimour stressed the importance of such meetings that contribute to the rapprochement of views, in order to adopt effective mechanisms and programs to combat torture, which remains “widespread in many countries”. He expressed OHCHR willingness to work within a participatory framework in order to put an end to such practices.
Speaking at the symposium, Morocco’s justice minister affirmed that Morocco has made a clean break with enforced disappearance and systematic torture, as evidenced by international commissions, special procedures as well as national and international organizations.
The minister explained that “Morocco is building on its constitutional and institutional choice relating to the independence of the judiciary and the organic laws pertaining to the Supreme Council of the Judiciary and the statute of magistrates.”
In March 2014, the Governments of Chile, Denmark, Ghana, Indonesia and Morocco launched the Convention against Torture Initiative (CTI), to mark the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention against Torture. The aim of this global initiative is to have universal ratification of the Convention by 2024 – and that the risk of torture will be reduced in the world.
Morocco is preparing to launch the National Prevention Mechanism (NPM) against torture as part of the implementation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT).
To that end, a UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) paid a visit to Morocco October 22 to 28 to advise the Government on the establishment of the NPM and to assess the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty and the measures taken for their protection against torture and ill-treatment.
