The President Azzouz Directives.

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https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/528267_MOROCCO-2023-HUMAN-RIGHTS-REPORT.pdf

Morocco 2023 Human Rights Report
Executive Summary
There were no significant changes in the human rights situation in Morocco
during the year.
Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: torture or cruel,
inhuman, or degrading treatment by some members of the security forces;
political prisoners; serious problems with the independence of the judiciary;
arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy; serious restrictions on
freedom of expression and media freedom, including unjustified arrests or
prosecutions of journalists, censorship, and enforcement of or threat to
enforce criminal libel laws to limit expression; substantial interference with
the freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association; inability of
citizens to change their government peacefully through free and fair
elections; serious government corruption; extensive gender-based violence,
including domestic or intimate partner violence, and sexual violence; crimes
involving violence or threats of violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, queer, or intersex persons; and the enforcement of laws
criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults.
The government took steps to investigate officials who allegedly committed
human rights abuses and acts of corruption, but investigations into police,
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Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2023
United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
security force, and detention center abuses lacked transparency and
frequently encountered long delays and procedural obstacles that
contributed to impunity.
Section 1. Respect for the Integrity of the Person
a. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or
Politically Motivated Killings
There were no reports that the government or its agents committed
arbitrary or unlawful killings.
b. Disappearance
There were no reports of disappearances by or on behalf of government
authorities during the year.
c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment, and Other Related Abuses
The constitution and the law prohibited such practices, but there were
credible reports that government officials employed them.
Government institutions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
received reports regarding mistreatment of individuals in official custody.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office received six complaints alleging torture and
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Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2023
United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
47 complaints of excessive violence in the first half of the year. Two
complaints were being prosecuted, 22 were closed, and 23 remained under
investigation as of September, the most recent information available at
year’s end. The government did not provide any information on how many
officers were prosecuted for using excessive violence.
There were accusations that security officials subjected Western Sahara proindependence protesters to degrading treatment during or following
demonstrations calling for the release of political prisoners. International
and local human rights organizations claimed that authorities dismissed
public complaints of abuse in Western Sahara and relied only on police
statements. Government officials generally did not provide information on
the outcome of complaints.
Prison and Detention Center Conditions
Prison conditions improved during the year but in some cases did not meet
international standards. Conditions were harsh in some prisons due to
overcrowding.
Abusive Physical Conditions: The Moroccan Observatory of Prisons, an
NGO focused on the rights of prisoners, continued to report that some
prisons were overcrowded and failed to meet local and international
standards. In newer prisons pretrial detainees and convicted prisoners were
held separately, but in older prisons the two groups remained together. As
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Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2023
United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
of July, 41 percent of a total prison population of 100,004 were pretrial
detainees.
As of the end of November, the prison population surpassed 158 percent of
capacity in the country’s 76 prisons. According to government sources and
NGOs, prison overcrowding was due in large part to an underutilized system
of bail or provisional release, a severe backlog in cases, and lack of judicial
discretion to reduce the length of prison sentences for specific crimes.
Government sources stated that administrative requirements also
prevented prison authorities from transferring individuals in pretrial
detention or the appeals phase to facilities outside the jurisdiction where
their trials were to take place.
Although the code of criminal procedure considered “preventive detention
an exceptional measure,” approximately 42 percent of the total prison
population were pretrial detainees, consistent with the trend of the past
decade.
Regulations provided for the separation of minor prisoners from adult
prisoners and monthly judicial monitoring of detained minors. In some
juvenile detention centers, this monitoring included routine check-ins with
wardens and prison officials, and monthly review of detention case files.
The General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration
(DGAPR) reported no discrimination in access to health services or facilities
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Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2023
United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
based on gender for women pris

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