Morocco ratifies human rights protocols

Fuente: By Naoufel Cherkaoui for Magharebia in Rabat – 07/06/11

Morocco recently ratified the Optional Protocols to the UN Convention against Torture and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

The first document "aims to build a preventive system based on regular visits by independent international and national bodies to places where people are denied their freedom," Communication Minister Khalid Naciri said at a May 26th press conference, noting that the aim of such visits would be to "prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment".
"A committee will be created under this protocol, and it will be called the Sub-Committee Against Torture," he added. Its work will "be guided by the principles of confidentiality, integrity, non-selectiveness, inclusiveness and objectivity" and will "be covered in an annual report to be submitted to the Committee Against Torture".

As to the second protocol, "it aims to enable member states to acknowledge the authority of the Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women to decide about reports made by or on behalf of individuals or a group of individuals under the jurisdiction of a member state, who claim that they were victims of violations of any of the rights stipulated in CEDAW," he said.
While activists largely praised the move, some human rights groups would like to see bolder actions.

Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH) head Khadija Riadi said in a statement to Magharebia that "Morocco's ratification of the protocol of the Convention Against Torture, unfortunately, comes at a stage that is witnessing a continuation of torture in this country".
"Therefore, we believe that this ratification must be followed by mechanisms of actual implementation, foremost among which is the formation of an independent committee to monitor detention centres," she added.
Riadi said that there "must be a real political will" to ensure that the move doesn't just aim to "improve the image of Morocco overseas". In addition, the government "must lift its reservations on CEDAW", she added.

In his turn, Mohamed Sektaoui, head of Amnesty International Maroc, said that the move is important due to "allegations of continued torture in closed areas" and "Morocco's commitment within the framework of recommendations made by the Equity and Reconciliation Commission to work to make more progress towards harmonising national legislations with international human rights conventions".

"It's possible that the popular movement that Morocco is now witnessing might have been a factor in speeding up the ratification, which has been a request of human rights organisations for many years," he told Magharebia. "We've always said that the ratification will help Morocco dispel all the allegations about its inability to put an end to torture."
The step is important, lawyer Abdelaziz Nuidi agreed, because it "binds the state to establish a national mechanism for visiting prisons and detention centres to ensure that detainees receive good treatment".
"Morocco's ratification of CEDAW's Optional Protocol reflects the country's desire to keep up with international standards in this field," said international law expert Maima Korchi. "It's also considered a major gain for women, as groups concerned with women's affairs have been demanding this ratification for years."