CNDH SG BRIEFS BRITISH EXPERT ON CNDH MANDATE AND HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN MOROCCO

CNDH SG Mr. Mohammed Essabbar met Ms Harriet Austen, expert in human rights and international relations and former human rights consultant in the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office, on September 26th, 2011, at CNDH headquarters in Rabat.

Mr. Essabbar briefed the foreign expert on the mandate of the Council as laid down in its founding law. He highlighted the historical context of the Council, starting from its creation in 1990 as an advisory council, to its reorganization to be in conformity with Paris Principles, to the creation of the National Human Rights Council in March 2011, with larger mandate and reinforced pluralism and independence.

He didn’t fail to shed light on the role of the Council in the settlement of the past serious human rights violations. He highlighted the Moroccan transitional justice experience through the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER). It is to be mentioned that almost all IER’s recommendations have been entrenched in the newly adopted Constitution.

Evaluating the human rights situation in Morocco, CNDH secretary General indicated that Morocco started the reforming process in the nineties. With courage, it opened the painful page of the past and initiated legislative and legal revisions to reinforce liberties and freedoms, he said.

Consequently, Morocco ratified all international human rights conventions. It amended the nationality law, granting Moroccan mothers the right to pass on nationality to their children, and it has the most advanced family law in the Arab-Islamic region, to name but a few.

As for the Moroccan “Arab spring”, Mr. Essabbar explained that taking to the street in protest is not something unfamiliar in Moroccan cities and villages alike. Indeed, he added, the first Moroccan demonstrations dated back to some 15 years ago.

It does not mean that everything is just perfect, he explained. They are still some challenges that need to be overcome. But Morocco is determined to go ahead by adopting more reforms and innovating mechanisms, like the National Human Rights Council.

Responding to a question raised by the British expert, Mr. Essabbar said the Council can have, declared or undeclared, visits to all kind of detention places.

This visit is made within the framework of a memorandum of understanding to extradite terrorism suspects from UK to Morocco. The Council has a role to play according to this memorandum.