US spotlights 'torture' and 'targeting journalists' in Morocco

During the past year, Morocco witnessed a significant deterioration in human rights, including credible reports regarding torture or abusive treatment by members of the security forces, said the 2021 US report on the situation of human rights in the world.

On Thursday, the US Department of State issued its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, which strive to provide a factual and objective record of the status of human rights worldwide, according to the official department.

The report noted that several cases of sexual assault and torture have occurred in Morocco's prisons last year, including the case of Nezha Majdi, a teacher who was arrested during a protest for better work conditions. 

Following her arrest, the teacher said she was sexually assaulted by the police. The authorities in Morocco have not opened up an investigation to follow up on Majdi's accusations. Instead, she was sentenced to three months in jail for "harming the authorities' honour". 

The report added that the Moroccan government's steps to investigate officials who allegedly committed human rights abuses and acts of corruption "lacked transparency and frequently encountered long delays and procedural obstacles that contributed to impunity." 

Moroccan law "does not recognise the concept of political prisoner", but organisations, including the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, Amnesty International and Sahrawi organisations, have argued that the Moroccan government "has imprisoned people for their activities or their political beliefs under cover of criminal charges."

The US state department report also noted several cases of political arrests in the Kingdom, including the case of Moroccan journalist Souliamne Raissouni, who was arrested in 2020 under the charge of sexually assaulting an individual.

Civil society groups and activists, on the other hand, asserted his arrest was politically motivated attempt to silence independent journalists.

"(...) The press [in Morocco] enjoyed a significant degree of freedom when reporting on economic and social policies, but authorities used an array of financial and legal mechanisms to punish critical journalists," noted the US state department report.

The report also spotlighted issues related to human rights in Western Sahara, the disputed territory over which the separatists Polisario Front and Rabat both claim sovereignty.

Based on various human rights organisations, the US is aware of several allegations related to the arrest and torture of Sahrawi activists who call for the territory's independence. 

"[This is a] substantial interference with the freedom of assembly and freedom of association," said the report.

Under the Trump administration, the US recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara in exchange for Rabat's normalisation with Israel in 2020. 

Pro-independence Sahrawi activists said the US recognition legitimised Moroccan authorities' long and strong control against any opposition to Moroccan rule in Western Sahara.

Since its inauguration in January 2021, Biden's administration has yet to formally voice its recognition of Rabat's sovereignty over Western Sahara.