IBAHRI addresses Morocco death penalty concerns

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and senior members of the Moroccan legal profession, together with civic organisations supporting abolition of the death penalty, have discussed the role of lawyers, and in particular Bar associations, in advocating for abolition de jure of the death penalty in Morocco.

Addressing a delegation at the British Embassy in Rabat, the Deputy Head of Mission of the British Embassy, Alan Gogbashian, emphasised the important role lawyers can play in achieving the abolition of the death penalty. Shirley Pouget, IBAHRI Programme Lawyer, moderated the discussion between Bar leaders, members of the Moroccan abolitionist civil society and 12 lawyers. Representatives of the French abolitionist organisation Ensemble Contre la Peine de Mort were also in attendance, contributing to a fruitful discussion on the practical ways of engaging the Moroccan legal profession in becoming more proactive in its efforts to abolish the death penalty. ‘We very much welcomed the interest of, and the opportunity to engage with, Moroccan lawyers on the issue of abolishing the death penalty in Morocco,’ said IBAHRI co-chair Sternford Moyo, IBAHRI Co-Chair. The meeting precedes the regional congress against the death penalty, to be held from 18 to 20 October in Rabat.
IBAHRI statement