UN: Morocco Abstains from Voting on Resolution for International Abolition of Death Penalty

Morocco abstained from voting for the international abolition of the death penalty earlier this month, when a resolution on the matter was presented to the United Nations' Third Committee, which specializes in human rights issues.

Morocco's representative clarified that the country has maintained a de facto moratorium on the death penalty since 1993, when the last government sanctioned execution occurred.

The final vote count on the amended draft resolution against the lethal punishment stood at 115 votes in favor to 38 against, with 30 countries other than Morocco abstaining, according to the committee's press release, [which]criticized the country's position in a statement, expressing regret regarding the kingdom's persistent abstentions from votes in the international arena relating to the human rights implications of the practice since 2007.

The organization argues that the North African country's position is incompatible with Articles 20 and 21 of the constitution, which guarantee the right to life to all human beings and the right to "the security of their person and of their kin."

CMCPM is composed of eleven national human rights organizations - including Amnesty Morocco, the Moroccan Human Rights Association and others - that formed a union in 2003 at the conclusion of the International Death Penalty Seminar in Casablanca.

"Convinced that capital punishment is not a deterrent, CMCPM believes that this punishment is simply murdering in the name of the law, referring to the culture of revenge and retribution, particularly since the International Criminal Court - which tries criminals of war and genocide - does not implement the death penalty," the union's official website states.

Source: Morocco World News, November 30, 2016

Death Sentence for Tetouan Man Charged with Murder

A Tetouan man who was charged with the murder after killing a mosque-goer last August has just been sentenced to the death penalty.

The court sentenced the man, who admitted his guilt, on Tuesday, November 29 to the death penalty after the murder of a man inside the Al Andalous mosque in the Mellah neighborhood of Tetouan, an act which authorities concluded was premeditated.

Since the verdict was publicized, a new conversation on the death penalty in Morocco was started.

Earlier today, it was reported that Morocco had abstained from voting on a United Nations resolution asking for the international abolition of the death penalty.

The resolution was presented to the UN's 3rd committee, specializing in human rights.

On November 17, a UN press release stated that a "representative of Morocco said his country had had a de facto moratorium on the death penalty since 1993." With the recent death sentence handed in Tetouan, this statement is no longer true, which begs the question as to what the nation will tell the UN the next time it asks about the death penalty.

The UN would have also criticized the country's position on the death penalty, arguing that it was incompatible with Articles 20 and 21 of the constitution.

Source: Morocco World News, November 30, 2016

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