Building on the historic UN vote, Morocco now faces mounting pressure to remove capital punishment from its Criminal Code in a move toward complete abolition.
Doha - In a landmark shift, Morocco voted on Tuesday in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for a global moratorium on executions. The vote marks a significant departure from Morocco’s 17-year stance of abstention since the resolution’s first introduction in 2007.
The resolution garnered support from 130 countries, with 32 opposing and 22 abstaining. This represents a steady increase in international support since 2007, when the UN General Assembly first adopted the resolution with 104 votes in favor, 54 against, and 29 abstentions.
The most recent previous vote in 2022 saw 125 countries in favor, 37 against, and 22 abstentions, with Morocco among those abstaining.
Human rights defenders gathered at the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) headquarters to “document a special moment on the occasion of Morocco’s vote on the resolution.”
They considered this development a fruit of the constitutional recognition of the right to life and viewed it as a step toward the complete abolition of capital punishment.
In advance of this historic decision, Minister of Justice Abdellatif Ouahbi had announced Morocco’s intention to support the resolution, citing the country’s alignment with global trends.
Ouahbi disclosed that Morocco currently has 88 death row inmates, including one woman, though no executions have been carried out since 1993. These inmates are held in special wings of the country’s prisons indefinitely, unless granted pardons or sentence reductions.
Amina Bouayach, president of the CNDH, hailed the decision on X platform as “a historic vote by Morocco at the UN General Assembly.”
She remarked that “after years of mobilization, advocacy, and awareness-raising,” this represents “a major step forward in protecting the right to life, foundation of all other rights.”
The decision to support the resolution aligns with recurring recommendations from the CNDH, which has long advocated for the abolition of capital punishment.
The council bases its position on concrete data, rational analysis, and comparative approaches, arguing that the death penalty focuses on vengeance rather than reform and rehabilitation.
The CNDH has consistently monitored death penalty cases and conducted regular prison visits to assess the conditions of death row inmates, particularly those with chronic, psychological, or mental illnesses.
The CNDH notes that more than two-thirds of states (144) have abolished the death penalty in law or practice.
Within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, 33 out of 57 member states have either abolished capital punishment or observe a de facto moratorium.
The council also reports that 90 countries have ratified the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights aimed at abolishing the death penalty.
Current context
According to CNDH’s 2023 annual report, 83 people were sentenced to death in Morocco last year, with 81 receiving final sentences and two cases pending appeal.
Earlier this year, Bouayach had expressed disappointment over the absence of provisions for abolishing capital punishment in the draft reform of the Criminal Code.
The CNDH grounds its advocacy in the constitutional entrenchment of the right to life under Article 20 of the Constitution and Morocco’s various international human rights commitments. The council emphasizes that there is no concrete evidence linking the death penalty to crime rate reduction.
The CNDH had called for a clear methodology from authorities to organize a national dialogue on death penalty abolition, in line with Morocco’s commitments under the National Action Plan on Democracy and Human Rights 2018-2021.
During a press conference earlier this year, Bouayach had noted that “in all global experiences, there was no societal consensus when this penalty was abolished.”
An irreversible step for human rights
Speaking to Morocco World News (MWN) during the CNDH event, Amina Bouayach shared a moment of celebration with colleagues and civil society members who have worked for years in human rights advocacy.
“This step means that the Kingdom of Morocco’s choice is continuous and irreversible in terms of respecting and guaranteeing human rights,” she stated.
Mounib stated that this vote represents a cornerstone for human rights advancement, explaining how fundamental rights - including freedoms of assembly and demonstration, along with rights to health, education, and housing - all depend on the right to life.
“We cannot minimize the importance of this step for human rights and for the main strategic choices of our country and our society,” she noted, adding that “Moroccan society considers and has decided that the Moroccan individual has their importance, and we must preserve their dignity.”
Looking ahead, Bouayach expressed optimism about complete abolition during the upcoming review of the Criminal Code, characterizing the vote as a crucial first step in that direction.
The move has been particularly celebrated by Moroccan abolitionist networks, including the Moroccan Coalition Against the Death Penalty (CMPM), which have long advocated for official alignment between national practice and clear international commitment.
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