Morocco’s Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation in Rabat, Hassan Daki, underscored the pivotal role of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in safeguarding human rights and preventing torture within the country’s criminal justice system, Morocco’s News Agency (MAP) reported.
Speaking at the launch of a training program in Rabat implementing the revised Istanbul Protocol, Daki touted the Public Prosecution’s annual report on the judicial handling of torture cases and his office’s follow-up on complaints related to alleged violence against prisoners as reflecting the commitment to eradicate abuse of prisoners in Morocco’s prisons and detention facilities.
Sponsored by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in partnership with the Higher Council of the Judiciary and the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, the program reflects Morocco’s commitment to the 2011 Constitution as a charter for fundamental rights and freedoms.
Prosecutors are cooperating with the National Prevention Mechanism Against Torture to investigate claims of torture and prevent future torture cases, Daki said.
Morocco follows the Istanbul Protocol, a set of internationally recognized guidelines for effectively investigating and documenting torture and mistreatment of prisoners, according to a report by the United Nations Office in Geneva.
Initially published in 2004 and later revised in 2022, the protocol is designed to help professionals from various fields—such as law, health, and human rights—document and investigate cases of torture to ensure accountability and justice for survivors.
The Istanbul Protocol is not a treaty that requires formal ratification such as the UN Convention Against Torture (CAT), which Morocco ratified in 1993, or the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) which Morocco ratified in 2014. Yet Morocco’s adherence to its principles is part of the Kingdom’s broader commitments to human rights and the prevention of torture, according to Daki.
The CAT and OPCAT treaties establish National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs) to monitor detention facilities and prevent torture.
Sponsored by the Public Prosecution Office in partnership with the Higher Council of the Judiciary and the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, the conference highlighted Morocco’s commitment to the 2011 Constitution as a charter for fundamental rights and freedoms.
The President of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), Amina Bouayach, and the Director of Criminal Affairs at the Ministry of Justice, Hicham Mellati, as well as other notable figures involved in the protection of human rights, attended the conference.