The repression of political opposition and civil dissent is on the rise in Morocco, leading to concerns. The government employs a mix of legal mechanisms, digital surveillance, character assassination, and physical force against political opposition and civil dissent. As per the reports of the British Broadcasting Corporation and Cable News Network, several hundred protesters were arrested in the anti-government movements in recent months. In October this year, violent clashes erupted between protesters and security forces over corruption and other concerns, leading to the arrests and detention of many of them. But — more importantly— it remains uncertain how much the political and civil rights situation will improve in Morocco.
The deterioration of the political and civil rights conditions in Morocco, a developing country, is not new at all. They consistently face limitations but have been increasing for several years especially since 2021 and have reportedly deteriorated rapidly in the last few months, with increased opposition repression, restrictions on freedom of expression, arbitrary arrests, and pressure on human rights defenders. As per the reports of international organizations and news media including ARTICLE 19, the government of Morocco utilizes the judiciary and security forces to suppress political opposition and dissent including political leaders, human rights activists and journalists and intimidate activists both domestically and abroad. These have reduced the space for independent criticism particularly regarding the monarchy, government institutions and Western Sahara.
Various reasons are responsible for the government’s repression. The lack of tolerance to public discontent, the intention to control, a lack of well-functioning political institutions and a weakened parliamentary opposition — especially after the 2021 parliamentary elections that resulted in a landslide victory of the National Rally of Independents (RNI) and the marginalization of the opposition — play a vital role. Repression has increased in response to widespread popular discontent driven by persistent socioeconomic inequality, high youth unemployment, endemic corruption, and poor public services. Security crackdowns appear as a strategy to maintain control amidst growing distrust in formal political channels and the government often justifies these as necessary for maintaining national stability and security.
But, hopefully saying, the 2011 Moroccan Constitution grants rights including freedom of expression, freedom of the press, access to information, and citizen participation in government. Additionally, the government takes various efforts. In the latest movement, one of the largest political movements in years, most of those who were arrested have been released and the government coalition issued a statement expressing willingness to engage in dialogue with the youth within institutions and public spaces to find realistic solutions. But these are meager, unable to address the concerns and, moreover, the Moroccan government continues to prioritize force over dissent, leading to opposition repression.
The repression of opposition voices that remains a critical issue affects Morocco’s political development. But it is not always correct to say that there is no justifiable ground for the arrests and detention of the opposition — especially protesters. Protesters carry out subversive activities that could be avoided. But there is a lack of the government’s measures to ensure accountability for security forces who use the force unnecessarily, and the government co-opts opposition movements rather than performing a genuine reform, creating a system which serves to preserve the status quo rather than promote genuine political change.
The political and civil rights situation underscores the delicate balance between state sovereignty and individual freedoms within the country. Measures are needed to address the reasons involved with the repression of the opposition and civil dissent, which reflects the reality regarding the human rights conditions in Morocco. Improving political institutions, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary is important to reduce the chance of opposition repression. These are difficult when the government takes the opportunity to misuse them. For this, the commitment of the government is vital.
The government of Morocco needs to provide the scope of peaceful political assembly and protests to its citizens to express their concerns. The freedoms of political assembly, demonstration, and association are the rights that are beneficial not only for the citizens but also for the government. But the avoidance of unnecessary use of force and refraining from arbitrary arrests and detention is vital.
