The World Coalition against the death penalty held its general assembly in Casablanca over the weekend. The special session was dedicated to the abolition of the death penalty in Morocco, North Africa and the Middle East. Participants included Ahdef Mohammed, a member of the Moroccan committee against the death penalty; Nezha Skalli, a deputy at the Moroccan parliament; delegates from the Moroccan Ministry of Justice; and Michel Taube (pictured left), general representative and spokesperson of the executive secretariat of the World Coalition against the death penalty.
Data presented during the forum shows that 11 African countries have officially abolished the death penalty. Djibouti is the only Arab country to have banned capital punishments since 1995. Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia have not abolished the death penalty, but no executions are carried out.
In Morocco, abolition of the death penalty is backed by NGOs such as the Association of Moroccan Bars, the Moroccan Association of Human Rights, the Moroccan Organisation of Human Rights, the Moroccan Forum of Truth and Justice, Amnesty Morocco, and the Moroccan Observatory of Prisons. The NGOs formed a national coalition for the abolition of the capital punishment. It is to be hoped that Morocco will soon join those countries who have turned their back on such a barbaric penalty.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
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