Morocco: Statement about the declaration of the Minister of Interior to the Parliament
Published on Mon, 2014-07-28 14:05
Following the groundless statements of the Minister of the Interior in front of the representatives of the legislative power against associations and human rights movement on 15 July 2014, and on the basis of his conspicuous tendency to lead invalid accusations against Moroccan associations and organizations working in the field of human rights and democratic development, in an attempt to disparage its efforts in advancing and protecting human rights. Following the allegations against The Moroccan associations and human rights movement by accusing them of being abroad mercenaries and by presenting them as a harm to the national interests, in addition to ranking them along with religious extremism and terrorism; the associations , coordinations and associative actors, after their publishing a statement denouncing those declarations, decided to hold this press conference to address a message to those whom it may concern, demanding them to avoid, through their speeches and policies, questioning the work of associations , which significantly contributed to the development of the democratic awareness and to promotion and protection of human rights, and to respect their views which are addressed to the national public opinion, who remains the main concerned addressee above all ; and to remind the State of its responsibility to protect all the rights and freedoms for all, guarantee a decent living for and establish full equality between men and women without any discrimination In this regard, and for practical purposes, it should be recalled that: - associations are institutions that are recognized , constitutionally, and are in accordance with international agreements and conventions; hence, the national democratic movement and the international community have always insisted that one of the cornerstones of the establishment of democracy, transparency and governance is the participation of associations in the implementation , evaluation, and follow-up of public policies ; their controlling authority stems from their being the very heart of society. - associations are spaces for human rights education , promotion and the facing of violations involving the cooperation with and complementarity between the other actors, especially political parties, trade unions, this in order to build a modern democratic state, respectful of individual and collective rights and freedoms ,including the freedom of belief , the abolition of death penalty, the good governance , combating corruption, the ensuring of the right to access to information and fundamental public services such health, housing ,a decent work and a good education which are all summarized in one phrase : "All human Rights for All"; - associations, in similarity with other governmental sectors and in conformity with the law , have to obtain financial support from governmental bodies, regional or international agencies, establish partnerships , carry out programs which are compatible with their role and contribution to the development of democracy in Morocco. In this context, it should be emphasized that the basic concrete element in the work of associations is the moral and physical contribution the volunteers within the associative field; However;this aspect is unfortunately ignored by the state, despite its importance in promoting the values of solidarity and commitment. Given the overall context of this public irresponsible assault of the Minister of the Interior and its coincidence with the presentation of the features of the intended security plan of counter -terrorist threats before the parliament; and by taking this statement into account and by relating it to previous ones given by State representatives, including the head of the government and some of his ministers, it becomes obvious that they all reveal, in their entity , the presence of a logic and a political behavior which systematically aims at offending the components of the civil society , the organizations and the human rights associations; and which also aims at misleading the public opinion and misinforming them about the associations’ activities and the efforts done to promote and protect human rights, as they are universally recognized; On the occasion of the present press conference, we re-affirm the following: -The link between the duties of the state to sustain stability and to face terrorist threats, and between the assault against associations is a real step-back from the achievements made by the associative movement and which were gained thanks to the long-term struggle along with other actors, especially in the field of combating torture; and facing all forms of violence as a means of imposing one’s view; - The state’s inclination to challenge the credibility of civil society does, in its essence, challenge all the constitutional provisions and the general principles that define the roles of civil society in the areas of development and the defense of individual rights and their freedoms protected under national laws and international conventions. - The State's behavior and attitudes reflect its purposeful will to subject the living forces of society, paralyze and impede their effective roles, but ignore their participative work aiming at promoting community services. - Morocco’s preparation to welcome thousands of human rights activists for the International Human Rights Forum which will be held in November 2014 necessitates providing enough room for human rights, the release of prisoners of opinion, and the cease of repression of freedom of association and expression and demonstration, rather than holding assaults against Human Rights organizations and classifying them within the frame of terrorism and extremism; otherwise ,the minister’s wish would be to abort this international Human Rights Forum. - Morocco's international obligations in the field of the protection of rights and freedoms, in addition to his membership in the UN Human rights council necessitates a change in its official policy towards human rights defenders, and the adequacy of the set of national laws to the requirements of the related international covenants; the effective recognition of the independent constitutional role of associations in establishing the rule of the law. The bodies and associations signatories of the present statement, issued on July 20, while expressing their deep concern on the vindictive reactions affecting human rights defenders, manifested in the inciting directions cited in the statement of the Minister of the Interior, renews its demand to the interior minister to apologize for these groundless charges , and calls the state to assume its responsibility to put an end to the deterioration of the status of human rights in Morocco; including the assault to the freedom of expression and organization, and end the practice of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading behaviors. To achieve this end, the association and coordinations, meeting on 18 July 2014, announce to the public opinion that they had prepared a mid-term action plan with a view of the vision balancing efforts, cooperation and complementarity in order to enhance the independent role of associations in protecting and promoting human rights, and in contributing to the establishment of the rule of law is through: 1. Organizing sit-ins against the minister’s statements at the regional and national level; 2. Claiming its legal right to reply, through public channels, to those charges 3. Mobilizing to publicize all violations of the rights of the citizens; 4. Engaging in and sustaining all coalitions, which work within the field of the defense of human rights; particularly , the networks , the women's movements and organizations that work on the national mechanisms to monitor places of detention, and the dynamic of the Rabat Declaration, through the preparation of a defending memorandum on the subject; 5. Organizing a national symposium on the situation of human rights; 6. Making of the Global Forum for Human Rights, to be held in November an event to the define of the situation of human rights and advocate for their respect by the state; 7. Organize meetings with political parties and parliamentary groups and trade unions for their involvement in the Battle of the defense of rights and freedoms, and the respect for the state for its international obligations. The following organizations sign the statement: 1. Forum marocain de vérité et justice » |