Morocco's Justice Minister Holds Series of Talks on Sidelines of 58th HRC Session

26 February 2025 Printable Version

Geneva - Morocco's Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, held a series of bilateral talks in Geneva on Tuesday, on the sidelines of the High-Level Segment of the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

The minister held a meeting with Thomas Gürber, head of the UN Division and Deputy State Secretary of the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during which Morocco's vote in favor of a universal moratorium on the application of the death penalty was welcomed.

The two officials discussed the possibility of holding an international symposium in Morocco on the abolition of the death penalty and the process of revising the Family Code, welcoming the principles enshrined therein, which enshrine gender equality and children's rights.

The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange respective expertise and experiences and to highlight reforms to the Penal Code and the law on alternative sentencing.

In a meeting with Sidi Ahmed Bennane, Mauritania's Commissioner for Human Rights, Humanitarian Action and Relations with Civil Society, the two parties reviewed the revision of the Family Code and examined ways of concluding a memorandum of understanding aimed at sharing Moroccan experience with Mauritania in the field of human rights and training.

The Minister also held talks with Hala bint Mazyad Al-Tuwaijri, Chairwoman of the Human Rights Commission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with whom he exchanged views on the Family Codes of the two countries.

The talks focused on the Kingdom's efforts to protect children's rights, its achievements in the area of marriage for minors, alternative penalties, and the two countries' experiences in this field.

During talks with Isabelle Rome, France's Ambassador for Human Rights, Morocco's vote in favor of a moratorium on the application of the death penalty and its achievements in protecting the rights of domestic workers were commended.

The two parties also discussed the issue of sharing property acquired during marriage, stressing the importance of continuing to exchange experiences on human rights issues of common interest.

Ouahbi leads a Moroccan delegation to the 58th session of the HRC (February 24-April 4), which includes representatives from several relevant government departments and institutions.