In an international memorandum addressed to the ministerial delegate for human rights in Rabat, the Adala Center for Human Rights indicated that the 26ᵉ anniversary of the accession to the throne of King Mohammed VI constitutes “an important moment to assess the achievements carried out in the fields of rights and freedoms, including freedom of the press and expression”, specifying that “the achievements remain limited in a context in which The press and opinion, marked in particular by the continuation of the restrictions against journalists through legal proceedings, political and economic pressures, which hinders the establishment of real media freedom ”.
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“This memorandum presents a global assessment of the state of press and opinion freedom in Morocco during the year 2025, within the framework of international commitments subscribed by the Kingdom in accordance with the International Pact on Civil and Political Rights, and is based on an analysis of the reports of human rights organizations, official data and testimonies of journalists, in order to observe legal and political violations limiting and the press, and to make recommendations to strengthen a free and independent media environment ”.
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The memorandum noted that “legal proceedings against journalists and dissident votes are made in an inequitable manner and are based on vague laws”, noting the existence of “legal and security restrictions affecting the freedom of the press and opinion in Morocco”, “a regression of the independence of the media due to economic and political pressures” and the “active role” humans in monitoring violations and the defense of rights. The Center also carried out an analysis of Moroccan laws relating to freedom of expression, and a census of the arrest cases of journalists, revealing a “lack of transparency in the application of the law relating to the right of access to information, which hinders the work of journalists and limits the freedom of the media”.
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“Human rights defenders call for the opening of a global national dialogue including government, civil society, journalists’ unions and media professionals, with a view to updating the legal and regulatory framework in order to promote a free and independent media environment”, indicates the memorandum, specifying that “the approach of the legislative elections of 2026 is perceived as a decisive test of the commitment of Morocco Strengthening of media pluralism and free political participation “and that” improving the global classification reflects certain symbolic reforms, such as the royal grace granted to detained journalists, while legal proceedings, political and economic pressures persist, which reduces the independence of the media and imposes large self -censorship “.
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The memorandum recommends, among other things, “the granting of a general royal pardon to political prisoners in state of detention or convicted in freedom, the repeal of the legal provisions used to restrict freedom of expression, in particular articles 265 and 126 of the penal code, the guarantee of fair and transparent trials, and the strengthening of the independence of the judiciary, the promotion of transparency in the distribution of public ads and financial support of a global national dialogue to modernize the legal and regulatory framework for press freedom, and the economic and technical support of the independent media to strengthen their resilience capacity ”.
