Archive: morocco
4th August 2014
The power to grant a pardon can be a useful element in any country's legal system. It allows a measure of discretion in cases where the law is believed to have treated someone unfairly.
But debates about the principle stretch back centuries – certainly to the time of Plato – and in 1776 Thomas… Read more
23rd July 2014
International human rights law has often been characterised as a product of colonialism and cultural imperialism. In the words of Makau Mutua, a Kenya-born professor of law: “The west was able to impose its philosophy of human rights on the rest of the world because it dominated the United Nations… Read more
12th June 2013
This photo, posted on Twitter, is said to show King Mohammed with a young Moroccan immigrant in Paris
In 2011, amid fears that the Arab Spring could spread to Morocco, King Mohammed VI announced a programme of reforms and ushered in a new constitution that appeared, on the surface, to give more… Read more
14th March 2012
A 16-year-old Moroccan girl from Larache killed herself on Saturday by swallowing rat poison after being forced to marry a man who had raped her, al-Massae newspaper reports (in Arabic).
The girl, referred to as "Amina F", was 15 at the time she was raped by a man more than 10 years her elder.… Read more
3rd July 2011
The new Moroccan constitution, endorsed by a referendum on Friday, has had a generally warm and uncritical reception from the US and the EU.
A joint statement from the EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, and commissioner Stefan Fule described it as "a significant response to the legitimate… Read more
18th June 2011
The clear message from the Arab Spring is that the region's leaders must initiate swift and far-reaching reforms or risk being overthrown. So far, though, the only country that seems to be heeding that message with anything close to the level of determination that the situation requires is Morocco… Read more
21st March 2011
Aside from Libya, which is getting wall-to-wall media coverage, here are some other noteworthy events from the weekend:
SYRIA:
In the southern city of Deraa, protesters clashed with security forces on Sunday, for the third day running. Numerous buildings associated with the regime… Read more
10th March 2011
Amid continuing popular discontent in the Arab countries, King Mohammed of Morocco promised constitutional reforms in a speech yesterday (full text here).
Among other things, he talked of consolidating the rule of law, enhancing the independence of the judiciary and making the prime minister "fully… Read more
16th December 2010
The problem of Arab governments restricting the choice of namesthat can be given to children is an issue that I've discussed here before. It arises particularly among ethnic groups such as the Berbers in Morocco and the Kurds in Syria.
Human Rights Watch, which has been working on this issue in… Read more
5th December 2010
Two attempted coups in Morocco during the 1970s (which came close to succeeding) continue to cast a long shadow over relations between the king and his military, according to a Wikileaks document.
The document – a memo from the US embassy in Rabat dated August 2008 – says Mohammed VI has slightly… Read more
ARAB ART ONLINE: Susan Hefuna: Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful) 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. More information | Click to enlarge
