Morocco/Tanger: Training workshop to widen the circle of young people committed to abolishing the death penalty

On Friday in Tangier, some 20 young people took part in a training workshop organized by the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Regional Human Rights Commission (CRDH), with the aim of widening the circle of young people committed to abolishing the death penalty.

This workshop, part of a series of regional meetings organized from March to June 2026 by the National Council for Human Rights (CNDH), in partnership with the Moroccan Coalition against the Death Penalty, the Council of Europe and the organization Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM), aims to train young university students and community activists in advocacy techniques against the death penalty.Europe and Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM), aims to train young university students and community activists in advocacy techniques against the death penalty.

Speaking at the event, CRDH Executive Director Souad Nejjar stressed that the issue of abolishing the death penalty remains at the heart of human rights debates at both national and international level, noting that this penalty is still enshrined in national legislation, even though Morocco has suspended its execution since 1993.

She added that the CNDH, as the institution responsible for protecting and promoting human rights, plays an essential role in enriching the debate on this issue, stressing that mobilizing young people is a strategic lever for strengthening the momentum in favor of the death penalty.This is particularly important in the run-up to the 9th World Congress Against the Death Penalty, scheduled for June in Paris.

Abdallah Ounnir, an academic and former member of the United Nations Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture, noted that the aim of these workshops is to take the debate on abolition of the death penalty out of its elitist framework, hitherto confined to the academic community.litiste, hitherto limited to political leaders, intellectuals and human rights defenders, in order to open it up further to young people and anchor this culture in the minds of new generations.

In a statement to MAP, he emphasized that these training courses enable young people to acquire a solid conviction and a clear vision of the issue, as well as the necessary tools for advocacy with institutions and the various players involved.s institutions and stakeholders, with a view to preserving the right to life, considered a constitutional and universal right enshrined in international conventions.

Many of the young participants said that the workshop was an opportunity to strengthen their advocacy skills and acquire legal, social and human rights knowledge on the need to protect the right to life.abolition of the death penalty, as it violates the right to life and is contrary to universal human rights principles.

The program for the meeting includes presentations on the state of abolition of the death penalty worldwide, efforts to abolish it in national legislation, as well as advocacy mechanisms and the design of awareness-raising campaigns.

Source: www.mapexpress.ma/