Eric Goldstein, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa division (L) and Tamara Al Rifai, Director, Advocacy and Communications Middle East and North Africa speak to reporters in the Moroccan capital Rabat on June 21, 2013.
Human Rights Watch has denounced Morocco’s justice system, saying it does not conform to international human rights standards and norms of due process.
In a report issued on Friday, the New York-based rights group cited six cases which it said did not follow international standards, alleging that they involved coerced confessions and judges in these cases ignored defendantsâ„¢ claims of torture.
“There is complicity between the judges and police,” said Eric Goldstein, the deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa division.
He explained how the police allegedly coerced confessions from defendants and then presented them to court. “The judges are in a hurry to convict based on that without looking for other evidence.”
The judicial system of Morocco has long been criticized by human rights groups.
In 2009, Mohammed VI, the current King of Morocco, promised to introduce reforms in the judicial system.
In November 2011, the Justice and Development Party won elections and pledged judicial reforms. However, no reforms have been introduced yet.
“The torture and ill-treatment of suspects in custody and specifically under interrogation remains a problem in Morocco, as affirmed by the UN special rapporteur on torture after his mission to Morocco September 2012,” the Human Rights Watch report said.
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This article originally appeared on: Press TV