The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) carried out its first visit to Morocco from 22 to 28 October 2017. The visit’s main objective was to advise and support the Government on the establishment of a national mechanism for the prevention of torture. The SPT also assessed the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty and the measures taken to protect them from torture and ill-treatment.
The SPT has the mandate to visit all State parties to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT). According to the OPCAT, the national prevention mechanism (NPM) must have a mandate similar to that of the SPT.
State parties must establish an NPM within a year following the ratification of the OPCAT. Although the Kingdom of Morocco ratified the OPCAT in November 2014, the NPM has not yet been established. However, the delegation has noted that the Kingdom of Morocco intends to designate the National Council for Human Rights as NPM.
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