Tuesday, November 19, 2024 at 4:44 p.m.
Casablanca – The strengthening of national legislative guarantees in the fight against torture and ill-treatment was the focus of a regional workshop, organized Tuesday in Casablanca by the National Human Rights Council (CNDH).
Held in collaboration with the Regional Office of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for the Middle East and North Africa, this two-day meeting aims to examine international standards relating to absolute prohibition of torture and ill-treatment, as well as the means of preventing these practices.
On this occasion, the president of the CNDH, Amina Bouayach, indicated in a press statement that the organization of this workshop strengthens the missions of protecting human rights and preventing their violations, stressing that the meeting also marks the celebration of 40 years since the adoption of the Convention against Torture.
And to add that the Council invites for the year 2025 to work in unison of regional and national governmental organizations and institutions, but also the countries which have not yet adhered to the Convention against Torture to ratify it, in order to guarantee a zero tolerance level for torture.
For his part, the prefect of police Mohamed Dkhissi, central director of the judicial police and head of the National Central Bureau of Interpol-Rabat, underlined the importance of the issues at stake in this workshop, particularly for the General Directorate of National Security ( DGSN), within the framework of the partnership and institutional cooperation agreement with the CNDH, in the field of training and consolidation of respect for human rights in the exercise of security functions.
Recalling that this convention aims to promote the culture of human rights in police training courses, by establishing it as a pillar of the missions of national security officials responsible for applying the law, Mr. Dkhissi noted the success of this cooperation with all DGSN agents.
In this sense, he maintained that the agents are trained in a deep understanding of human rights, in particular respect for the rights of the suspect during the different stages of the investigation, adding that in this context, supervision was implemented within the various institutions and administrations under the DGSN.
Mazen Shaqoura, Representative of the Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa (ROMENA), for his part, highlighted the ratification of the Convention against Torture by the Kingdom, which has also acceded to the Optional Protocol.
In this sense, he called for strengthening the effectiveness of international and regional mechanisms aimed at reducing practices of torture and ill-treatment.
On the program of this workshop are conferences on various themes such as “International standards relating to the absolute prohibition of torture and ill-treatment”, “The efforts of the United Nations and its mechanisms to prevent and combat torture and ill-treatment”, “Interpretations of international and regional treaty bodies and an overview of national legislation”, and “National legislation on the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment: case studies”, among others.
This meeting is marked by the presence of representatives of member states of the League of Arab States, regional and national governmental organizations and institutions, national human rights institutions, national mechanisms for the prevention of torture, Arab parliaments and non-governmental organizations.
