On the occasion of the World Day Against the Death Penalty on October 10, 2025, the Council of Europe and the Moroccan National Human Rights Council (CNDH) launched a cooperation project on the theme of the abolition of the death penalty in Morocco, notably marking their intention to specifically target Moroccan youth.
An awareness-raising activity targeting Moroccan youth on the abolition of the death penalty took place from March to May 2026, generating significant media interest. It represents a tangible and significant result of this cooperation.
As a first step, 12 workshops were organized in each Moroccan region by the CNDH, relying on its regional commissions. These workshops enabled the creation of a national network of young Moroccans against the death penalty, raising awareness among 240 young people across Morocco’s 12 regions. Prior to these meetings, trainers were also trained.
Following this work at regional level, a national conference involving all interested stakeholders, notably from civil society, was co-organized and co-financed by the Council of Europe and the Moroccan CNDH on May 15, 2026. This event was held under the auspices of the Presidency of Monaco of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. It was opened by the President of the Moroccan CNDH, the Minister of External Relations and Cooperation of Monaco (video message), the Coordinator for the Abolition of the Death Penalty of the Council of Europe, a Representative of the European Union Delegation in Morocco, the Head of the Moroccan Coalition Against the Death Penalty, and the Director General of Together Against the Death Penalty.
The event brought together 24 young delegates, with varied profiles and coming from Moroccan regions. A session focusing on the restitution of the regional workshops allowed for discussion on regional specificities that have to be taken into account in advocacy activities carried out by the youth network.
During this event, the participating young people prepared and published a statement. They also benefited from advocacy training focused on the links between the death penalty and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Finally, they selected 4 delegates from among themselves to represent them at the World Congress Against the Death Penalty, which will take place in Paris from June 30 to July 2, 2026.
The youth participating in this national event are supposed to become part of the network of young ambassadors against the death penalty, on which the Council of Europe is working with its civil society partners, Together Against the Death Penalty and the German Coalition Against the Death Penalty, as part of the multilateral cooperation project “Death is Not Justice,” funded by France and Switzerland.
Coordinator for the Abolition of the death penalty
