Moroccan Association for Human Rights
Moroccan Association for Human Rights
English translation:
“Moroccan Association for Human Rights
Khouribga Branch
Statement
We consider the trial of citizen “Yahya Marfouk” on charges of harming public order and security, and spreading a belief that affects the dominant religious orientation in the country, to be baseless and a violation of freedom of belief.
The office of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights in Khouribga is following with deep concern the developments in the case of citizens “Huthaifa Azzouz” and “Yahya Marfouk,” who were arrested in the city of Khouribga on March 20, 2025. Their arrest came after the city authorities became aware of a banner displayed on one of the city’s bridges and a poster on the wall of a private educational institution bearing brief and fragmented religious phrases and names, including: “There is No God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of God, allegiance is to God, what you were promised has come to you, Ali is the guardian (Wali) of Allah, the Mahdi is the proof of God, Mahdi’s Manifesto by Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq”.
They were both placed under preventive custody measures, primarily by the National Brigade of Judicial Police. Later, it was decided to lift these measures in the case of the citizen “Hadifa Azzouz” and refer him to the psychiatric department at Ibn Rochd University Hospital in Casablanca. As for “Yahya Marfouk,” he is to be prosecuted before the Primary Court of Khouribga, while on provisional release, on charges of “undermining public order and security, and attempting to promote a belief that could harm the country’s prevailing religious orientation based on the Maliki doctrine, through the distribution of publications and banners, and belonging to an unlicensed religious group called ‘The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light’”. His second hearing has been scheduled for the morning of March 27, 2025.
As the branch office, and based on the provisions of international human rights conventions, which the Moroccan constitution adheres to, along with the freedoms guaranteed by Articles 3 and 25—including, above all, freedom of religious practice, thought, opinion, and expression:
- We maintain that since the beliefs the two individuals are accused of adopting renounces violence and instead advocates peace, harmony, and assistance to the needy and oppressed—regardless of their identity—this falls within their fundamental rights that should not be subject to any judicial prosecution.
- We acknowledge that lifting the preventive custody measures for “Hudaifa Azzouz” due to his psychological condition was a sound decision. We demand this measure be made permanent and unconditional, not contingent upon his recovery, to prevent any psychological relapse, given his lack of legal responsibility for his actions.
- We consider the content of the banner, poster, and seized materials to lack any incitement or clear insinuations. Consequently, they cannot be construed as infringing upon any individual’s or group’s beliefs, nor do they threaten public order or security. In fact, most of the content aligns with the country’s mainstream religious discourse.
Based on the above, and fundamentally in defense of freedom of belief, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights in Khouribga has appointed Mr. Bouchty (Attorney) to represent this case.
Branch Office
Khouribga, March 26, 2025″
