Morocco’s Association of Bar Associations is entering a new phase of its protest against Law No. 66.23 regulating the legal profession, temporarily suspending its work stoppage as of Oct. 7 after nearly five months of nationwide action.
Lawyers began suspending professional activities on June 15 at the association’s request. The action was initially scheduled to last one week but was repeatedly extended, most recently at a Sept. 20 meeting.
The association had said the latest date carried constitutional significance, coming two days before the opening of the new parliamentary session and following legislative elections that produced a new political majority and government.
Abdelkebir Tbib, an elected member of the association’s bureau, told Hespress that ending the strike did not mean the profession’s demands had been resolved, but rather opened a new phase of engagement.
He said lawyers would now await the formation of the new government and the appointment of a new justice minister before assessing its priorities and approach to the profession.
“The issue of the legal profession is not something that the government cannot address,” Tbib said, arguing that the dispute required dialogue and a measured approach to reach an appropriate solution.
Tbib said the next stage would focus on identifying the problems facing the profession and maintaining dialogue, which he described as a permanent option for the association.
He also defended what he described as the profession’s historical role in Morocco’s institutional development and the protection of individual freedoms.
Tbib said lawyers’ concerns included the independence and self-governance of the profession, as well as protections established under a 1993 royal decree during the reign of the late King Hassan II.
He argued that these principles should not be altered through ordinary ministerial decisions, but should instead be improved while preserving the foundations of the profession’s institutional framework.
The lawyer also linked the dispute to the employment prospects of law graduates, arguing that the legal profession provides an important outlet for graduates whom the state cannot absorb into public employment.
He said the next phase should determine where the current problems lie while keeping negotiations open between the profession and government.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.