Eid Holiday: OHCHR Announces Postponement of Special Rapporteur Visit to Morocco

Rabat – The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has announced that the official visit of the Special Rapporteur on torture, Alice Jill Edwards, to Morocco is postponed.

OHCHR announced the news this week as Jill Edwards was set to visit Morocco from March 23 to April 2.

The statement said that the postponement came at the request of Morocco’s government, which declared Monday, March 23, a special public holiday for the public sector on the occasion of Eid Al Fitr.

“This has complicated the government’s ability to reschedule important meetings,” OHCHR reported.

The statement also quoted Jill Edwards, who vowed to continue working with the government to identify alternative dates.

“I would like to thank all stakeholders who engaged in the preparation of the visit and in organizing meetings in the country,” she said.

She also invited the same stakeholders to continue sharing “any relevant information to allow me to continue to assess the situation in Morocco while waiting for the new dates of the visit to be confirmed.”

Jill Edwards’ upcoming visit to Morocco seeks to cover the criminal justice system, including the legal and procedural safeguards against torture and other ill-treatment during the early hours of detention.

The visit will also discuss justice, complaints, investigations and interviews, as well as the recent amendments to the penal code.

The rapporteur will also take part in reviewing the equipment, weapons, and means of restraint available to law enforcement, as well as health and psychiatry in the sector, including within prisons.

Jill Edwards will additionally hold talks with senior officials as well as international committees within UN entities and NGOs.

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