Rabat – A group of twenty NGOs, as part of the Moroccan Coalition of Human Rights Organizations, have reiterated appeals against visa restrictions against Moroccans by EU countries – particularly France.
The NGOs addressed a letter to the EU ambassador in Rabat, Patricia Llombart, denouncing the humiliation and degrading treatment against Moroccans in the consulates of EU countries.
The NGOs also denounced restrictions such as the closure of electronic platforms in charge of providing appointments for visa applications.
“By depriving them of the right of movement, [the consulates] adopted ways that are not appropriate for countries that should not resort to unreasonable methods such as closing visa appointment request platforms and opening them in limited ways,” the NGOs said.
The letter is part of an ongoing outcry against visa restrictions against Moroccans.
Many Moroccans took to social networks to criticize the restrictions, describing the act as “unjustified.”
Many NGOs and human rights advocates denounced the measures, calling on the international community to intervene.
In September, the Moroccan League for the Defense of Human Rights sent a letter to the UN’s Human Rights Committee, demanding intervention regarding the visa restrictions France is imposing on Moroccan travelers.
“After verifying that the French Embassy in Morocco rejected thousands of visa requests for no reason, using political excuses that are not relevant to Moroccans, the Moroccan League for the Defense of Human Rights reached out to the UN’s Human Rights Committee,” a statement from the league said.
In September 2021, France decided to cut the number of visas granted to Moroccans by half.
France claimed that Morocco had been “unwilling” to cooperate on the extradition of irregular Moroccan migrants in France.
Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita rejected the claims, stressing that France’s decision to slash visas issued to Moroccans was “unjustified.”
Bourita emphasized that Morocco has “always dealt with the issue of migration and the movement of individuals with great responsibility and balance.”
