Moroccan Lawyers Escalate Protest Against Justice Reform, Announce Nationwide Strike

Agadir – Morocco’s Association of Bar Associations has announced a nationwide suspension of legal services starting Tuesday, January 6, following the meeting of its national council in Marrakech.

The decision comes in protest against the Ministry of Justice’s draft Lawyer’s Law on reorganizing the legal profession, which lawyers view as threatening their independence and undermining years of institutional dialogue with the government.

The decision was taken by the association’s Executive Office following the council meeting. In a statement released after the meeting, the association said discussions were conducted with a firm rejection of the final draft of the law, which has been submitted to the government.

Lawyers argue that the draft law undermines the independence of the legal profession, a principle they describe as essential to ensuring fair trials, protecting citizens’ rights, and upholding the rule of law.

 The association calls for withdrawing  the draft law immediately and not to resubmit it without prior agreement with the Moroccan Bar Association.

According to the association, the legislation in its current form fails to respect the profession’s core values and its constitutional role within Morocco’s justice system.

The association also accused the Ministry of Justice of abandoning a previously agreed participatory approach to drafting the law. Lawyers say their remarks and formal proposals were ultimately ignored, despite being submitted during official consultation sessions.

Reaffirming its role as the sole legitimate representative of Morocco’s lawyers, the association insisted that no law regulating the profession should be adopted without its involvement. They also rejected other parties that are not directly concerned with the legal profession in shaping the draft legislation.

The association holds the Ministry of Justice fully responsible for the current tensions, warning that continued disregard for dialogue could further deepen the crisis within the justice sector.