Rabat – Morocco’s Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi has urged lawyers to present their vaccine pass when accessing Moroccan courts.
Speaking on Tuesday at the House of Councilors, Ouahbi called on lawyers to respect the application of the law requiring the presentation of the pass to access courts.
The minister recalled the “primacy” of the government decision to make the vaccine pass a legally mandatory document aiding in the management of Morocco’s state of emergency.
The official said he was prepared for an open dialogue with lawyers, stressing: “There will be no compromise regarding the application of the law, however. ”
The government decision indicates that anyone without a vaccine pass cannot access administrations and public spaces, including cafes, restaurants, and hotels.
Lawyers in Morocco have been protesting the vaccine pass, emphasizing that it is against their individual rights. Morocco’s Association of Lawyers addressed a letter to the UN Special Rapporteur, recalling that access to courts is prohibited to lawyers who do not have a vaccine pass.
In their letter, the lawyers call the UN official to intervene and cancel the vaccine pass requirement for access to courts.
For the lawyers, the vaccine violates individual rights and impedes “the independence of lawyers and their role.”
They also cited the UN Commitments of States, stipulating that the government “must observe and respect the basic principles regarding the role of lawyers,” including by guaranteeing them the necessary conditions to fulfill their role “without restrictions, constraints, or improper interference.”
