Disclaimer: This page refers to content related to the enabling environment for civil society in Morocco excluding the Western Sahara region.

Following the mass protests that took place across Morocco during the Arab Spring of 2011,
a new Constitution, which expanded the scope of civil rights and freedoms, was adopted by
referendum. However, this increase in rights on paper has not been translated into an enabling
environment for civil society actors. Morocco continues to be characterised by repression of
protests and criticisms. Civic space has been obstructed, as civil rights that allow civil society
to work, such as freedom of expression, assembly and association, are frequently violated or
restricted. The authorities have unleashed violent campaigns to crush protesters, using means
such as arrests and show trials of journalists, activists and civil society leaders, particularly
those from the Amazigh movement. Notable examples of protests include the marches and
sit-ins by the Moroccan Front in Support of Palestine and Against the Normalisation of
Relations with Israel, and the student strikes in the faculties of medicine and pharmacy against
the reform of medical studies.