Morocco lawyers protest ongoing against controversial legal reform bill

The legal fraternity in Morocco has intensified its resistance against a contentious draft law regulating the profession, staging a continuous sit-in outside Parliament in Rabat. Wearing red armbands as a symbol of solidarity, lawyers have maintained an open-ended strike for days, vowing to escalate their campaign until the legislation is withdrawn.

At the heart of their protest lies deep concern over provisions that they argue undermine judicial independence. The bill, they claim, centralizes disciplinary authority under the Ministry of Justice, dilutes professional autonomy, and lowers qualification standards by reducing the minimum age for bar exam candidates. These measures, according to advocates, threaten the very foundations of a fair and impartial legal system.

During a prior demonstration last Thursday, leaders of the movement struck a defiant tone. “This is only the beginning,” they declared, warning that the fight would intensify unless the government scraps the proposed law entirely. The current mobilization, they stressed, represents their final plea to lawmakers to prioritize national interests over personal grievances.

Aziz Rouibah, the elected leader of the Rabat Bar Association, emphasized the existential threat posed by the reform. “Our very existence as a profession is under siege,” he stated, accusing unnamed actors of orchestrating a deliberate campaign to dismantle legal advocacy in the country. “It is our moral duty to resist this legislative assault with every available means.”

Me Mounir Belghiti, a senior figure within the Rabat Bar Council, framed the dispute as a crisis of confidence in the legislative process. He cautioned that passing laws tailored to isolated interests risks eroding democratic principles. “When legislation no longer serves the public good but instead caters to selective agendas, we betray the trust placed in our institutions,” he argued.

The legislative process remains in flux. After this week’s deliberations in the Chamber of Advisors, any revised version of the bill will return to the Justice Commission of the Chamber of Representatives for further review. Meanwhile, court operations across the country continue to face severe disruptions due to the ongoing strike, leaving detainees in prolonged legal limbo—some have seen their hearings postponed for nearly a month.

The Association des barreaux du Maroc (ABAM), the umbrella organization uniting all Moroccan bar associations, stands at the forefront of this resistance. The group represents the collective voice of the nation’s legal professionals in their fight to preserve professional sovereignty and democratic integrity.