Morocco — In recent months, Morocco has witnessed a notable rise in digital defamation campaigns targeting women active in public and political life, human rights defenders, and female journalists. This surge has sparked widespread human rights concern and pushed civil society organizations to demand urgent judicial intervention to stop this dangerous trend that threatens freedom of expression and the safety of the public sphere.

The Rabat Declaration Initiative, a civil network comprising more than 2,000 Moroccan associations and human rights organizations, expressed “deep concern” over what it described as the “expansion of systematic defamation campaigns” occurring across Morocco’s digital space. It noted that this phenomenon has become the focus of growing international attention from UN and regional bodies concerned with freedom of expression and the protection of human rights defenders.

In a statement issued Sunday evening, November 23, the Initiative warned that digital attacks against human rights defenders, women active in public life, independent journalists, and political actors have become an “organized mechanism” used to silence critical voices and undermine democratic participation—at a time when digital violence against activists and journalists is increasing globally.

The statement stressed that the pattern of digital targeting in Morocco aligns with a global wave of online defamation campaigns used to pressure independent voices. However, it emphasized that the Moroccan case is particularly alarming due to the frequency and normalization of these attacks within the public sphere, placing the country under the scrutiny of UN mechanisms responsible for press freedom and human rights protection.

It pointed out that the groups most vulnerable to this targeting include:
– human rights defenders (women and men),
– women advocating for gender equality,
– independent female and male journalists,
– defenders of press freedom, and
– political actors with critical stances.

The Rabat Declaration Initiative believes that the persistence of these campaigns directly undermines Morocco’s international commitments in human rights, particularly those related to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and UN commitments concerning the protection of human rights defenders.

It added that the widening scope of digital defamation could negatively affect Morocco’s rankings in indicators related to press freedom, women’s rights, and digital transparency—indicators monitored by international partners, donor institutions, and human rights watchdogs.

The statement affirmed that this phenomenon is now monitored by UN mechanisms such as the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression and the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, in addition to international organizations including Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders.

According to the statement, this growing attention reflects increasing global concern about the impact of these campaigns on fundamental freedoms and on the ability of Moroccan activists and journalists to work in a safe environment.

The Rabat Declaration Initiative called on Moroccan judicial authorities to take urgent measures to investigate digital defamation campaigns, prosecute their perpetrators, and guarantee the rights of victims, considering the protection of civil and political actors from defamation “part of Morocco’s international obligations to protect human rights defenders.” It warned that allowing such practices to continue unpunished “damages Morocco’s image as a country that presents itself as an international partner in rights-based reforms.”

It also urged the National Council for Human Rights to activate a national mechanism for monitoring digital violations against human rights defenders and journalists, issue periodic reports that can be used in international assessments, and strengthen cooperation with relevant UN mechanisms, with specific focus on digital violence targeting women.

The statement concluded by asserting that systematic defamation campaigns are not merely individual violations, but a “direct threat to the foundations of democracy and to Morocco’s image as an international partner in human rights.” It stressed that protecting the public sphere from digital violence is both a national and international priority to ensure a free and responsible public debate.