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The 13th edition of the Night of Cinema and Human Rights took place on July 4th in Rabat, but notably without its traditional outdoor public screenings on the esplanade of the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco (BNRM). This year’s edition, held under the theme of citizenship, faced restrictions from local authorities, who banned the open-air segment while allowing the initial panel discussion to proceed earlier in the day inside the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
According to a statement by the Association of Mediterranean Encounters of Cinema and Human Rights (ARMCDH), which organizes the annual event, the outdoor screening was prohibited due to the lack of formal authorization. In response, the NGO condemned what it called a «disregard for the civic role» of civil society.
«The association was surprised to receive a call from an official at 6:30 PM, instructing them to stop setting up the outdoor screening space at the BNRM, citing the absence of prior notification to the authorities», the statement said. However, the organizers maintain that they had submitted all required documents, including the BNRM’s approval dated May 14, as well as three formal notifications sent on May 27 to the Wali of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, the Director General of National Security, and the Director General of Civil Protection, each with acknowledgments of receipt.
After presenting this documentation, the association said the local official requested that the event be moved indoors to the BNRM. «The official awaited further instructions, which ultimately resulted in an order to dismantle the setup, on the grounds that the event lacked proper authorization», ARMCDH added, expressing confusion over what it described as a shift in the authorities’ justification, from lack of notification to lack of authorization.
Unable to grasp the reasoning behind these last-minute decisions, the NGO criticized the fact that the ban was communicated only verbally on the same day, with no written explanation provided.
