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In a major escalation of tensions between Morocco’s legal profession and the Ministry of Justice, the bureau of the Association of Bar Associations in Morocco announced that the presidents of the country’s 17 bar associations plan to convene extraordinary general assemblies to submit their resignations.
The move comes in protest against what the bureau described as an “irresponsible situation,” “malicious maneuvers,” and a continued assault by the justice minister on the profession’s core principles and symbolic institutions. The association also warned it may refuse to oversee any future professional elections.
The bureau further announced its intention to wage what it called an “existential protest battle” with “no retreat,” while keeping its meetings in permanent session. It said additional steps would be announced later.
According to the statement, the crisis was triggered by the justice minister’s introduction of oral amendments, allegedly in violation of established procedures, affecting provisions tied to the profession’s independence and immunity. The bureau also accused the minister of rejecting amendments proposed by parliamentary groups from both the majority and opposition that sought to strengthen guarantees for the legal profession.
The association said these actions violated parliamentary norms and government commitments, while also accusing the minister of attempting to marginalize the institution of the bar president through “demonization,” legal restrictions, and deliberate distortion.
It described the repeated targeting of bar presidents as an attack on an institution with deep historical and symbolic significance within the legal profession, both nationally and internationally, arguing that the approach seeks to turn bar presidents into adversaries rather than institutional partners.
The statement added that the version of the text approved by the justice minister included “regressive amendments” that reversed previous understandings reached with the head of government and undermined commitments made to the Association of Bar Associations in Morocco.
