Zakaria El Hamel and his organization Youth for Peace and Dialogue Between Cultures have indeed been active in promoting greater awareness and engagement regarding the International Criminal Court (ICC) and broader justice issues in Morocco. Civil society efforts, including from groups like his, have contributed to encouraging the Moroccan government to move toward ratification of the Rome Statute.
Since signing the Rome Statute in 2000, Morocco has yet to ratify and become a full state party. Constitutional amendments in 2011 incorporated some provisions criminalizing genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, and the government revised the Criminal Code in 2016 to define international crimes more clearly. However, full ratification is still pending, mainly due to concerns about the ICC’s provisions on immunities.
Moroccan civil society, including the Moroccan National Coalition for the ICC and organizations linked with activists like Zakaria El Hamel, have played a crucial role in raising awareness and advocating for ratification. In 2012, the Coalition for the ICC launched campaigns targeting Morocco to encourage universal ratification and implementation of the Rome Statute. Events such as outreach seminars with local universities have helped enhance public understanding of the ICC’s role in promoting rule of law and accountability. Despite these efforts, diplomatic factors—like Morocco’s bilateral immunity agreement with the U.S. signed in 2003—have complicated fuller cooperation with the Court.
Through advocacy and education led by civil society actors including Zakaria El Hamel and his organization, Morocco is gradually progressing on ICC-related legal reforms, but full ratification and participation remain works in progress amid political and legal complexities