MOROCCO (continued)
Right No.
CONFIDENTIAL
Rating suggested by Post
(v)
service which is government-controlled. The Moroccan constitution stipulates that Islam is the state religion. There are penalties (usually short prison sentences) for Moroccans who declare their renunciation of Islam or fail to keep certain religious obligations. But established Christians and Jews worship freely and have enjoyed official protection. The Moroccan Communist party is banned, but the legal version of the party functions freely and publishes its views, albeit in a "nationalist" context.
The judiciary in practice are undoubtedly responsive to official pressure at all levels but pressure is restrained to some extent by the generally open reporting of important trials and by the Moroccan wish to maintain international credibility. The political opposition have on occasion felt able to instigate cases in the courts as a method of protest against administra- tive malpractice.
The
(vi) Trade Unions operate legally, with the
exception of the banned UNEM (Union Nationale d'Etudiants Marocains). Unions seem prepared to accept a voluntary measure of restraint in their criticisms of the government, but regularly organise and support strikes and demonstrations.
(vii)
Passports, usually of limited validity, are difficult to obtain. These administra- tive restrictions are aimed however more at controlling the outflow of labour than at impeding bona fide travellers.
CONFIDENTIAL
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