The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (Arabic: الجمعية المغربية لحقوق الإنسان, romanized: al-Jamʻīyah al-Maghribīyah li-Ḥuqūq al-Insān; Tachelhit: Tamsmunt tamɣribit n izrfan n ufgan; French: Association marocaine des droits humains, abbreviated AMDH) is one of the biggest Moroccan human rights non-governmental organizations.
[4][5] The AMDH considers it equally crucial to build partnerships with internal and external organizations and networks in order to be stronger in the fight for human rights.
[8] The newly created Moroccan Association for Human Rights started to establish various sections across the country and initiated a number of activities in order to pursue its objectives.
Under the regime of the then king of Morocco, Hassan II, it was subjected to persistent repression and its members were, on many occasions, persecuted and arrested, leading the AMDH to carry out its activity practically in secrecy.
[4][9] The repression and persecution by the Moroccan authorities relaxed [11] and the AMDH was able to surpass the crisis by renovating and reestablishing its strategy, principles and orientation during the second and third Congress, which took place in March 1989 and December 1991 respectively.
[18] The AMDH believes that the respect for human rights will only be achieved if all the people, including the victims of the violations, and not just the elites, work for it together.
As a consequence, the AMDH encourages the creation of new regional sections, as open spaces for all citizens, and the association with other organizations to bring together as much strength as possible in the fight for human rights.
[18] The Moroccan Association for Human Rights has applied this principle to both its internal and external relations in order to ensure mutual respect and avoid marginalization.
[18] Due to the prior principles the AMDH fits in the international and national progressive movement that fights repression and exploitation and works for the advancement of humanity towards freedom, equality and solidarity.
[9] There are other organs that, in addition to the already mentioned in the tables, are also part of AMDH's structure: In total the Moroccan Association for Human Rights has 14.000 members of which about 20% are women.
[9] Any individual in order to be part of the association has to complete a form and compromise to respect the AMDH's principles, statutes and rules of procedure.
[6] For the same reason the Moroccan Association for Human Rights has expanded its partners abroad, which are: The majority of the funds come from the contribution of its members.
[25] For example, in 2007 the then President, Abdelhamid Amine, stated that the association was unwilling to accept American or British funds to finance the network of NGOs responsible to monitor the elections, of which the AMDH was part.
Amine made special emphasis in refusing United States financing since the government had systematically carried out human rights violations under political pretexts.
One of these universities aimed at educating on human rights took place in Bouznika, Rabat, on September 24, 25 and 26, 2004 thanks to the support of the FRIEDRICH EBERT-MOROCCO Foundation.
[6] The AMDH brings forward violations of human rights and condemns them by presenting to the public their position and by taking measures to make the responsible accountable.
In view of the situation the Moroccan Association for Human Rights announced its concern for the safety and lack of freedom of expression of Mr.
[41] When the retired Colonel Major Kaddour Terhzaz [fr], age 72, was imprisoned for revealing a national defense secret, the AMDH joined other human rights organizations in the campaign for his freedom.
On June 8, 2010, it held a press conference where it declared its support for Colonel Terhzaz and claimed the imprisonment to be false and was actually jailed for political reasons.
As a result, the AMDH denounced the situation and claimed in a report that the detainees had been threatened with rape and subjected to beatings and other inhuman treatments.
[42][43] The AMDH decided to boycott the II World Forum of Human Rights that was going to take place in Marrakech in November 2014 since the Moroccan authorities had been banning and blocking 40 of its activities in less than four months.
It has advocated for homosexuals, left wing activists, Islamists and atheist, former military personnel or pro-Polisario separatists, which have especially upset religious people.