Government repression of political dissent has dropped sharply since the mid 1990s.
The decades previous to this time are called the Years of Lead (Les Annees de Plomb), and included forced disappearances, assassinations of government opponents and protesters, and secret internment camps such as Tazmamart.
To examine the abuses committed during the reign of King Hassan II (1961–1999), the government has set up an Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER).
According to Human Rights Watch annual report 2016, Moroccan authorities restricted the rights to peaceful expression, association and assembly through several laws.
The authorities continue to prosecute both printed and online media which criticizes the government and/or the king. There are also persistent allegations of violence against both Sahrawi pro-independence and pro-Polisario demonstrators in Western Sahara; a disputed territory which is occupied by and considered by Morocco as part of its Southern Provinces.
Morocco has been accused of detaining Sahrawi pro-independence activists as prisoners of conscience.
Homosexual acts are illegal in Morocco, and can be punishable by 6 months to 3 years of imprisonment.
It is illegal to proselytise for any religion other than Islam (article 220 of the Moroccan Penal Code), and that crime is punishable by a maximum of 15 years of imprisonment.
