Moroccan lawyers end strike after government backs down on reform bill

Lawyers in Morocco ended a week-long strike on Monday after the government suspended a bill regulating the legal sector and created a commission tasked with initiating dialogue, a professional association said.

Omar Mahmoud Bendjelloun, a board member of the Association of Moroccan Bars (ABAM), told AFP that Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch had promised on Wednesday to "personally take charge" of the bill, in cooperation with the ABAM, "putting in place a mixed commission" of officials and legal practitioners.

Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi had initiated the legislation, which was presented as being intended to modernise the sector and strengthen anti-corruption measures.

The government approved the bill's text in December but has now postponed forwarding it to parliament for a vote, as previously planned.

Moroccan lawyers launched a rolling strike several weeks ago to protest the bill, deeming it a threat to their independence and demanding a participatory approach.

Early this month, thousands of black-robed lawyers gathered in the capital Rabat for a demonstration against the measure.

A key point of contention was the provision granting the courts direct disciplinary power over lawyers. Normally, disciplinary matters are handled internally by the bar association.

According to Bendjelloun, the government has since taken "a step back", opening the door for a "way out of the crisis".

Justice Minister Ouahbi told a parliamentary session earlier this month that the "matter is in your hands".

"Let them (the lawyers) give you the changes they want, and I will discuss them with you," he said. "I am ready to drop, modify or reform anything that harms lawyers."

But he added, "The legal profession needs change, and I will implement that change."