Speech of "the Moroccan Association of Rights and Religious Freedom" In the 13th session of Forum on Minority Issues Thank you, Mrs. President I am Jawad El Hamidi, a representative of the Moroccan Association of Rights and Religious Freedom. First of all, I am pleased to express on behalf of the Moroccan Association of Rights and Religious Freedom our pride in participating in the 13th session of the Forum on Minority Issues. Mrs. President Members of minorities in Morocco have the right to freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression, opinion, and association, without being subjected to any restrictions that are inconsistent with international legal standards, or exposing them to hate speech. Unfortunately, domestic laws do not ensure that these rights are effectively protected and do not recognize minority communities. On the contrary, the Moroccan government has persisted in prosecuting individuals for insulting Islam, expelling foreigners from the country under the guise of preaching Christianity, and not recognizing associations of religious minorities and LGBT people. In this context, marked by the suppression of freedoms using the Penal Code and the security agencies of the Ministry of Interior, government ministers, people receiving monthly government salaries, and anti-minority