Morocco: Death in custody of Yassine Chabli following acts of torture
Name(s):
Yassine Chabli
Status:
Deceased
Year of birth:
1994
Profession:
Former security guard at the National Phosphate Office
Nationality:
Moroccan
Date of arrest:
During the night of October 5 to 6, 2022, Yassine Chabli died while in police custody at the Ben Guerir police station. According to several corroborating sources, he was subjected to acts of torture during his detention. Although the authorities brought charges against four police officers, the investigation and proceedings were marred by irregularities and did not comply with international standards. In particular, the acts were not classified as torture, which prevented those responsible from being prosecuted and tried accordingly. This failure to adequately classify the acts led the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) and MENA Rights Group to refer the case to the UN Committee against Torture in December 2025.
Yassine Chabli, a native of Ben Guerir, was an industrial maintenance technician and a martial arts practitioner. Aged 28 at the time of the events, he was arrested on October 5, 2022, by two police officers while sitting in a public park. Handcuffed behind his back and forcibly taken to the city police station, a police officer slapped him several times upon his arrival. He was then placed him in a security cell despite showing signs of distress.
During the night, after a brief visit to hospital, he was subjected to extremely painful immobilisation positions and numerous blows while handcuffed. According to the transcript of the surveillance videos recorded during Chabli's police custody, he was left alone for long hours without any medical assistance, even though his condition was critical. He reportedly showed no signs of life after 4:49 a.m.
He was finally found dead in his cell at around 1 p.m. on October 6, without any checks on his condition having been carried out in the meantime. On October 6, the Directorate General of National Security (DGSN) issued a statement claiming that Yassine Chabli had died in the ambulance.
Chabli's family was never officially informed of his death. On October 6, 2022, his mother went to the police station to bring him breakfast, where she was told that he was "still asleep". It was not until early afternoon that a nurse at the hospital, having recognised his name on the admissions register, contacted his sister and revealed that Chabli had been brought in apparently dead. At the mortuary, after several hours during which the police prevented access to the body, the family was finally able to see numerous signs of violence, confirming their suspicions of ill-treatment in custody.
Although four police officers were prosecuted, the investigation and judicial proceedings were marred by irregularities and did not comply with applicable international standards.
At the request of the King's Attorney General at the Marrakesh Court of Appeal, the authorities took certain measures to investigate the death of Chabli. In particular, in October 2022, the Marrakesh municipal health office carried out an autopsy to determine the cause of death and the nature of the injuries found.
The police stations in Ben Guerir and Casablanca also conducted separate investigations and forwarded their reports to the public prosecutor in Marrakech. According to the investigation, Chabli had been arrested on 5 October for drunkenness in a public place, obstructing the movement of people and causing a disturbance. However, part of the investigation was conducted by officers attached to the same police station where the victim died, raising serious doubts about the independence and impartiality of the proceedings.
On December 1, 2022, the King's Attorney General at the Marrakesh Court of Appeal issued a statement asserting that Chabli's death was due to injuries he had inflicted on himself as a result of multiple falls caused by an alleged “hysterical state”. According to the victim's defence team, this statement was prejudicial and had the effect of influencing public opinion on the case and the trial by reducing the State's responsibility, as the statement suggested that Chabli was responsible for his own death.
The King's Attorney General also announced that the four individuals allegedly responsible for the acts of violence against Chabli were being prosecuted under Articles 231 and 432 of the Penal Code for “use of violence by a public official in the exercise of his duties against a person” and “involuntary homicide through negligence and lack of foresight”, specifying that three officers would be tried by the Ben Guerir Court of First Instance, while the fourth defendant would be tried separately before the Marrakech Court of First Instance due to his rank.
The civil party requested that the charges be reclassified as “intentional murder” and “torture resulting in death” or “committing violence which resulted in a death”, which are criminal offences punishable by heavier prison sentences.
In the first proceedings against the three defendants, the Ben Guerir Court of First Instance, in a decision dated January 12, 2023, declared that it lacked jurisdiction to hear the case, considering that the alleged acts were likely to be classified as crimes of torture and, as such, fell within the jurisdiction of the criminal courts.
On March 7, 2023, the Marrakech Court of Appeal overturned this decision of lack of jurisdiction and referred the case back to the court of first instance for a ruling on the merits. On September 18, 2024, the Court of Cassation upheld the Court of Appeal’s decision, rejecting the civil party's appeal and confirming the referral of the case to the Ben Guerir court.
On April 23, 2025, the Ben Guerir court handed down its judgment. Contrary to its position in January 2023, it rejected the objection of lack of jurisdiction and dismissed the charge of torture. It then ruled on the merits of the case: one defendant was acquitted, while the other two were sentenced to three and a half years and two and a half years' imprisonment respectively. On July 3, 2025, the Court of Appeal upheld the convictions handed down at first instance in their entirety.
The trial of the judicial police officer began on January 9, 2023 before the Marrakesh court. As in the first case, on February 28, 2023, the court declared that it lacked jurisdiction, considering that the facts could constitute a crime that did not fall within its jurisdiction. The Marrakech Court of Appeal overturned this ruling on April 4, 2023, and the Court of Cassation upheld this decision on June 12, 2023. Following the referral, on 5 June 2024, the Marrakech court sentenced the officer to five years' imprisonment, a judgment that was upheld by the Court of Appeal on July 31, 2024.
Following the death of Yassine Chabli on October 6, 2022, his family mobilised to seek truth and justice, filing a complaint for murder, holding regular demonstrations, and unsuccessfully requesting access to the recordings of his police custody. This mobilisation gave rise to various forms of pressure: in October 2024, several relatives were convicted of contempt, disturbing public order, and participating in unauthorised demonstrations. In 2025, the family staged a 65-day sit-in in front of the Ben Guerir court to demand access to the case file, before Yassine Chabli’s brothers were arrested on June 27, and subsequently sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for contempt of public officials, offending religion in a public place, and contempt of a constituted body. Their arrest enabled the authorities to forcibly dismantle the encampment set up by the family.
According to Article 4 of the Convention against Torture, ratified by Morocco in 1993, States have an obligation to make acts of torture criminal offences and to punish them with penalties proportionate to their gravity. Although the offence of torture is clearly defined and criminalised in Article 231-1 of the Moroccan Penal Code, AMDH and MENA Rights Group deplore the fact that the judicial authorities did not use this charge in the proceedings brought, even though the facts presented corresponded to the constituent elements of the offence under domestic law and international standards.
On December 3, 2025, AMDH and MENA Rights Group therefore referred the case to the Committee against Torture to request the reopening of the trial relating to the death of Yassine Chabli, in order to establish the full responsibility of the perpetrators and obtain the reclassification of the violence as acts of torture in accordance with Article 231-1 of the Penal Code and Article 1 of the Convention against Torture.
| Name(s): |
Yassine Chabli
|
| Status: |
Deceased
|
| Year of birth: |
1994
|
| Profession: |
Former security guard at the National Phosphate Office
|
| Nationality: |
Moroccan
|
| Date of arrest: |
|
Yassine Chabli, a native of Ben Guerir, was an industrial maintenance technician and a martial arts practitioner. Aged 28 at the time of the events, he was arrested on October 5, 2022, by two police officers while sitting in a public park. Handcuffed behind his back and forcibly taken to the city police station, a police officer slapped him several times upon his arrival. He was then placed him in a security cell despite showing signs of distress.
During the night, after a brief visit to hospital, he was subjected to extremely painful immobilisation positions and numerous blows while handcuffed. According to the transcript of the surveillance videos recorded during Chabli's police custody, he was left alone for long hours without any medical assistance, even though his condition was critical. He reportedly showed no signs of life after 4:49 a.m.
He was finally found dead in his cell at around 1 p.m. on October 6, without any checks on his condition having been carried out in the meantime. On October 6, the Directorate General of National Security (DGSN) issued a statement claiming that Yassine Chabli had died in the ambulance.
Chabli's family was never officially informed of his death. On October 6, 2022, his mother went to the police station to bring him breakfast, where she was told that he was "still asleep". It was not until early afternoon that a nurse at the hospital, having recognised his name on the admissions register, contacted his sister and revealed that Chabli had been brought in apparently dead. At the mortuary, after several hours during which the police prevented access to the body, the family was finally able to see numerous signs of violence, confirming their suspicions of ill-treatment in custody.
Although four police officers were prosecuted, the investigation and judicial proceedings were marred by irregularities and did not comply with applicable international standards.
At the request of the King's Attorney General at the Marrakesh Court of Appeal, the authorities took certain measures to investigate the death of Chabli. In particular, in October 2022, the Marrakesh municipal health office carried out an autopsy to determine the cause of death and the nature of the injuries found.
The police stations in Ben Guerir and Casablanca also conducted separate investigations and forwarded their reports to the public prosecutor in Marrakech. According to the investigation, Chabli had been arrested on 5 October for drunkenness in a public place, obstructing the movement of people and causing a disturbance. However, part of the investigation was conducted by officers attached to the same police station where the victim died, raising serious doubts about the independence and impartiality of the proceedings.
On December 1, 2022, the King's Attorney General at the Marrakesh Court of Appeal issued a statement asserting that Chabli's death was due to injuries he had inflicted on himself as a result of multiple falls caused by an alleged “hysterical state”. According to the victim's defence team, this statement was prejudicial and had the effect of influencing public opinion on the case and the trial by reducing the State's responsibility, as the statement suggested that Chabli was responsible for his own death.
The King's Attorney General also announced that the four individuals allegedly responsible for the acts of violence against Chabli were being prosecuted under Articles 231 and 432 of the Penal Code for “use of violence by a public official in the exercise of his duties against a person” and “involuntary homicide through negligence and lack of foresight”, specifying that three officers would be tried by the Ben Guerir Court of First Instance, while the fourth defendant would be tried separately before the Marrakech Court of First Instance due to his rank.
The civil party requested that the charges be reclassified as “intentional murder” and “torture resulting in death” or “committing violence which resulted in a death”, which are criminal offences punishable by heavier prison sentences.
In the first proceedings against the three defendants, the Ben Guerir Court of First Instance, in a decision dated January 12, 2023, declared that it lacked jurisdiction to hear the case, considering that the alleged acts were likely to be classified as crimes of torture and, as such, fell within the jurisdiction of the criminal courts.
On March 7, 2023, the Marrakech Court of Appeal overturned this decision of lack of jurisdiction and referred the case back to the court of first instance for a ruling on the merits. On September 18, 2024, the Court of Cassation upheld the Court of Appeal’s decision, rejecting the civil party's appeal and confirming the referral of the case to the Ben Guerir court.
On April 23, 2025, the Ben Guerir court handed down its judgment. Contrary to its position in January 2023, it rejected the objection of lack of jurisdiction and dismissed the charge of torture. It then ruled on the merits of the case: one defendant was acquitted, while the other two were sentenced to three and a half years and two and a half years' imprisonment respectively. On July 3, 2025, the Court of Appeal upheld the convictions handed down at first instance in their entirety.
The trial of the judicial police officer began on January 9, 2023 before the Marrakesh court. As in the first case, on February 28, 2023, the court declared that it lacked jurisdiction, considering that the facts could constitute a crime that did not fall within its jurisdiction. The Marrakech Court of Appeal overturned this ruling on April 4, 2023, and the Court of Cassation upheld this decision on June 12, 2023. Following the referral, on 5 June 2024, the Marrakech court sentenced the officer to five years' imprisonment, a judgment that was upheld by the Court of Appeal on July 31, 2024.
Following the death of Yassine Chabli on October 6, 2022, his family mobilised to seek truth and justice, filing a complaint for murder, holding regular demonstrations, and unsuccessfully requesting access to the recordings of his police custody. This mobilisation gave rise to various forms of pressure: in October 2024, several relatives were convicted of contempt, disturbing public order, and participating in unauthorised demonstrations. In 2025, the family staged a 65-day sit-in in front of the Ben Guerir court to demand access to the case file, before Yassine Chabli’s brothers were arrested on June 27, and subsequently sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for contempt of public officials, offending religion in a public place, and contempt of a constituted body. Their arrest enabled the authorities to forcibly dismantle the encampment set up by the family.
According to Article 4 of the Convention against Torture, ratified by Morocco in 1993, States have an obligation to make acts of torture criminal offences and to punish them with penalties proportionate to their gravity. Although the offence of torture is clearly defined and criminalised in Article 231-1 of the Moroccan Penal Code, AMDH and MENA Rights Group deplore the fact that the judicial authorities did not use this charge in the proceedings brought, even though the facts presented corresponded to the constituent elements of the offence under domestic law and international standards.
On December 3, 2025, AMDH and MENA Rights Group therefore referred the case to the Committee against Torture to request the reopening of the trial relating to the death of Yassine Chabli, in order to establish the full responsibility of the perpetrators and obtain the reclassification of the violence as acts of torture in accordance with Article 231-1 of the Penal Code and Article 1 of the Convention against Torture.
