Mohamed VI

Since 2021, Morocco has been accused of using Pegasus against journalists, activists and foreign officials, allegations initially denied by Rabat. In July 2026, new documents, technical analyses and testimony from a former DGST officer strengthened the body of evidence concerning the software's use by Moroccan entities.

Following the High Atlas earthquake of 8 September 2023, which killed more than 2,900 people, survivors and observers criticised initial delays in aid reaching certain remote areas and the highly centralised response. Several countries offered assistance, while Morocco initially accepted help from only certain states. Mohammed VI, who was in France at the time of the earthquake, chaired emergency meetings and subsequently launched a multi-year reconstruction plan.

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Documented

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Not applicable

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Political responsibility

Investigations and analyses have documented Mohammed VI's prolonged periods outside Morocco and the exceptional closeness of the Azaitar brothers, particularly Abu Azaitar, to the sovereign. This situation has raised questions about access to the king, the influence of his private circle and the functioning of a political system in which many decisions remain concentrated in the palace.

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Not applicable

From September 2025, the GenZ 212 movement organised nationwide demonstrations demanding better healthcare and education services and denouncing corruption and expenditure linked to major sporting events. Security forces carried out hundreds of arrests; Human Rights Watch documented violent dispersals and deaths during the protests. The movement also challenged the development model operating under the monarchy's overall political authority.

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Documented

In May 2021, approximately 8,000 people entered Ceuta from Morocco within a very short period following an apparent relaxation of border controls. The crisis occurred during the diplomatic dispute over Spain's admission of Brahim Ghali, leader of the Polisario Front, and was widely interpreted as a form of Moroccan pressure on Madrid.

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Not applicable

Businesses linked to the royal fortune expanded into several major sectors, fuelling debate about the concentration of political and economic influence around the palace.

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Political responsibility

Mohammed VI concluded a normalisation agreement with Israel under the Trump administration, a central element of which was US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.

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Disputed

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Not applicable

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Political responsibility

The repression of Hirak du Rif resulted in arrests, severe sentences and allegations of torture or ill-treatment documented by rights organisations.

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Documented

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Political responsibility

The SwissLeaks files showed that an account linked to Mohammed VI had been opened at HSBC Private Bank in Geneva in 2006 and held several million euros, prompting debate in Morocco over rules governing foreign-held assets.

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Directly implicated

In July 2013, Daniel Galván, sentenced in Morocco to thirty years in prison for rapes and recordings of sexual abuse involving at least eleven children, received a royal pardon among Spanish prisoners. The decision triggered protests and widespread outrage. Mohammed VI subsequently revoked the pardon and ordered an investigation.

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Directly implicated

The 2011 Constitution formally transferred certain powers to the head of government, but subsequent analyses emphasised that essential political decision-making remained heavily centralised in the palace.

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Political responsibility

US diplomatic cables leaked by WikiLeaks relayed a businessman's allegations that Moroccan public institutions were used by the palace to obtain concessions and advantages in property, in a context where ONA, a holding company linked to the king, held a central economic position. US diplomats described the information as allegations of high-level corruption.

State of the evidence

Allegations

Several publications, including Le Journal, Demain and TelQuel, faced bans or seizures in a context where criticism of the monarchy remained strictly controlled.

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Political responsibility

Following the 2002 parliamentary elections, in which the USFP finished first, Mohammed VI appointed Driss Jettou, a technocrat with no party affiliation, as Prime Minister rather than reappointing Abderrahmane Youssoufi or choosing a leader of the largest party. Political figures denounced the decision as a democratic setback.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Directly implicated