Morocco’s king grants pardon to 935 people on national anniversary | Samar Al-Qasem

RABAT – Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has granted a royal pardon to 935 people convicted by various courts across the kingdom, the Justice Ministry said, marking the anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People.

The pardon, issued for the 2026 national anniversary, covers 807 people currently in prison and 128 people serving their sentences outside custody, according to a ministry statement.

The royal pardon is part of a long-standing practice associated with Morocco’s national and religious occasions, allowing selected convicts to have their sentences reduced, cancelled or otherwise modified according to the provisions set out in the official decree.

Among those in prison, eight inmates were pardoned for the remainder of their prison or jail terms, while 796 had their sentences reduced.

The decree also converted life imprisonment into fixed-term prison sentences for three inmates.

Among the 128 beneficiaries who were not in custody, 34 were pardoned from prison sentences or the remainder of those sentences, while 12 received pardons from prison terms while remaining liable for their fines.

A further 73 people were pardoned from fines imposed on them, while nine received pardons covering both their prison sentences and fines.

The measures brought the total number of beneficiaries to 935, the ministry said.

The pardon was issued to mark the Revolution of the King and the People, commemorated in Morocco every August 20. The national occasion is a central part of the country’s historical memory, recalling the alliance between the monarchy and the national movement during the struggle against French colonial rule.

The anniversary is particularly associated with the events of 1953, when Sultan Mohammed V and the royal family were forced into exile, an episode that helped intensify resistance to colonial rule before Mohammed V returned to Morocco and the country subsequently secured independence.

The annual royal pardons carry a social and humanitarian dimension alongside their legal significance. King Mohammed VI has regularly issued pardons on national and religious occasions, giving beneficiaries the possibility, depending on their individual circumstances and the nature of their convictions, to reduce their sentences, end the remainder of their terms or return to their families and communities.

The 2026 decision includes several forms of clemency, ranging from complete pardons and sentence reductions to the cancellation of fines and the conversion of life sentences into fixed terms.

The different measures reflect the varying legal circumstances of those covered by the decree, with each case subject to the conditions set out in the official decision.

The announcement comes on one of Morocco’s most significant national occasions, giving the pardon an added symbolic dimension. The Revolution of the King and the People is not only a commemoration of a decisive episode in the country’s struggle for independence, but also represents in Morocco’s national narrative the bond between the monarchy and the people.

That symbolism has remained central to the anniversary for decades, linking the historical role of Mohammed V and the national movement with the modern Moroccan monarchy and its relationship with society.