The Commission’s Structure

In order to accomplish its tasks before the end of its mandate, the Commission has set up various action programs of investigation, studies, and research; redressing damages; providing information and assistance to victims; and cooperating with national and international organizations. To ensure the accomplishment and follow-up of these tasks, the members of the Commission are divided into working groups and commissions and are assisted by researchers and experts.

The Working Group in Charge of Investigations

The tasks of this working group are to investigate cases of forced disappearances that have not been solved and to find, together with victims’ families, an adequate way of identifying the graves of the deceased during their detention of disappearance. Furthermore, the working group is to collect all information and declarations relevant to the gross violations committed in the past.

The Working Group in Charge of Reparations

This group is to continue the action initiated by the previous Independent Arbitration Commission by compensating the victims of forced disappearances and arbitrary detention and their inheritors for physical and moral damages. Indeed, it must act as an arbitrator and respect the principles of justice and equity.

The Working Group in Charge of Studies and Research

It must conduct the research and studies necessary to accomplish the Commission’s tasks. The working group must also collect and analyze the information, data, and conclusions of the various working groups and include them in the Commission’s final report.

The actions of the Commission are organized in different stages. With this and the statutes of the Commission in mind, other working groups and specialized Commissions are established according to the progress of the works of the Commission; they are, for example, in charge of the organization of the preparatory works necessary to the elaboration of the final report, public hearings, communications and public relations, etc.

The Administration

The staff (administrative and assisting staff, researchers, experts, and assistants) consists of dozens of members, including activists from the civil society and human rights organizations, university professor, and lawyers. Their number varies according to the action programs established by the Commission.

Partnerships

In order to accomplish its tasks, the Justice and Reconciliation Commission works with many partners:

  The victims, their families, and their heirs;

  Human rights activists and actors in civil society;

  All social, political, and cultural groups involved in the country’s democratic transition;

  The Moroccan Bar Association;

  The relevant governmental departments and authorities;
  The press, radio, and TV;

  Universities, research and training centers, scientific research in human rights and social sciences units; and

  International human rights NGOs and international networks of truth and reconciliation commissions.