A Historic Act of Mercy: King Mohammed VI Grants Royal Pardon to 19,673 People on Throne Day 2025

Rabat | July 29, 2025 —
In an extraordinary humanitarian gesture, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, marked the 2025 Throne Day with the largest Royal Pardon in modern Moroccan history, benefiting a total of 19,673 individuals, including detainees and those already at liberty.

This act of clemency, announced by the Ministry of Justice, is not only historic in its scale but deeply symbolic, reflecting the compassionate leadership and the unwavering commitment of the Sovereign to human dignity, justice, and social reintegration.

A Dual-Level Pardon: Justice and Humanity

The Royal Grace was extended to 2,415 individuals, convicted by various courts in Morocco. Of these:

• 2,239 are current inmates:
  • 16 received full pardons from their remaining sentences.
  • 2,218 benefited from sentence reductions.
  • 5 saw their life sentences commuted to time-limited terms.
• 176 individuals at liberty were also pardoned:
  • 40 received pardons from pending prison terms.
  • 12 were pardoned from jail time but not their financial penalties.
  • 111 saw their fines waived.
  • 12 received pardons from both prison and fines.
  • 1 person was freed from a combined sentence.

A Remarkable, Exceptional Royal Gesture

What makes this year’s Throne Day even more notable is the exceptional Royal Grace granted to 17,258 additional inmates, selected based on specific humanitarian and social criteria. These include:

• 17,121 inmates who received reductions or full pardons on remaining prison or financial penalties.
• 114 had their life sentences commuted to fixed terms.
• 23 had their death sentences reduced to life imprisonment.

This massive pardon, hailed by legal experts and human rights advocates, reflects a vision of restorative justice that seeks not only to correct but to heal and rehabilitate.

Beyond Numbers: A Vision for Human Dignity and Reintegration

This Royal Grace goes far beyond legal leniency—it is a powerful tool of social cohesion and reconciliation. It sends a clear message that even those who have erred are not beyond redemption.

The objectives of this unprecedented pardon are clear:

• Alleviate overcrowding in Moroccan prisons.
• Improve and humanize living conditions within penitentiary facilities.
• Strengthen security and health services in detention centers.
• Promote the social reintegration of detainees as active members of society.
• Uphold inmate rights and dignity, especially for the most vulnerable groups such as the elderly, the ill, and those in extreme hardship.

A Symbol of Sovereign Mercy

The Throne Day of 2025 will be remembered not only as a national celebration of monarchy and unity but as a moment where clemency triumphed over condemnation. The act of Royal Grace embodies the compassion, foresight, and humanism of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, whose leadership continues to inspire hope and reform across the Kingdom.

As the communiqué concluded:
“May God preserve His Majesty the King, the source of mercy and compassion, and safeguard His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, along with all members of the Royal Family.”

This exceptional gesture is a reminder that in Morocco, justice is not only about laws—it is also about compassion, dignity, and second chances.