Me Abdelaziz Bennani, a prominent Moroccan human rights defender, co-founder of the Organisation marocaine des droits de l’Homme, and veteran leftist activist, died on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at the age of 87, according to biographical records of his life and activism.
Born in Fez in 1939, Me Bennani earned a public law degree from the Faculty of Law in Rabat in 1963 before moving to Casablanca in 1965 to join the city’s bar. Throughout his early life and career, he established himself as a prominent figure in leftist movements, serving on the executive committee of the Union nationale des étudiants du Maroc (UNEM) from 1959 to 1964 and participating actively in the Union nationale des forces populaires (UNFP) from its inception in 1959. As a defense lawyer, he took part in numerous political and opinion-based trials during the turbulent legal landscape of the 1960s and 1970s, including the events of March 23, 1965, the Omar Benjelloun trial in 1966, cases involving Ali Yata and members of the banned PLS, the 1971 Marrakech and Skhirat trials, and proceedings involving revolutionary left militants between 1971 and 1972.
Political Milestones and Imprisonment
Me Bennani’s political commitments led to multiple periods of detention during the first half of the 1970s. During this era, he served as secretary of the UNFP youth organization starting in 1967, Casablanca regional secretary, and a member of the party’s administrative commission until January 1975. He subsequently served as political rapporteur for the constitutive congress of the Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires (USFP) in January 1975 and as the party’s Casablanca regional secretary until 1977. After gradually distancing himself from the USFP in the late 1970s, he officially left the party in 1993.
Did You Know? Me Bennani co-founded the Organisation marocaine des droits de l’Homme (OMDH) in 1988, channeling his legal expertise and prison experiences into human rights advocacy grounded in the United Nations 1948 Declaration. He later served as the organization’s president from 1992 to 2000.
Human Rights Advocacy and Legacy
Following his tenure leading the OMDH, Me Bennani contributed extensively to national debates concerning public liberties codes, women’s status, democratic transition, criminal procedure reform, and the definitive settlement of grave human rights violations. He served as a member of the Instance Équité et Réconciliation (IER) between 2004 and 2005, later participating in domestic and international conferences examining the commission’s successes and shortcomings. In 2017, the Conseil National des Droits de l’Homme (CNDH) honored his lifelong contributions by publishing a testimonial volume titled Abdelaziz Bennani. L’éclaireur.
Frequently Asked Questions [Question 1] When did Me Abdelaziz Bennani pass away? [Answer based strictly on the source] Me Abdelaziz Bennani passed away on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at the age of 87. [Question 2] What organizations did Me Bennani help found or lead? [Answer based strictly on the source] He was a member of the UNEM executive committee, a founding member of the UNFP and the USFP, and the co-founder and president of the Organisation marocaine des droits de l’Homme from 1992 to 2000. He also served on the board of the Instance Équité et Réconciliation from 2004 to 2005. [Question 3] What recognition did he receive during his lifetime? [Answer based strictly on the source] The CNDH honored him in 2017 with a dedicated tribute and the publication of a testimonial book titled Abdelaziz Bennani. L’éclaireur.