Rabat: Moroccan political and human rights bodies affirmed that testimonies from lawyers and families of young detainees arrested following protests that broke out in Morocco in late September were “shocking and distressing,” with arbitrary arrests targeting youth having no connection to the demonstrations, amid troubling ambiguity and inconsistencies in arrest and detention reports.
According to Algeria Press Service, in media statements, the leader of the Justice and Charity movement, Boubker El Ouankhari, expressed his regret at what the testimonies revealed, particularly concerning arbitrary arrests, inclusion of names without tangible evidence, and manipulation of arrest reports, alongside procedures raising serious questions about respect for legal standards and fair trial guarantees.
He emphasized that “these testimonies cannot be reduced to isolated cases, because they reveal a deeply troubling security breakdown that resurrects the very practices Moroccans believed they’d left behind,” adding that
“rather than listening to youth and understanding the roots of their anger and protests, resort was made to the security approach that excels at nothing but suppressing voices and confiscating the right to expression.”
For its part, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights issued a statement expressing “grave concern” and “firm rejection” of the rulings issued by the Nador Court of Appeal, sentencing four young men from the city of Zaio to five years in prison over youth movement protests.
These harsh sentences represent, the association confirmed, “a painful blow to the hopes of Moroccan youth to express their aspirations and legitimate demands, reinforcing an alarming trend of restricting rather than expanding public freedoms at a time when the nation needs broader public dialogue and attention to marginalized voices,” stressing the imperative of prioritizing fairness and justice.