Saturday, October 18, 2025 - A student in Morocco, who was arrested during the youth-led protests demanding social and political reforms, has been sentenced to one year in prison. This is the first publicly known prison sentence linked to the kingdom's recent Gen Z demonstrations.
The student was charged with “participating in an unauthorized
and unarmed gathering” and “insulting the judicial police by providing false
information,” according to his lawyer, Mohamed Nouini.
Nouini stated that the ruling is unfair and they will appeal,
arguing that sit-ins do not require authorization, citing a Supreme Court
precedent. The student was arrested on September 30, just three days after the
protests began near-daily between late September and last week.
According to a report by news website Hespress, citing a
second lawyer, Mohamed Lakhdar, the student’s arrest was "an unfortunate
coincidence" as he was visiting family in Casablanca. Lakhdar told the
judge the student had "not insulted" police or provided false
information, only stating that he "was just a student."
Hundreds of people were arrested during the initial days of
the largely peaceful demonstrations. While some cities experienced violence and
vandalism, authorities claimed three people were killed by police acting in
“self-defence” during clashes in a village near Agadir.
The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) reported
that approximately 550 people are facing prosecution on suspicion of joining
the protests, with some still in detention.
The demonstrations, organized by the online-based GenZ 212
youth collective whose organizers remain unknown, were initially triggered by
the deaths of eight pregnant women during Caesarean sections at a hospital in
Agadir.
However, protesters also demanded broader reforms to the
education system and a change of government. The collective has since called
for "peaceful sit-ins" and demanded the release of all those
arrested.
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