MOROCCAN courts have sentenced dozens of demonstrators to lengthy prison terms following a month-long wave of protests against rising living costs, corruption and inadequate public services, with authorities prosecuting an estimated 1,500 participants in what rights groups are calling a sweeping crackdown on dissent.
The court in Agadir alone has tried 240 people and handed down prison sentences ranging from six to 15 years to 39 individuals, according to the Moroccan Association for the Defence of Human Rights (ADMH), a local NGO tracking the cases. Approximately 1,000 protesters remain in detention.
For the past month, young Moroccans rallying under the banner of the Gen Z 212 movement have flooded streets across the country, demanding better access to healthcare and education while protesting government authoritarianism and endemic corruption. The demonstrations represent the most significant challenge to Morocco’s political establishment in years.
Prosecutors have charged participants with offences including “destruction of public property,” “organising unauthorised protests,” and “violence against security forces,” the ADMH reported over the weekend. The organisation has called for the immediate release of all detained protesters and demanded fair trials for those facing prosecution.
The severity of the sentences and the scale of prosecutions have raised concerns about the government’s response to legitimate social grievances. The harsh judicial action comes even as authorities have pledged reforms—King Mohammed VI announced on October 10 that social reforms would be accelerated, with the government committing an unprecedented 13 billion euros in the 2026 budget toward improving healthcare and education access.
Despite these pledges, protest momentum has waned in recent days as the movement lost energy amid the mass arrests and lengthy prison terms handed down to early participants.
The crackdown highlights the tension between Morocco’s young population demanding economic opportunity and governmental accountability, and an establishment determined to maintain control while managing growing social pressures.
