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RABAT, Morocco – Thousands of people demonstrated Sunday in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, against the imprisonment of leaders and activists of a protest movement in the north of the country [19659002] "The people are boycotting justice!" The protesters also chanted against the militarization of the Rif, the northern region cradled by the protests of Al-Hirak al-Shaabi (popular movement) in 2016 and 2017, and "releases the detainees". Under the watchful eye of the police, protesters marched to parliament, waving photos of the movement's leaders and activists.
On June 26, a Moroccan court sentenced 53 members of Hirak to terms ranging from one year to 20 years. Protest leader Nbader Zefzafi and three other people were sentenced to 20 years in prison for "conspiracy to undermine state security".
The Islamist group Al Adl Wal Ihsane – tolerated but not recognized by the government – was one of the groups to take part in Sunday's protest. The group mobilized between 6,000 and 8,000 people, according to local authorities.
Among the convicts in June, journalist Hamid el Mahdaoui was sentenced to three years in prison for "denouncing an attempt to undermine national security". READ: Morocco rejects EU suggestions to welcome migrants
Activists are appealing these sentences and Amnesty International has called for the verdicts to be overturned.
The 2016 protests began when fisherman Mouhcine Fikri was crushed dead in a garbage truck, while apparently trying to recover the swordfish seized by authorities while he was taken out of season.
Subsequent troubles in the Rif region, where the marginalized Berber ethnic group predominates, focused on social issues. the protesters demanded jobs and development.
AFP
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