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Supporters of the Moroccan movement al-Hirak al-Shaabi hold placards and shout slogans calling for the release of members of the movement before the Casablanca Court of Appeal during their trial of April 5, 2019. By FADEL SENNA (AFP / File)
Human Rights Watch on Wednesday warned Rabat of what he called the "shocking" decisions of the Moroccan court of appeal against 42 leaders of a protest movement.
"The scandalous verdict on appeals confirming sentences of up to 20 years' imprisonment has failed to deal with evidence of forced torture and confessions," he said. said Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
"Morocco will redouble revenge against the activists, while popular outrage over government abuses will spread in the region," warned Whitson in a statement issued by the New York-based rights group.
The leaders of the Hirak protest movement that rocked northern Morocco in 2016 and 2017 saw their conviction upheld by a court of appeal in the city of Casablanca last Friday.
The Al-Hirak al-Shaabi, or "People's Movement" protests, captured the Rif region in October 2016.
The death of a fisherman caused social unrest that turned into a wave of protests demanding more development in the neglected area.
Authorities have accused militants of having separatist goals.
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