More than a year on, Hirak protesters remain behind bars in Morocco

On Dec. 26, a hearing took place in the collective prosecution of 54 activists held at the Oukacha prison in Casablanca, with further court dates for the case postponed until January. The activists on trial are affiliated with Hirak, the protest movement that emerged in the Rif region in October 2016 after Mohsin Fikri, a fish vendor, was crushed to death in a garbage truck as he tried to retrieve fish that authorities had confiscated.

Although the government has acknowledged Hirak’s social and economic grievances — that is, better infrastructure, jobs and health-care facilities — hundreds of protesters remain behind bars after a crackdown that began in May. 

Nasser Zefzafi, described as Hirak’s leader, is among the 54 activists standing trial, in his case for threatening the internal security of the state. Authorities are also trying seven reporters who covered the protests for local websites. Hamid Mahdaoui, the most well-known journalist in the group and editor of the news website Badil, recently shut down, had been arrested in July. He was sentenced to a year in prison for inciting to protest. He had been openly supportive of Hirak and critical of the government’s handling of Hirak and repressive measures. He is now being charged with the failure to denounce a crime threatening national security, for which he faces up to five years in prison.

This month, dozens of protesters received sentences for alleged acts of violence during Hirak demonstrations, disrupting public safety or taking part in an unauthorized protest. On Dec. 18, six people were sentenced to two to four years in prison and 20 others to one to three years on Dec. 12 in al-Hoceima, the heart of the Hirak movement. Eleven juveniles were arrested Dec. 17-18 and held for up to two nights before being released. They were charged with protesting without authorization, in Imzouren, formerly a Hirak stronghold.