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Moroccan student jailed one year for joining Gen Z protests.
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Lawyer calls ruling unfair, vows to appeal in court.
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Over 550 protesters face charges amid calls for reform.
A Moroccan court has sentenced a student to one year in prison over his alleged involvement in the country’s youth-led protests, his lawyer confirmed on Friday.
The ruling marks the first known jail sentence linked to the Gen Z demonstrations, which have been held almost daily since late September to demand social and political reforms.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the student’s lawyer, Mohamed Nouini, his client was convicted of “participating in an unauthorised and unarmed gathering” and “insulting the judicial police by providing false information.” Nouini described the verdict as “unfair” and vowed to appeal, arguing that peaceful sit-ins do not require official authorisation under Supreme Court precedent.
The student was reportedly arrested on September 30, three days after the protests began across Morocco. Another lawyer, Mohamed Lakhdar, told the court that the student’s arrest was a coincidence, as he was in Casablanca for a family visit at the time.
Reports from local media indicate that hundreds of protesters were detained during the early phase of the movement, which was mostly peaceful but saw sporadic violence in some cities. Authorities said three people were killed by police acting in “self-defence” during clashes in a village near Agadir.
The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) said about 550 people are currently facing prosecution for their alleged roles in the protests, with several still in custody.
The demonstrations, driven by the GenZ 212 collective, have demanded better governance, education reform, and justice for eight pregnant women who died during Caesarean sections at an Agadir hospital. The organisers have called for another round of peaceful sit-ins this weekend and urged the government to release all detained protesters.
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