(Adnkronos) – As Morocco prepares to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations – with the first match on Sunday 21 – the government has come under fire for its repression of “Gen Z 212” youth protests, with hundreds of demonstrators arbitrarily arrested and alleged abuses during custody. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (Amdh), denounce that the demonstrations in late September and early October – the most imposing since 2011 – against the underfunding of healthcare and education were followed by a widespread repressive crackdown, with thousands of arrests, beatings, detentions without food or water, and forced confessions.
Families and lawyers report serious procedural violations: young people and minors still in prison, hearings without the presence of lawyers, and sentences of up to 15 years based on insufficient evidence. “We have heard terrible testimonies of torture during custody,” Mustapha Elfaz of Amdh Marrakech told The Guardian, speaking of detainees beaten with electrical wires, forced to strip, and threatened. Complaints also come from female protesters, who report harassment and sexist insults. According to Amnesty, over 2,400 people are currently on trial for events related to the protests.
Particular indignation was aroused by the killing of three protesters on October 1st in Lqliaa, near Agadir, who were hit – according to accusations – by security forces; another 14 were injured, including 12-year-old children. Authorities claim that the police reacted to an assault on a police station. The government assures that the rights of the accused have been respected and reiterates its commitment to social reforms, but associations denounce the climate of fear that continues to keep many young people away from the streets.
