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Morocco accused of abusing detained Gen Z protesters

2025-12-18 09:04:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The arbitrary arrest of hundreds of Gen Z protesters in Morocco and alleged "horrific" beatings have been condemned by human rights groups as the country prepares to host the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday.

A wave of youth-led demonstrations swept Morocco in late September and early October, the largest since the 2011 Arab Spring, in protest against inadequate healthcare and education.

The government responded to the protests, known as “Generation Z 212,” after the country’s area code, by arbitrarily arresting thousands of people, rights groups said. The Guardian has learned that people were beaten and left for hours without food and water while in police custody.

"My son was at a snack bar eating dinner when he was arrested. He wasn't even protesting," said a mother whose 18-year-old son had been detained for more than two months.

She said her son was beaten so badly during the arrest that he “even lost some teeth.” She said he was beaten again in police custody “simply because he refused to sign police documents for his hearings.”

Female protesters were victims of “acts of harassment, insults and harsh and sexist remarks,” said Souad Brahma, president of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH). Some also reported incidents of “inappropriate touching.”

Three protesters were shot and killed, reportedly by security forces, at a protest on October 1 in the town of Lqliâa, near the popular Atlantic resort of Agadir. Another 14 protesters were injured, including children as young as 12 with gunshot wounds. Authorities claim that a group of protesters attacked the local police station, to which officers responded.

So far, more than 2,400 people are being prosecuted in connection with the protests, and dozens of people who participated in a non-violent demonstration have been charged with acts of violence, according to Amnesty International.

Dozens of people had received prison sentences, some for up to 15 years, AMDH said, which denounced the lack of lawyers during hearings, inadequate investigations and the lack of presumption of innocence. It said hundreds more, including children, remained in detention./ CNA, translated by The Guardian