Morocco Urged To Free Protesters In Restive Rif Region

RABAT, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Jun, 2017 ) - Human rights defenders issued a joint call Thursday for Morocco to release protesters in Al-Hoceima, a northern city shaken by seven months of demonstrations against the marginalisation of their region.

The statement comes a day after a court sentenced 25 demonstrators and suspected members of the grassroots protest movement to 18 months in jail each, according to their defence attorney. On Thursday the Civil Initiative for the Rif, which includes Moroccan human rights organisations and intellectuals, issued a report after conducting a tour of the restive northern region.

It called for the release of the protesters so that a dialogue can be started, warning that "otherwise the inhabitants of Al-Hoceima will continue to demonstrate". "Apart from this prerequisite, the government must take initiatives to satisfy social demands," they added.

The protests were "spontaneous", had nothing to do with politics or trade unions, and there was no separatist motive, the group said, referring to accusations from politicians and state media.