More than a year on, Hirak protesters remain behind bars in Morocco
Despite the announcement of a development project in the marginalized Rif region in Morocco, authorities are still detaining and prosecuting hundreds of protesters who took part in demonstrations demanding economic and social justice.
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.
