[AMDH-Europe] In Morocco, we’re seeing a continuation of the Years of Lead: Heavy penalties were thrust on peaceful Rif demonstrators!

After 8 months of biased, unfair and surreal proceedings, the Criminal Division of the Casablanca Court of Appeal delivered its verdict on Tuesday, June 26, late in the evening.
The verdicts pronounced against the detainees of Hirak are:

● 20 years in prison: Nasser Zafzafi, Nabil Ahamjik, Ouassim Boustati and Samir Ighid.
● 15 years in prison: Ahmed Haki, Zakaria Adehshour, Mohamed Bouhenouch.
● 10 years in prison: Mohamed Jelloul, Karim Amghar, Tarik Lachkham, Ashraf Yakhloufi, Bilal Ahabbad.
● 5 years in prison: Mohamed Mejjaoui, Chakir Lmakhrout, Rabie Elablaq, Ilyas Hajji, Soulaiman
Fahili, Mohamed Asrihi, Hannoudi Lahbib, Abdelali Houde and Ibrahim Abqoui.
● 2 and 3 years in prison: the rest of the protestors.

These are very heavy penalties for the young people who demonstrated peacefully for Dignity, Freedom and Social Justice. They demanded hospitals, schools and work for the youth of Morocco and especially the Rif region. They demanded justice for the murder of Mohcine Fikri, a fish vendor who was crushed by a compactor in October of 2016, under the eyes of Moroccan authorities.

These very heavy penalties indicate that the Years of Lead never stopped.

These unjust penalties show that the promises of the Moroccan State have not changed the arbitrariness and injustice with which they use to treat the citizens of Morocco.

They prove, once again, that the promises of a new era, a democratic transition, equity and reconciliation (… etc) are merely lies.
The injustice remains, the arbitrariness continues and the Years of Lead resume ever more!

● We denounce with great firmness this political process.
● We express our full solidarity with the political detainees of the popular and peaceful movement of the Hirak in the Rif, against their unfair condemnations, with their families and with all the political prisoners in Morocco.