Morocco : the injustice confirmed The Casablanca Court of Appeal confirmed this Friday, April 5, 2019 the sentences imposed in the first instance to the leaders of the popular movement of the Rif, incarcerated since May 2017 at Okacha prison in Casablanca. The 45 Rifan detainees were sentenced on June 26, 2018 by the Criminal Division of the Casablanca Court to sentences ranging from twenty years to one year's imprisonment. Deprived of their right to a fair trial, the defendants and their lawyers refused to attend the trial. A support rally for the Rifans was organized in court. The defendants who had participated in a peaceful protest movement in Taghzut (Elhocima) in the Rif region (northern Morocco) after the death in October 2016 of a young fish merchant during a police check, were prosecuted in particular for "undermining the security of the state" and "participation in public demonstrations without authorization". Considering that the Rifan detainees have only exercised their constitutional right to freedom of expression and that the accusations of the Moroccan justice are totally imaginary and absurd, the Amazigh World Congress rejects the verdict of the Court of Appeal of Casablanca and denounces an unfair trial and justice in the service of the Moroccan Makhzen. In this political issue, there is no other way out than the immediate release of all the Rifans detainees and the reparation of the injuries they have suffered, they and their families. Several NGOs including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch and twenty-four members of European Parliament also called for the immediate release of detainees from the Rifain movement. In accordance with its mission, the AWC will continue to ensure the follow-up of this issue with the international authorities by demanding the release of Rifain prisoners. The abusive and cruel condemnation of the young Rifans brings Morocco back to its worst years of lead, which we believed never to be over. The AWC calls on the highest Moroccan authorities to severely fight the old demons of repression and to offer real reasons for hope to the youth of this country. Paris, 26/03/2969 – 7/04/2019 The co-chairs Kamira Nait Sid, Khalid Zerrari Auteur: CMA Date : 2019-04-09 23:29:00

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