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Rabat — The court of appeal in Agadir handed down a total of 260 years in total in prison to 33 defendants on Tuesday night.
The court decided to hand down the sentences to these suspects for their involvement in violent riots that erupted during Gen Z protests across several cities in the Agadir region.
The convictions stem from destructive incidents that occurred in Houara, Taroudant, Biougra, and Ait Amira.
A statement from the Ministry of Interior indicated that, during these events, rioters burned security equipment and police gear at judicial checkpoints, set fire to gendarmerie vehicles, and attacked members of public security forces.
Converging reports revealed that the criminal chamber of the Agadir Court of Appeal convicted all 33 defendants on charges of vandalism, rioting, arson, and attacks against public and private property, as well as security forces.
In detail, the court sentenced 19 defendants from Houara, 12 of them received 10-year prison terms each. One defendant got six years, another received five years, and one was sentenced to one year in prison.
In Houara still, another defendant received a one-year sentence plus orders to pay civil compensation to the DGSN and Royal Gendarmerie services.
Eight defendants from Biougra each received 10-year prison sentences. A defendant from Tiznit also got 10 years in prison.
The court handed down varying sentences to four defendants from Taroudant. One received 15 years, another got 10 years, a third was sentenced to six years, and the fourth received one year in prison. The court also sentenced one defendant from Ait Amira to six years in prison.
The sentences reflect the court’s response to what officials described as serious attacks on public order and security infrastructure during the protests.
However, the events of riots and vandalism coincided with the Genz212 movement, which is a peaceful protest across Morocco that sought fundamental reforms in vital sectors like education and healthcare.
The GenZ212 movement in the North African country stresses its peaceful nature and continues to distance itself from violence and riots.
