Long prison sentences for leaders Rif protests

casablanca - The leaders of the Moroccan protest movement in the northern Rif area were sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday evening. 48 other Protestants received shorter prison sentences, reported Moroccan media.

The arresters of the protest movement Hirak come from the Moroccan city of Al-Hoceima and nearby Imzouren. In that area, large protests took place last year against the corruption of the state and the repression of the population in the Rif area. Dutch people with a Moroccan background also traveled to the area to protest.

The leader, Nasser Zafzafi, was arrested at the end of May 2017. The following month, another dozen arrests followed.