Morocco: Gen z protester’s sentence raises rights concerns

Human rights organisations are raising concerns over the sentencing of Moroccan Gen Z 212 protester Zineb Kharroubi, who received a six-month suspended prison sentence, amid what The New Arab, echoing the concerns of human rights groups, describes as the “criminalisation of freedom of expression and civic engagement”.

The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) said Kharroubi‘s suspended sentence forms “part of a wider trend of increasing prosecutions targeting young people engaged in the peaceful exercise of their fundamental rights”, in a statement provided to The New Arab.

The 29-year-old activist based in France was given the sentence on June 30th over alleged “inciting to commit crimes or offences by electronic means”. She has been fined 5,000 dirhams ($532) by Casablanca’s Court of First Instance, as confirmed by her lawyer El Hassan Essoni.

The court found that the charges raised against her stem from Instagram, where she posted a call-out to demonstrators to “gather” outside the Moroccan embassy in Paris.

Following her arrest, Kharroubi was questioned by authorities before being transferred to police custody in Casablanca, where she was later presented to prosecutors. Her trial, originally scheduled for 26 February, was adjourned until 9 March, and the case was heard over five separate hearings.

Prosecutors relied on three separate social media posts during the trial, arguing that they amounted to incitement to commit a crime under Article 299-1 of the Moroccan Penal Code.

Her defence rejected the prosecution’s claims at an earlier hearing, calling for her acquittal. They contended that “demonstrating is not a crime in Morocco” and that organising protests online “could not” constitute “incitement to commit an offence”.

Her lawyers argued that Moroccan authorities lacked jurisdiction as the alleged actions took place in France. The prosecution rejected this argument, maintaining that the case fell under Moroccan criminal jurisdiction and was therefore subject to investigation under national law.

The prosecutor pursued Kharroubi’s conviction but did not recommend a specific sentence. Under Article 299-1, her sentence could range from three months to five years, with a potential fine of up to 100,000 dirhams (approximately 9,300 euros).

Essoni added that, despite the sentence being relatively lenient, it was still unexpected given that nothing in the case file warranted such a ruling.

Mohammed Amine Abidar, an activist and member of AMDH‘s branch in Nador, said: “The Gen Z 212 movement embodies a generation of young people demanding greater social justice, democracy and dignity. Responding to these aspirations through judicial repression rather than dialogue is a worrying political choice that further undermines civil liberties.”

He further added, “I condemn any manipulation of the justice system aimed at restricting fundamental freedoms.”

The Gen Z 212 collective, named after Morocco’s international dialling code, emerged as a decentralised, anonymous movement on the messaging platform Discord.

Protests began after longstanding youth dissatisfaction with Morocco’s healthcare, education, and youth unemployment, and increased government spending on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup over public services.

Around 2,400 people have been arrested over the protests, Morocco’s largest since 2011–2012. The demonstrations lasted nearly three weeks and saw confrontations between protesters and security forces that left three people dead near Agadir.

The protests eventually subsided following King Mohammed VI’s address, in which he called for expedited social reforms, and the government’s pledge to allocate additional funding for healthcare and education in its 2026 budget.

Kharroubi, an activist and filmmaker, is among many young Moroccans convicted for their involvement in the protests. In June, six minors were each sentenced to six months in prison after being convicted of “obstructing traffic” while protesting.

In a statement, Abidar noted that “Prosecutions against peaceful activists must cease, and the Moroccan authorities must fully respect freedom of expression, assembly and civic engagement. There can be no rule of law when peaceful expression exposes citizens to legal proceedings. Fundamental freedoms must never be treated as a threat, but as the foundation of any democratic society.”

The New Arab and agencies, Maghrebi.org