Mothers of GenZ 212 detainees renew calls for release in Rabat

Sunday 27 - 15:00

One year after the youth-led demonstrations that shook several Moroccan cities, families of people detained in connection with the GenZ 212 movement returned to the streets in Rabat to demand the release of those still behind bars.

Around 30 women gathered on Saturday, September 26, outside Morocco's Parliament, according to reports by AFP and Moroccan media. The mothers said the prolonged detention of their children has created significant pressure on their families, while disrupting education, vocational training and personal plans.

Families mark a year since the arrests

The demonstration came roughly a year after protests associated with GenZ 212 spread across several Moroccan cities. The movement, which emerged through social media, focused on demands related to public healthcare and education, as well as broader calls for reforms and an end to corruption.

Some of the detainees were minors when they were arrested. Families say the cases have had consequences extending beyond the courtroom, particularly for young people whose schooling or vocational training was interrupted.

For the mothers taking part in Saturday's gathering, the anniversary was an opportunity to draw renewed attention to the personal cost of the prosecutions and to ask the authorities to consider releasing their children.

Mothers describe financial and family pressures

The families' concerns are not limited to the legal proceedings. Mothers have described the practical difficulties of travelling to prisons and attending court hearings while attempting to maintain their employment and family responsibilities.

Bouchra Najjari, one of the women who attended the demonstration, told AFP that balancing her work with prison visits had become increasingly difficult. Another participant, Saadia Ben Ziyani, said her 15-year-old grandson had been arrested a year earlier and appealed for his release.

The testimonies underline the wider effects that prolonged detention can have on families, particularly when those involved are young people still in education or professional training.

Rights groups call for the remaining detainees to be freed

The demonstration was also attended by representatives of organizations supporting the families of GenZ 212 detainees.

Rights activist Khadija Ryadi has been associated with the national support front for families of people affected by the crackdown linked to the movement. The group has called for the release of detainees who remain in prison and has raised concerns about the length of some proceedings.

The National Committee to Support Victims of the Suppression of the GenZ Movement has put the number of people still detained at around 750, including minors and people who have not yet been tried. That figure is a claim by the support committee rather than an independently established official total.

The committee has also alleged irregularities in some legal proceedings, while calling for the release of those still detained. These allegations have not been independently established by the sources cited here.

Legal proceedings continue

The renewed mobilisation comes as courts continue to process cases stemming from the 2025 unrest.

Moroccan prosecutors previously said that more than 2,400 people had been prosecuted in connection with acts of violence during the autumn disturbances, with about 1,400 placed in pre-trial detention at the time of the announcement. Courts have since issued both prison sentences and suspended sentences against hundreds of people, including minors.

The judicial outcomes have varied from case to case, meaning that the situation of detainees differs depending on the charges, the stage of proceedings and the decisions already handed down.

A continuing debate over the consequences of GenZ 212

The latest demonstration places the treatment of detained protesters back into public debate as Morocco moves beyond the first anniversary of the GenZ 212 protests.

For the families, the immediate concern remains the return of their children to their homes, schools and professional training. Their campaign also keeps attention focused on the broader legal and social consequences of the protests and the prosecutions that followed.

The Rabat gathering therefore served both as a family appeal and as a renewed call from rights advocates for authorities to address the cases of those who remain in detention.