On Monday, May 12, the Court of First Instance in Bouarfa acquitted two prominent figures of the Hirak movement in Figuig, Mohamed Brahmi (known as MoVo) and Redouane Marzouki. Both activists, also members of the Federation of the Democratic Left (FGD), had been arrested last week following a complaint filed by an employee of the Oriental Regional Multiservice Company, which oversees water and electricity distribution. Brahmi and Marzouki had faced charges of insulting public officials while performing their duties, organizing an unauthorized demonstration, and obstructing public works. Their acquittal was welcomed by local activists, who celebrated both the ruling and the wave of solidarity that had formed around the two men. The complaint stemmed from an incident in which the plaintiff attempted to collect data and ID cards from residents of one of Figuig's oasis villages. Locals reportedly viewed the move as a step toward the privatization of water management and organized a protest in the border area of Taghit in response. The following day, the two activists were summoned by the judicial police and taken into custody. Previously, MoVo had served an eight-month prison sentence following a complaint by the governor of Figuig related to protests in February 2024. For more than a year and a half, the city has seen continued demonstrations, with residents demanding the cancellation of the decision to transfer water distribution responsibilities to the regional company.
