A Marrakech court on Wednesday sentenced 29 defendants prosecuted over acts of vandalism and unrest during the Gen Z protests in Ait Ourir last October. The rulings ranged from acquittal to prison terms, with a combined total of 55 years and 8 months handed down. The defendants faced a series of serious charges, including deliberately setting fires, obstructing traffic and blocking roads, vandalizing public and private property, insulting and assaulting law enforcement officers, taking part in unauthorized demonstrations, destroying public property, and possessing weapons in circumstances that endangered people and property. In addition to the prison sentences, the court ordered the defendants to pay several fines and compensations to civil claimants. These include 200,000 dirhams owed jointly to the Moroccan state, 10,000 dirhams to the General Inspectorate of the Auxiliary Forces, 10,000 dirhams to one victim, 300,000 dirhams to two banks, 100,000 dirhams to the Moroccan Red Crescent, and 50,000 dirhams to the Al Haouz Provincial Council. Six defendants were acquitted. The remaining sentences were distributed as follows: • Four defendants received five-year prison terms. • Nine received three-year sentences. • One was sentenced to one year. • Six were given six months each. • Five received four months each. All defendants were arrested in October following the events and referred to the public prosecutor, who issued charges after completing the investigation before transferring the case to the primary criminal chamber in Marrakech.
