The Al Hoceima appeal court has increased the prison sentences of 13 activists for up to two years for participating in protests in the Rif, judicial sources told EFE on Tuesday. They explained that the majority of these activists had been sentenced in the first instance to imprisonment ranging from 6 to 18 months in prison. The appeal court accuses them of «insulting a public officer, resort to violence, inciting people to commit crimes and participating to an unauthorized demonstration». Only one activist's sentence was decreased from two years to a year and a half. Last November, Amnesty International, a human rights NGO, denounced the fact that around 400 Hirak Rif movement activists were tried or serving sentences ranging from six months to 20 years in prison in Casablanca and Al Hoceima.
