Members of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) and relatives of those arrested during the 2025 youth-led protests in Morocco gather in front of Parliament building in Rabat on September 26, 2026. (Photo by ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT / AFP)
Moroccan mothers demand release of 'Gen Z 212' detainees
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Mothers of detained youth gathered outside Morocco's parliament to mark one year since the "Gen Z 212" movement, demanding their release.
- Rights coordinators report ~750 individuals, including minors, remain imprisoned amid alleged legal and procedural violations.
- Prosecutors charged over 2,400 people tied to the online-organized youth demonstrations.
Dozens of mothers gathered outside the Moroccan parliament in Rabat on Saturday to demand the release of their sons detained following unrest linked to the "Gen Z 212" protest movement one year ago, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
Approximately thirty women participated in the demonstration, marking the anniversary of the youth-led protests by calling on state authorities to grant freedom to those still held in detention.
"My son Adam has been detained for a year... we want freedom for all these young people," demonstrator Ilham Nikro told AFP.
Another protester, Saadia Ben Ziyani, shared that her 15-year-old grandson was arrested a year ago, stating, "We ask God to release them just as other children were released."
750 remain imprisoned
The "Gen Z 212" movement, launched online by anonymous activists, mobilized near-daily youth demonstrations for two weeks to demand systemic social reforms, with a primary focus on public health and education.
The protests subsequently escalated into riots and clashes across several cities, resulting in three fatalities before the movement's momentum subsided.
Hakim Sikouk, coordinator for the National Committee to Support Victims of the Suppression of the Gen Z Movement, informed AFP that approximately 750 people remain behind bars, including minors and individuals who have not yet faced trial.
Sikouk emphasized that the committee documented numerous legal violations during police and judicial proceedings, insisting on the immediate release of all remaining detainees.
Long prison sentences
In official statements issued, public prosecutors confirmed that more than 2,400 individuals -including around 1,400 held in pre-trial detention- were charged with acts of violence during the autumn unrest.
Moroccan courts have since handed down long prison sentences and suspended terms to hundreds of demonstrators, including dozens of minors, in connection with the "Gen Z 212" protests.
