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Nasser Zafzafi and Nabil Ahamjik were each sentenced to serve 20 years in prison for their role in Rif Hirak movement and were sentenced by Casablanca court of nine offenses, including “undermining the internal security of the state”.

The reasons behind this escalating decision as stated by the detainees, includes but is not limited to:

• Demanding better jail conditions.
• Gather all detainees in connection with Rif Hirak movement in ‘Selouan’ facility near Nador.
• Demanding the right of adequate medical care.
• Demand the right to call their families for at least 30 min a week.
• The right of prisoners to have visitors while incarcerated.
• The right to longer promenade everyday.
• The right to receive books and newspapers.

The Rif Hirak protests began in the northern city of Al Hoceima and surrounding areas in October 2016, after fishmonger Mouhcine Fikri was crushed to death by a garbage truck as he attempted to recover fish confiscated by local authorities.

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The protesters were demanding an end to the marginalization of their predominantly Amazigh communities calling for social and economical demands such as a better healthcare system, improving infrastructure, an end to corruption, and equal employment opportunities in the region.

As a result, the Moroccan authorities have carried out a large wave of arrests rounding up thousands of protesters, activists and journalist across the Rif region, dozens of them were sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

Prison cells across Morocco are among the most vulnerable areas to the spread of the Coronavirus Covid-19, as they are often overcrowded and essentially lack proper hygiene and infrastructure necessary to mitigate the spread of the virus to inmates. A single infection of a prison guards, visitors, inmates or detainees of this highly contagious disease would lead to a devastating tragedy in no time.

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In late 2017, security forces in Morocco, have arrested hundreds of protesters, including children, women and several journalists over the largely peaceful protests that has sparked in the Rif region to protest against economic neglect, unemployment and state oppression. Now At least 60 of them are currently held in jail, with some handed harsh prison terms of up to 20 years, such as Nasser Zefzafi and Nabil Ahamjik.

According to Amnesty International. The authorities also clamped down on free speech by also heavily censoring media coverage and arresting many social media public figures and also journalist voices who supported the ‘Hirak’ movement like Hamid el Mahdaoui who was sentences for 3 years in prison.

Human Rights Advocates and NGO’s such as Human Right Watch and Amnesty International, have previously made an urgent call to all governments across the world to direct reduction, release of political detainees to prevent Coronavirus spread. Public health experts have also recommended reducing the population in prisons in response to the pandemic.

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Also, On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that an outbreak of the viral disease COVID-19 – first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China – had reached the level of a global pandemic. Citing concerns with “the alarming levels of spread and severity,” the WHO called for governments to take urgent and aggressive action to stop the spread of the virus.

With Morocco government lacking the tools to combat the spread of Coronavirus and with the existence of a serious threat to the lives of political prisoners, this raises serious concerns and calls on the international community to press for their immediate release amidst the spread of Covid-19.

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The Arabic lettering reads: RIF, which is a region in current northern Morocco that has, only a few short decades ago, been the epicenter of its own independent democratic republic, threatening the seat of the monarchy as a political regime, seeing as the latter was colluding with imperialist Europe, pawning the land, people and resources so it can keep the throne. That republican initiative was short lived, as it threatened the political powers of that period, which earned it a swift squashing by the Moroccan regime with foreign help using chemical weapons, the devastating effects of which still reverberate in the entire region to this day.

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Further, the Rif has been center stage of recent protests after the state sanctioned murder of a fish monger, Mohcin Fikri in October of 2016, which was the last straw its residents needed to demand total socioeconomic change, building the region’s infrastructure which remains non existent to this day and raise awareness the systematically marginalized region’s status quo of collective punishment for daring to stand for democracy.

The collective punishment started for the almost entirely Amazigh region since 1926 with documented massacres/genocide as well as dire infrastructural and socioeconomic sanctions on everyone living within its boundaries. The Rif continues to not have a functioning hospital or a university, as a strict minimum to this day.

The Rif movement leaders and activists got arrested by the thousands and each put in prison serving hefty sentences, prompting the entire country to take to the streets in solidarity. Far from being idle, Younes did not miss the opportunity to join in the hundreds and thousands of protesters demanding immediate freedom to the Riffian political prisoners and for the Moroccan regime to work with the residents in order to solve their local problems and develop the entire region mainly known for its breath taking beaches and fresh fish.

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Because of this particular picture that he proudly and innocently took to mark his stance, Younes was fired from his job as a car parking lot attendant, a job that, meager as its wages were, was enough to sustain hard working Younes for years, not having to ask for a handout. Younes who found himself unemployed without cause, fought hard within the union to challenge their arbitrary decision, a journey that took him down the moroccan bureaucracy for almost an entire year, during which he was all the more adamant about his rights and the constitutional ones of all Moroccan citizens, and so naturally, he continued to organize and attend rallies and protests.

In addition to Beijing fired, Younes received a couple summons to answer to some charges related to his political posts on Facebook. When those didn’t pan out, he was arrested late last week in a mock “raid” on the neighborhood coffee shop he spends most of his days in, stating that said coffee shop is known for drug activity, which may or may not be true, however, Younes was the only person arrested there with 10g of hashish (cannabis) in his pockets. Younes never once hid the fact that he occasionally enjoys a few puffs of cannabis for medical and recreational reasons, being caught with only 10 grams (the size of a human fingernail) was proof to his innocence, only to be shocked with the heavy charge of drug dealing and intention to distribute added to his previous list of political troublemaker.

All this while Younes has had no income for the past few months and struggles making ends meet doing manual labor here and there to afford his basics on a strict minimum, in direct contradiction with the prosecution’s false claim of his “drug dealing” which would have solved so many of his problems if it were the case.

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The prosecution decided to release him on his own recognizance until he is tried for this laughable charge. Always true to his policy of total transparency, Younes, of course, told his entire story on Facebook with dates, details of his harassment and arrests and names of those involved, only to be surprised on Friday evening with yet another SWAT team arresting him at that same coffee shop located on this street, in direct retaliation directly after publishing details of his story with their harassment over the past year.

His friends and activist friends all took to the street to demand his immediate and non conditional release, condemning this policy of obvious political retaliation against all the voices that cannot be bought!

It is worth noting that Younes has no family, his parents are deceased and nobody would have noticed even if he was executed, if it weren’t for the activist community who spread the word of his arrest.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Amazigh World News’ editorial views.

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Starting with some 124 rifles, which were considered for his time outdated, he initiated a military campaign against the Spanish army that ended with the liberation of the Rif-region. But more than the liberation of a part of the homeland, the victory over a European colonial power in the first part of the 20th century provided a framework of hope for other colonized people all over the world. If Japans victory over Russia in 1905 was the first victory of a non-white power over a white power in the modern world, then Abdelkrim’s victory over Spain was the first major victory of an indigenous people over a European colonizer.

Abdelkrim El khattabi was born in 1882 in Ajdir, a small village in the north of Morocco. A promising student in the oldest university of the world, Qarawin in Fes, he managed to get a job as a journalist for the Spanish newspaper Telegrama del Rif before being appointed by the Spanish as the chief judge of Melilla in 1914. In 1917 he was imprisoned for more than a year because of his alleged anti-colonial activities. It is true that he was influenced by the anti-colonial and anti-imperialist ideas spread by Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, Muhammad ‘Abduh and Rashed Reda. But it was not until 1920 that Abdelkrims name would be engraved in the history of the Maghreb. It was then that he started a guerrilla war against the Spanish, whose encroachments in uncolonized parts of the Rif greatly disturbed him.

He issued a warning to General Silvestre, the commanding officer of the Spanish, and warned him that if he crossed the Ameqran River, Abdelkrim would consider this a declaration of war. General Silvestre is said to have laughed, and comically responded with for the Berbers of the Rif famous saying: ‘tomorrow I will drink tea in Abdelkrims house’. The self-confidence of the general stood in high contrast with the reality that would soon ensue on the battle field. A skirmish at Dhar Oubaran on the first of June 1921 ended in a victory for Iriffien Amazigh, and roughly 600 Spanish soldiers were killed, and the others forced to flee.

It was the prelude to the greater battle of Annoual, which took place 20 days after the skirmish at Dhar Oubaran. Abdelkrim who had managed to unify most of the tribes in a usually divided Rif was still outnumbered, and despite their inferior equipment they attacked the Spanish at Annoual and routed their army, driving the Spanish star General Silvestre as far to commit suicide. That 21 of June, 3000 Berbers defeated a modern European army killing 15.000 and imprisoning 700. A military miracle indeed.

Annoual was and remains a symbol. It was more than a military defeat for the Spanish, or a victory for the Berbers. In a world filled with racist ideologies, the Spanish were not only defeated by an adversary that was inferiorly equipped, but more importantly by one who was racially inferior. It was the victory of a colored people over a white nation, the revenge of the East on the West. This humiliation shook the political world and it caused a coup d’etat in 1923 in Spain by General Miguel Primo de Rivera’s, who instated a military dictatorship which eventually led to the collapse of a centuries old monarchy in 1931.

The Rif in Morocco was independent, and Abdelkrim founded the Rif Republic and proclaimed that his goal was the liberation of all the Maghreb. He started liberating areas from the French in a series of successful attacks. Alas, in the modern world a lot of ills can be attributed to the unnamed Plot, that had as a goal to destroy any progressive liberation project in the Third World. The French, who were occupying the other part of Morocco saw in Abdelkrims Rif Republic a dangerous precedent and sent a huge army numbering an astounding 250.000 soldiers, led by the celebrated Marshal Pétain, who showed his merits in WWI.

Resulting to the colonial practice of wreaking havoc by using mustard gas and other chemical weapons against the local population which resulted in the horrible death of thousands of inhabitants of the Rif the combined French-Spanish forces managed to quell the ambition of a people for self-determination. The couple of thousands of guerrilla warriors were no match for the enormous assembled army and Abdelkrim, seeing the futility of engaging in warfare, immediately surrendered. The French exiled him to the island of Réunion where he lingered until 1947, when he gained asylum in Egypt. He immediately set up a Committee for the Liberation of the big Maghreb.

When Morocco gained its independence in 1956 the Moroccan sultan Muhammad V, who proclaimed himself king, invited Abdelkrim El khattabi back to his homeland. He refused, because according to him Morocco was still under occupation. The colonization only changed faces. He would support the uprisings in 1957 against the absolute monarchy. In 1962 he would oppose the new constitution that was pushed trough by the new Moroccan king Hassan II, who assumed dictatorial powers. In the same year, Algeria gained its independence after a bloody struggle that lasted 8 years with million of Algerians killed. It was a happy moment for Abdelkrim.

On this day, a year later, Abdelkrim died. He left behind an impressive legacy and proved the colonized world a model for steadfastness and liberation. Both Ho Chi Min, the leader of Vietcong and Mao referred to him as our predecessor. The Committee of Union and Progress in Turkey which was led by Atatürk held Abdelkrim in high esteem. The Shi’ite scholars of Najaf issued a fatwa supporting Abdelkrims struggle. Many more would honor him in the years to come.

Nowadays, Abdelkrim is the symbol for the Amazigh movement, some of which falsely see him as the father of a Berber nation. Abdelkrim was more than just an amazigh, he was a universal warrior against injustice and colonial subjugation, and no matter how hard the Moroccan system tries to erase him out of history, he will always remain vivid.

Exactly hundreds years ago September 18, 1921, the Republic of Confederated Amazigh Tribes of the Rif was established with Mohand Abd el-Krim El khattabi as its president or leader who named Ajdir near the city of Al Houceima to be his capital city.

El khattabi succeeded in evacuating the area from all remnants of Spanish colonization and founded first modern, independent, democratic republic with its own constitution, parliament, currency and flag.

The newly created state lasted only for 7 years from 1921 to 1926, before Spain joined forces with the French army to eradicate the Rif  republic using internationally banned weapons such as phosgene, diphosgene and mustard gas, the effects of which are still felt in the entire Rif region until this day.

A Rif hirak Activists in Morocco jail who’s currently serving a prison term of up to 5 years after being accused by Authorities of having separatist aims, is now in a very critical condition after 30 Days of hunger strike.

His brother, ‘Abdellatif Elablaq’, said Tuesday 35-year-old Rabii Elablaq is “fighting death, and has absolutely no intention of backing down.” 

Earlier this month, The Casablanca Court of Appeal has upheld the verdicts against 54 detainees from the Rif Hirak movement, and the journalist Hamid Mehdaoui. Collectively, the Rif activists will face sentences of more than 300 years, including 5 years to Rabii Elablaq.
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Casablanca – April 8 – Nasser Zefzafi, leader of Rif Hirak movement who has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for leading peaceful demonstrations in Morocco’s neglected Rif region against corruption and unemployment, has started this morning a hunger strike with his month sewn at the the Oukacha Prison in Casablanca.

“We’ve received a letter from him today by his inmate, in which he expressed that, he had no choice but to sew his mouth to protest for being deprived of rights to freedom, “the militarization” of the Rif region, lack of medical care and poor conditions of detention. ”  Wrote his father Ahmed Zefzafi on his Facebook account.

Late Friday night, The Casablanca Court of Appeal has upheld the verdicts handed down by the Court of First Instance on Tuesday 26 June 2018 against 54 detainees from the Rif Hirak movement, and the journalist Hamid Mehdaoui. Collectively, the defendants will face sentences of more than 300 years, including 20 years for four detainees such as Nasser Zefzafi and Nabil Ahmjik. 15 years for three, 10 for seven, and so forth.

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MONSTERS|96min, written and directed by Aksel Rifman, an Amazigh filmmaker from the Rif, selected to be premiered at 8th Annual Winter Film Awards International Film Festival in New York city.

MONSTERS is a psychological thriller shot in Morocco about three masked men, The Boss, The Brute and The Loser, who invade a rich family in their home in broad daylight to steal their money. But nothing is what it appears.

The film is selected in the official competition, competing together with 10 other films. The event concludes on February 23rd with a glittering awards ceremony and hot red carpet gala at NYC’s premier nightclub.

MONSTERS will be shown on Sunday, Feb 17 at 9:15pm at the Cinema Village located at 22 East 12th Street, after the screening, there will be Q&A with the writer/director Aksel Rifman.

Aksel Rifman is a film director from Rif in northern Morocco who won the Best Screenplay Award in the Meknes TV Festival for his first TV movie “The Killing Silence”, Aksel has also acted as a screenwriter, cinematographer, and a director in various projects in Spain, USA and Morocco over the last ten years.

Moroccan authorities must overturn the conviction of Nawal Benaissa, a peaceful protester from the Hirak movement who has been repeatedly intimidated and harassed simply for standing up for the rights of people in the country’s northern Rif region, Amnesty International said ahead of her appeal hearing tomorrow.

Marseille, October 15

On Saturday, October 20, at 3pm, a group of human rights activist, community leaders, and journalists are set to rally in front of the city hall of Marseille in Southern France to demand the immediate release of Kabyle and Rif political prisoners who are currently detained in both Moroccan and Algerian prisons.