CNDH addresses Generation Z protests and calls for peaceful assembly in Morocco

The National Human Rights Council (CNDH) addressed the Generation Z protests that have shaken several Moroccan cities in recent days during a meeting held on Wednesday, October 1.

In its statement, the CNDH noted that the movement began with «calls to demonstrate, initially centered on peaceful gatherings. However, some of these demonstrations escalated into acts of violence» and «delinquency, such as stone-throwing, theft, car fires, and the destruction of public and private property».

While advocating for «ensuring the right to peaceful assembly», the public body urged authorities to «protect citizens, guarantee their right to demonstrate peacefully, and strengthen protection against any form of violence that could endanger physical integrity».

The CNDH recalled that «the right to freedom of expression is a universal and constitutional right», and that «demonstrations, protests, sit-ins, and peaceful gatherings (…) are a universal right guaranteed by the Moroccan Constitution». However, it stressed that this right «cannot be exercised through recourse to violence».