Rif : Moroccan writers call for the release of detained protest leaders

In a statement issued on Tuesday 13th of June, the Moroccan Writers Union showed solidarity with the protests taking place in Rif, Anadolu reports. Writers called for the release of the detained protest leaders all while urging the government to put an end to the arrests.

«We are following with great interest and concern the popular uprisings taking place in the countryside», indicates the communiqué, adding that the union expresses its «full support for the just demands of the people of the region and solidarity with their peaceful struggles», the Turkish news agency points out. 

Moroccan writers also insisted through their statement on the need of responding «to the demands of the Al-Rif protests instead of ignoring them». The union, according to the same source, welcomed the «national efforts exerted to overcome existing tensions», yet denounced the endeavors that aim at exploiting «the suffering of citizens and their difficult circumstances to satisfy political ambitions».

On the same day more than 100 journalists signed a petition asking the authorities to release local bloggers and reporters who were detained while trying to cover the event in Al Hoceima and Rif region.