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On Sunday, April 21st, the Moroccan capital hosted a national march that started from Bab El Had, downtown Rabat, and stopped by the Parliament. Thousands of people participated to this rally, bringing support to Hirak detainees and calling for the release of its activists.
This march was mainly attended by parties affiliated with the Democratic Left Federation (FGD) as well as the Democratic Way party, trade unions such as the Democratic Confederation of Labor (CDT) and the National Federation of Education (FNE), in addition to human rights associations, including ATTAC Maroc, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) and Islamist movement Al Adl Wal Ihsane.
Le père de Zafzafi vous demande, Marocains et Marocaines, de vous lever contre les condamnations injustes à l'égard de nos compatriotes du Rif.#Hirak pic.twitter.com/PIPIx6AfL8
— Wikwik a3ibadAllah (@f__elidrissi) 21 avril 2019
The rally comes about ten days after a Casablanca court upheld the sentences pronounced against 40 Hirak activists in a first instance verdict. Following the court decision some Hirak detainees went on a hunger strike, which was suspended and then resumed after they were transferred to small local prisons throughout the country.
On Sunday, protesters denounced the verdict and reiterated their calls to meet the social needs of these detainees, who had participated in Hirak marches in several Rif cities since 2016.
Ahmed Zefzafi urges Moroccans to stand by Hirak detainees
Participating in this national march with the other family members of the detainees, Ahmed Zefzafi, father of the Hirak leaker, sought the opportunity to deliver a speech and address the crowds . «I urge you, my fellow citizens, to stand by justice and fairness, because people want to destroy the Rif, erase its history, its identity, its pride and its dignity», he stated.
«I beg you, our dear people, to stand with us, for you are the people who decide, who are consulted to create a Constitution or any other law. That is why we are asking you today to come together and say yes to the release of the detainees».
A few days before the rally, family members from the Rif's Hirak expressed concern about the health of their detained relatives, while they are on an open hunger strike.
