Algiers, 3 October 2025 (SPS) - More than 15 international human rights organizations have condemned the excessive crackdown by Makhzen forces against peaceful protesters, which left two people dead and hundreds injured.
These reactions come as the authorities have announced their intention to impose heavy prison sentences on those arrested, including life imprisonment, clearly revealing that the Makhzen is pursuing a policy of intimidation rather than listening to popular demands.
This alarming development prompted the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) and 14 other international NGOs on Thursday to denounce what they described as a clear political crime by the Makhzen and the increasing repression by the Moroccan authorities against the peaceful demonstrations that have been rocking several cities since last Saturday.
The joint statement by the organizations asserts that what happened was not simply “limited excesses,” but rather a systematic policy aimed at preventing citizens from exercising their constitutional rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
The security forces, it states, used excessive and disproportionate violence to disperse the demonstrations called for by young people via digital platforms.
Among the organizations signing the statement are Skyline International for Human Rights (SIHR), Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms (IARF), HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement, the Committee for Justice (CFJ), Alliance for Civic Action (ACA), and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).
The statement emphasizes that the security campaign against peaceful protesters, who took to the streets to demand the right to education, healthcare, and an end to normalization with the Zionist entity, has been characterized from the outset by brutal repression, systematic violence, and arbitrary arrests.
This anger has been exacerbated by the deterioration of public education and rising unemployment, prompting protesters to chant slogans such as “Hospitals before stadiums”—an allusion to the state's budget priorities, which are more focused on preparations for the 2030 World Cup than on essential services.
The signatory organizations are calling for five urgent measures: the immediate and unconditional release of all those arrested in connection with the protests; the launch of an independent and transparent investigation into allegations of torture and excessive use of force; respect for the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly; an end to all forms of intimidation against activists and journalists; recognition of the social and economic demands expressed by the protesters; and the opening of an inclusive national dialogue to address the crises in health, education, and unemployment.
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