Morocco to try 37 over health, education protests

Moroccan prosecutors will try 37 people for participating in protests calling for reforms in the public health and education sectors, one of their lawyers said Tuesday.

"Thirty-four individuals will be prosecuted while free on bail, with their trial scheduled to begin on October 7, while three others will face prosecution in detention," lawyer Souad Brahma told AFP, adding that the exact charges against them were not yet known.

More than 200 mainly young demonstrators have been arrested over the past three days in Rabat during gatherings that were dispersed by police, said the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH). Most were later released.

The youth-led protests were initiated by a collective known as "GenZ 212", whose founders remain unknown.

New protests were set to take place in several cities on Tuesday, marking the fourth consecutive day of demonstrations.

In Casablanca, the public prosecutor submitted a request Tuesday to open an investigation into 18 individuals for their alleged role in obstructing traffic during a protest over the weekend, Moroccan news agency MAP reported, adding that six minors were referred to a specialised court.

In a statement released Tuesday, Morocco's governing coalition, composed of centre-right and liberal parties, said it "listens to and understands the social demands" of these young people and was "ready to respond positively and responsibly".

GenZ 212 had put out the call for protests days before on the platform Discord, citing issues such as "health, education and the fight against corruption", while professing its "love for the homeland".

The protests come at a time of popular discontent over Morocco's social inequalities, which have disproportionately affected young people and women.

Recent reports of the deaths of eight pregnant women at a public hospital in Agadir have been a particular source of public outrage.