(MENAFN- Morocco World News) Rabat – The trial of Nasser Zefzafi, the leading activist of Al Hoceima's protest movement, starts this Monday, July 10, in Casablanca. Incarcerated in Ain Sebaa's local prison since his arrest late May, Zefzafi will pass before the judges of the Criminal Chamber of the Court of Appeal of Casablanca.
While the Rif protests witnessed a relative appeasement after the partial withdrawal of the forces of the order from the region on instructions from King Mohamed VI, the investigation continues on the side of the detainees of the Hirak.
In his trial, Zefzafi, will be interviewed by an investigating judge to explain suspicions of foreign financing of the movement.
Zefzafi faces heavy charges, including "harm to internal security," for which he might receive several decades of imprisonment. The interrogation is expected to last between 4 and 5 hours depending on his defense. Zefzafi, who has been detained for more than a month in Oukacha prison in Casablanca, will be asked about a total equivalent of MAD 3000 of funds received in recent months from outside Morocco.
The modest amount has been a matter of great ridicule among Moroccan activists and social media users. His lawyers expressed their surprise at the poor arguments against their client in light of the serious charges.
Accused of "attacks on the internal and external security of the State, violence with premeditation," and "disturbing the public order," the 30-year-old Rifain has incurred penalties worth several decades of detention. The defense considers that with a little clemency, the sentence could amount to around 20 to 30 years in prison.
This hearing takes place as the public authorities have been sending contradictory signals to the Rifian protest movement in recent days. On July 3, the withdrawal of the forces of the order of downtown of Al Hoceima by order of the king was announced, while on Saturday, July 8, a women's gathering in support of the Rif movement was violently dispersed in the center of Rabat. The police justified the reaction by explaining that the demonstrators had refused to "comply" and intended "to provoke and attack the public forces."
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