THE GUARDIAN: As country prepares to host Africa Cup of Nations, families and rights groups tell of police brutality, with hundreds still held
The arbitrary detention of hundreds of gen Z protesters in Morocco and alleged “horrific” beatings have been condemned by human rights groups, as the country prepares to host the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday.
A wave of youth-led demonstrations swept across Morocco in late September and early October – the biggest since the 2011 Arab spring – in protest at underfunded healthcare and education.
The government responded to the protests, known as “Gen Z 212”, after the country’s dialling code, by arbitrarily arresting thousands of people, human rights groups said. The Guardian was told that people had been beaten and left for hours without food or water while in police custody. » | Renée Boskaljon | Thursday, December 18, 2025
