More than 1,500 people, including a thousand in detention, are facing prosecution in Morocco following protests by the GenZ 212 collective demanding better public education and health services, a local NGO said Friday, calling for "the release of all detainees" arrested during the rallies.

Of this total, 240 people have already been sentenced by a court in Agadir (south), including 39 to prison terms of between six and fifteen years, Souad Brahma, president of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH), told the press. Hundreds of others have been sentenced to between three months and one year in prison in other courts, according to this lawyer.

The charges range from "organizing unauthorized demonstrations" to "the use of bladed weapons" and "damage to property" to "insulting and violence against law enforcement officers," added Mr. Brahma, calling for "fair trials to be guaranteed to all those prosecuted."

The lawyer called for "the opening of impartial investigations into the violations (of rights, editor's note) that took place during the demonstrations."

The AMDH clarified that its report does not distinguish between protesters and those involved in violence.

Beginning September 27, the GenZ 212 collective organized peaceful rallies across the country to demand reforms in the health and education sectors, an "end to corruption," and the dismissal of the government.

In the first days after the protests were banned, the police made hundreds of arrests.

On the fringes of the movement, two evenings were marked by acts of vandalism and clashes which left three dead near Agadir (south), including a film student who came, according to his relatives, to document the protest.

The group called for further "peaceful" demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday.

Almost daily for two weeks, the rallies have become rarer, mobilizing fewer and fewer young people, particularly after a speech by the king on October 10 which demanded an acceleration of social reforms and the announcement last week by the government of a "budgetary effort" for 2026 of 13 billion euros for health and education.

In Morocco, social inequality remains a major challenge. The country is marked by strong regional disparities and a persistent gap between the public and private sectors.