Morocco's activists sentenced to jail

A Casablanca court on Wednesday sentenced five members of Morocco's February 20th Movement between eight and 10 months in jail for holding an unauthorised demonstration and clashing with security personnel. Samir Bradli, Tarek Roshdi and Abdelrahman Assal were sentenced to 10 months in prison, while Nour Kurtashi and Youssef Obli got eight months. Another activist, Laila Nassimi received a suspended sentence of six months in Prison. They were also ordered to pay a fine of 5,000 dirhams (around 200 euros) each. "It's a political verdict that tallies with the repressive strategy towards the February 20 Movement. We will appeal this shameful judgment," said their lawyer, Abdelmajid Azeryah. The five activists who have been held in detention in Casablanca since July 22, the day they participated said in previous hearings that they were tortured during their initial 72 hours in police custody. The movement was formed last year during the Arab Spring to protest a wide range of social issues and demanded that King Mohammed VI reduce some of his powers. After the verdict, the activists' families condemned the court for its unjust measures, saying they would have accepted the verdict if Morocco was still ruled by gun shots. Morocco’s human rights groups estimated nearly 70 members of the February 20 Movement are currently in jail, and activists have held protests to demand their release, including one in Casablanca late last month.