Hirak Leader Zefzafi Attends Father’s Funeral Amid Calls for Royal Pardon

The fact that Nasser Zefzafi was allowed to attend his father’s funeral is considered a "humanitarian gesture" by the General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration, as stated by the executive office of the Moroccan Organization for Human Rights in a press release. The organization sees this gesture as a preparatory step towards the closure of this case that has been ongoing for more than nine years. It has therefore reiterated the request it had previously made for a royal pardon covering the other detainees.

The organization also expressed its willingness to contribute to mediation and dialogue efforts with the inhabitants of the region, with the aim of carrying out economic and social development projects in line with the recommendations of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission. It also recalled that it has been following this case since the beginning of the trials and that it has been part of the civil party for the Rif, which has also visited the six detainees in prison.

On Thursday, dozens of young people organized a demonstration in Al Hoceima, before the start of the funeral of Ahmed Zefzafi, Nasser’s father, to demand the release of the leader of the Hirak movement. The demonstrators chanted slogans such as "The people want the release of Zefzafi", "By the soul, by the blood, we sacrifice ourselves for you, O Nasser".

Subsequently, Nasser himself delivered a speech from the roof of his family home. He described his father as the "father of free men and women who dedicated his life to the homeland", specifying that this includes all regions of Morocco, "its Sahara, its south, its east and its north". He reaffirmed that "the interest of the homeland comes before any consideration". Could this speech pave the way for his release? Since his arrest in 2017 during the Rif protests, Nasser has been serving a 20-year prison sentence.