National Human Rights Council reports on Gdeim Izik prisoners
Six prisoners convicted following the 2010 Gdeim Izik protests ended their hunger strikes in mid-October 2026, prompting the National Human Rights Council to release a detailed investigative report on their health, detention conditions, and family transfer demands.
Council Report Details Prison Visits and Medical Checks
The National Human Rights Council, led by Amina Bouayach, dispatched multidisciplinary teams equipped with medical personnel to inspect four correctional facilities. These visits took place on September 29, October 14, and October 15, 2026, across the prisons of Kénitra, Tiflet 2, Marrakech-Al Aoudaya, and Benguerir, alongside visits to external hospitals.
Family Transfer Demands Meet Administrative Limits
The core grievance driving the inmates’ protests centered on their relocation to facilities closer to their relatives in southern provinces. The General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration rejected these specific transfer requests. The administration stated that the requested institutions failed to match the remaining lengths of the sentences or serve those particular categories of prisoners.
Individual cases revealed distinct operational realities across the penitentiary system. At Kénitra, Ahmed Sebaï, Mohamed El Bachir Boutanguiza, and Hassan Zaoui launched a hunger strike on September 23, 2026. Following council intervention, prison authorities immediately restored personal belongings that had been withheld after the men were moved to the facility’s infirmary.
Hassan Zaoui chose to refuse family visits, including meetings with his spouse, to spare his relatives the long travel distance between Laâyoune and Kénitra. Meanwhile, at Tiflet 2, Mohamed Lamine Haddi maintained he was not participating in a hunger strike, though he reiterated his transfer request to Laâyoune.
Transfers and Medical Evaluations Conclude the Protests
Administrative adjustments resolved several specific placements during the same period. Bachir Khadda was transferred on September 25, 2026, to the local prison of Laâyoune 2 because his remaining sentence fell under the four-year threshold, making him eligible under standard criteria according to Telquel.ma.
Medical evaluations confirmed stable health conditions for the inmates who agreed to examinations. Naâma Asfari, detained in Marrakech-Al Aoudaya, and Hassan Dah, held in Benguerir, both suspended their hunger strikes in late September and mid-October respectively after communicating directly with prison authorities. Five prisoners concluded their protests on October 14, 2026, while the final participant ended his fast the following day.