for taking part in the February 20 protests. A few activists who were sentenced for taking part in the February 20 movement have completed their jail time and have since been sent back to jail for continued participation in the Hirak.

In addition, human rights activists continue to demand an investigation into a tragedy that has fueled resentment in the region: the death of five young people whose burnt bodies were found in a bank in El Hoceima in the first day of protests in 2011. The Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH) and Hirak activists are still demanding an independent investigation into the death of the five victims. The impunity and lack of action on the part of the state has added further fuel to the fire ofthe Hirak protests.

“In the Rif, there is a continuous dynamic of social movements,” explained Ahmed (his name has been changed to protect his identity), a February 20 and Hirak activist from El Hoceima. “When there were February 20 Movement protests, we participated. There is a continuity, the mechanisms and the slogans are similar with the Hirak. But there are also young people, new activists, who didn’t take part in the February 20 Movement and have joined the Hirak.”

Since October 2016, the Rif’s calls have echoed throughout the country, in towns and cities facing similar social and economic difficulties. In recent months, marches and sit-ins have taken place in diverse regions. In the center in Beni Mellal, in the south in Zagora, and in Tinghir, Imintanout and Imider, the