A Moroccan court has sentenced 13 pro-Palestine activists to six months of suspended prison time for participating in unauthorised protests, as Rabat continues to crack down on anti-normalisation groups.
After a year-long trial, the Salé Court of First Instance convicted 12 activists, all members of the Moroccan Front Against Normalisation, of participating in an unauthorised demonstration.
One activist, Abdelilah Benabdeslam, was also charged with inciting the protest. Each was fined US$200.
Under Moroccan law, a suspended sentence means the activists will only serve jail time if they commit another crime punishable by imprisonment within five years.
"We are proud to be tried for defending the Palestinian people, who are subjected to genocide and violations of their rights," Benabdeslam said following the verdict.
The case stems from a November 2023 protest outside a Carrefour store in Salé, near Rabat—a French retail that reportedly maintains partnerships with Israeli companies operating in illegal settlements.
Activists with the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement have accused Carrefour of supporting Israel's military operations by donating gift packages to its forces.
The Moroccan franchise of Carrefour, operated by the local firm LabelVie, runs over 70 stores across the kingdom.
Protesters last year called for boycotting the retailer, aiming to pressure LabelVie to cut ties with its parent company.
During the demonstration, Moroccan authorities reportedly used force to disperse the protesters, seizing Palestinian flags and banners and injuring several activists.
"These unjust rulings are a violation of the right to peaceful protest and an attack on fundamental rights and freedoms," the Moroccan Front Against Normalisation said after the trial, adding that it plans to appeal.
The sentencing comes amid heightened tensions in Morocco amid Rabat's reiterating of its normalisation with Israel despite its genocide that has killed over 45,000 people in the Gaza Strip.
Rabat and Tel Aviv normalised ties in December 2020 under the US auspices.
Local pro-Palestine groups accuse the Moroccan government of suppressing dissent in favour of maintaining its normalisation agreement with Israel.
Since Israel's war on Gaza began, Moroccan courts have prosecuted several pro-Palestine activists on various charges.
Earlier this month, a court charged Ismail Lghazaoui, a member of the BDS Morocco group, with "inciting crimes and misdemeanours through electronic means."
In April, Abdul Rahman Zankad received a five-year prison sentence after posting on Facebook about Israel's war in Gaza and criticising Morocco's decision to normalise ties with Tel Aviv. The court convicted him of insulting a constitutional institution and incitement.
Last November, activist Said Boukioud was sentenced to three years in prison for criticising the monarchy in Facebook posts that denounced normalisation.
BDS movement argues that the arrests and trials of pro-Palestine activists in Morocco reflect "the policy of silencing dissent and systematic repression by Moroccan authorities against the overwhelming majority of the Moroccan people [...] who reject normalisation," Mahmoud Nawajaa, the General Coordinator of the Palestinian National Committee of BDS told °®Âþµº.