More than 2,000 young Moroccans face trial for their participation in the so-called Gen Z protests that recently swept across the country, calling for a juster education and health care system. Hundreds of people, many of them minors, have already been convicted for the protests, which at one point even turned deadly, and human rights activists say some demonstrator confessions to police were made under duress.

More than 2,400 people are facing prosecution inMoroccoover recentGenZ 212 protestsdemanding better public education and health care, the public prosecutors office said Tuesday.

Over 1,400 were already in detention, Hassan Farhan, a judge and senior judicial official at the public prosecutors office, said in a press conference.

Read moreHow the Moroccan monarchy is trying to win back its estranged youth

Of the 2,480 defendants, about a fifth were charged with rebellion as part of a group and over a third with either assaulting law enforcement officers or incitement to commit crimes and participation in armed gatherings, Farhan said.

Moroccan courts had as of Monday convicted 411 people, including 76 minors, the prosecutors office added.

More than 60 people were sentenced to jail terms of up to 15 years, mainly for vandalism, looting, or arson, while some of the remainder received suspended sentences, prosecutors said.

Starting late last month, theonline GenZ 212 collectiveorganised a series of demonstrations seeking reforms in the health and education sectors, as well as an end to corruption.

Read moreGeneration Z is stirring up rebellion across borders,from Morocco to Madagascar

In the initial days of the protests, when the gatherings were banned, police made hundreds of arrests.

Three dead

Two nights weremarked by violence, including in Agadir, where three people were killed in clashes, though organisers insisted on their commitment to nonviolent protest.

Last week, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) called for fair trials for all defendants and denounced what it described as police reports written under duress.

Farhan said that all conditions for fair trials had been guaranteed, adding that the police records were all drawn up in accordance with the Moroccan law.

Watch moreIn Morocco, public figures urge king to act after youth protests

For two weeks, the demonstrations were held on a near-daily basis.

But they have gradually waned in both frequency and turnout, particularly after a speech by Moroccos king calling for social reforms and the announcement of a draft $15 billion budget laying out improvements to health and education.

Social inequalityhas been a major challenge in Morocco, where deep regional disparities persist alongside a gap between the public and private sectors.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Originally published on France24