RABAT, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- A court in the Moroccan city of Al Hoceima sentenced 16 demonstrators to a maximum of one year in prison over protest in the northeastern region, local media reported on Tuesday.
Four people were sentenced to one year in jail, three to eight months and three others to 6 months, the Moroccan news site Alyaoum24.com said, citing Defense Attorney Rachid Belaali.
The court gave six defendants a four-month suspended sentence, and acquitted four.
The defendants said they will appeal the rulings at Al Hoceima Court of Appeal in the coming days.
Morocco's King Mohammed VI granted pardon to 65 arrested for illegal protests which have shaken the northeastern part of the country, just ahead of the recent 18th anniversary of his enthronement.
The pardons were limited to those "who did not commit crimes or serious acts" during the protests which started in the northern Rif region and then spread to other parts of the country.
In his Saturday's speech, King Mohammed VI slammed politicians and public officials for neglecting duties and failing to meet demands of the people.
Referring to the alarming situation in Al Hoceima, the king warned that political parties and their representatives are shirking their duty, sometimes deliberately, and sometimes because of the lack of credibility or patriotism.
The situation in Al Hoceima has been tense since October 2016, when fish vendor Mouhcine Fikri was crushed to death after climbing into a rubbish lorry to retrieve his swordfish confiscated by police.
The demand for justice for Fikri in the northeastern region has evolved into a major grassroots movement to require greater government investment to create more jobs.
Morocco has not witnessed any protests of this size since the pro-democracy demonstrations during the Arab spring in 2011.
