Some 18 so-called "political" prisoners have been on a hunger strike for three months in several prisons in Morocco.

Their families have decided to break the silence by organising a sit-in this Sunday in Rabat in front of the National Human Rights Council.

These families point the finger at the "system" as being responsible for the deterioration of their children's health.

They also mentioned the conditions in which these "political prisoners" are held, stressing that at the Meknès prison, five detainees decided to proceed differently by carrying out a hunger strike for a week without even drinking water.

Although the government asserts loudly and clearly that there are no political prisoners in Morocco, the cases of these young people belonging to the Democratic Way Basist, members of the National Union of Moroccan Students, or the far-left, still create controversy.

Let us recall that one of the detainees, Mohamed Reda Darkaoui, nicknamed "Ernesto" and held at the Ain Kadous prison in Fez, had recounted in detail in a letter, picked up by news sites, the cruel treatment he had undergone during his interrogation.

He claimed to have been insulted, intimidated, stripped, harassed, tortured, and threatened with rape. They even shoved his head into the toilet to force him to sign the police report, according to his letter.

The Minister of Justice and Liberties, Mustapha Ramid, had reacted by assuring that an investigation would be conducted so that "the law is strictly applied to any person who has abused their functions".