In Morocco, the acclaimed rapper and filmmaker El Mahdi Lyoubi, popularly known by his stage name "Mehdi Black Wind," has been incarcerated since July 15 at the Oukacha prison in Casablanca. Accused of "outrage to a constitutional institution," he is set to appear in court on Wednesday, July 22, where his lawyers are expected to petition for his provisional release.
On July 10, while preparing to return to Marseille after a family visit and scouting for his upcoming documentary, Lyoubi was barred from boarding a flight at the Rabat-Salé airport. According to a press release issued by his lawyers on July 20, a police officer informed him that he was under a travel ban, the reasons for which were not disclosed, and directed him to the Salé police station. This was detailed in an open letter sent the same day to Moroccan authorities by cultural institutions, professional associations, and notable figures from the arts community.
Summoned on July 13 to the National Judicial Police Brigade in Casablanca, the musician and director was interrogated throughout the day before being placed in custody that evening. His family was only informally informed later that his arrest may be linked to social media posts, though no further information was provided. After being brought before the prosecutor, he faced immediate charges on July 15; however, the specific allegations against him were not disclosed at that time.
The judge at the Casablanca Court of First Instance postponed the hearing until July 22 to allow the artist to prepare his defense, as lawyers in Morocco have been on strike for a month, according to sources close to the case. Meanwhile, he has been held in pretrial detention at Oukacha prison. As of now, his lawyers have not been able to meet with him or access the judicial file, as noted in the open letter. The strike, which began at the end of June, is in protest against a legislative bill perceived as a threat to the independence of the legal profession, specifically bill 66.23.
Charges of Outrage Against a Constitutional Institution
The Casablanca Correctional Court has initiated proceedings against Lyoubi for "outrage to a constitutional institution" under Article 179 of the Moroccan Penal Code, as reported by Le Monde. This article stipulates a prison sentence ranging from six months to two years, along with fines between 20,000 and 200,000 dirhams (approximately 1,870 to 18,700 euros), for anyone found guilty of defamation, insult, or invasion of the privacy of the king or crown prince.
"In this case, it is evident that there is an effort to distinguish this case from those involving members or supporters of GenZ 212, against whom Article 179 is never invoked," commented the rapper's legal team, as cited by Le Monde.
Born in 1992 in Salé, a city adjacent to Rabat, Lyoubi has resided in Marseille since 2017. A graduate of Fémis in Paris, he has created several short films, including the documentary "Marseille, July 14," which has been showcased at prestigious festivals such as New Directors/New Films at MoMA in New York, the Sheffield DocFest, and the Thessaloniki Film Festival. He is currently working on his first feature-length documentary, which was selected in 2025 by the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC).
In the Moroccan music scene, Lyoubi has been addressing social inequalities and freedom of expression since the 2010s. His lyrics in the track "Nashid II" reflect his stance: "A soul is precious in the eyes of God, but I believe in neither sheikhs, nor kings, nor anything resembling them." In September 2025, he performed at the L'Boulevard festival in Casablanca to an audience of over 40,000 people.
In an interview with the Moroccan magazine TelQuel in September 2025, he remarked, "Red lines are defined differently by everyone. I never attack anyone in my music and ensure it does not have a negative impact, even on those I disagree with. In Morocco, people view political engagement by artists as something special, perhaps because it is more difficult here... It is something that needs to be normalized, the idea that an artist can express their opinion on what is happening around them. It should be a very natural thing."
Mobilization Efforts in Morocco and France
On July 14, a public statement published on a Mediapart blog and signed by nearly 1,000 individuals, including actresses Adèle Haenel and Jeanne Balibar, directors Mathieu Amalric and Faouzi Bensaïdi, and novelist Fatima Daas, called for the immediate and unconditional release of the artist. The following day, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) also demanded his release and "an end to the restrictive policies targeting critical voices," according to a statement.
On July 20, Lyoubi's lawyers announced their intention to travel to Casablanca to show their "support" for their client and for their "colleagues in the Defense Committee in Morocco," as stated in their press release. On the same day, an open letter penned by cultural institutions, professional associations, journalists, and academic, literary, and artistic figures was sent to the director of the Royal Cabinet of the Kingdom of Morocco and several ministers, including Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi, Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit, Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita, and the president of the National Human Rights Council, Amina Bouayach. The letter calls on the authorities to "guarantee El Mahdi Lyoubi all procedural rights and guarantees recognized by the Moroccan Constitution" and to "immediately and unconditionally release" the artist.
Since the emergence of the GenZ 212 protest movement in the fall of 2025, Mehdi Black Wind has become the fourth Moroccan rapper to face legal action due to the content of their lyrics, according to Le Monde. Jawad Asradi, known as Pause Flow, was arrested in November 2025 and sentenced to three months in prison with a suspended sentence for outrage to a constituted body, a sentence upheld on appeal in June 2026. Hamza Raid was arrested in Casablanca and handed a six-month suspended prison sentence. In March 2026, Souhaib Qabli, then 20 years old, received an eight-month prison sentence for outrage to a constitutional institution and disseminating false news. In February 2026, film distributor Zineb Kharroubi was sentenced to six months in prison for inciting crimes or offenses electronically.
These cases have arisen in the context of the GenZ 212 movement, primarily organized on social media, advocating for access to healthcare and education, fighting against corruption, and promoting freedom of expression, as noted in the open letter.
Interviewed on July 19 by ABC Radio National in Australia, former Moroccan investigative journalist Omar Radi described the case as a further illustration of the tightening restrictions on public freedoms in Morocco, as reported by Article 19.ma. "Morocco has shifted from a benchmark alongside Algeria and Tunisia to an authoritarian benchmark to be compared with Turkey and Egypt," he stated in his English interview with ABC, according to Article 19.ma. After being pardoned in 2024 following several years of imprisonment, he referenced the detention of another pro-Palestinian rapper and young individuals prosecuted following the GenZ 212 movements, although he did not provide verifiable figures.
"Freedom of opinion, expression, and artistic creation, protected and guaranteed by the Constitution of the Kingdom of Morocco, are not privileges reserved for a few but the corollary of a healthy democracy," emphasized El Mahdi Lyoubi's lawyers in their July 20 statement. The artist is scheduled to appear before the Casablanca Court of First Instance on Wednesday, July 22.
As reported by information.tv5monde.com.
