El Mahdi Lyoubi, widely recognized by his stage name «Mehdi Black Wind», finds himself currently incarcerated in a Casablanca prison. His detention follows an arrest by Moroccan authorities earlier this week, sparking a public plea for his “immediate” release.
Is this a politically motivated arrest? Moroccan prosecutors have referred rapper El Mahdi Lyoubi, 34, to a tribunal for an immediate court appearance on Wednesday. The artist, who has resided in France for nearly a decade, was issued a travel ban at Rabat airport last Friday, preventing him from boarding a scheduled flight, according to his support committee.
He received a summons from the Casablanca judicial police on Monday, after which he was taken into custody. The central question remains: what led to the artist’s arrest?
concerns over artistic and political expression
While official charges have not yet been disclosed by Moroccan authorities, the rapper’s detention is widely believed to be connected to his political stances. This hypothesis is strongly put forth by those who authored a public statement advocating for El Mahdi Lyoubi’s liberation. Indeed, the rapper and filmmaker is well-known within independent artistic circles for his poignant lyrics that critique Moroccan society and its inherent inequalities, which many suspect to be the underlying reason for his arrest.
“Based on available information, his arrest appears linked to his artistic positions and social media publications,” states the published tribune, which calls for his “immediate release.”
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Over 700 cultural figures, including acclaimed Moroccan filmmaker Faouzi Bensaidi and French actresses Adèle Haenel and Aïssa Maïga, signed a petition on Wednesday condemning his detention and demanding his immediate liberation. The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) has also called for his release, urging an end to policies that restrict critical voices, as stated in their communiqué issued on Tuesday.
The artist appeared before a judge at the Casablanca Court of First Instance on Wednesday. The hearing was adjourned to July 22, allowing him time to prepare his defense, a necessity given the ongoing lawyers’ strike in Morocco that has lasted for a month.
