Following his apprehension by Moroccan authorities earlier this week, rapper “Mehdi Black Wind” is currently being held at a correctional facility in Casablanca. A public appeal advocating for his “immediate” freedom has been issued.

Is this a politically motivated detention? The Moroccan public prosecutor’s office brought rapper El Mahdi Lyoubi, widely recognized by his stage name “Mehdi Black Wind,” before a court for an immediate appearance on Wednesday. El Mahdi Lyoubi, 34, was served with a travel prohibition notice at Rabat airport on Friday, just as he was preparing to board a flight to France, where he has resided for nearly a decade, according to statements from his support committee.

He received a summons from the Casablanca judicial police on Monday, after which he was taken into custody. The precise reasons behind the artist’s arrest, however, remain unclear.

arrest linked to critical viewpoints?

While Moroccan authorities have yet to formally disclose the charges, the rapper’s detention is widely believed to be connected to his political activism and outspoken views. This theory is strongly put forward by those who authored the open letter demanding El Mahdi Lyoubi’s release. Indeed, the rapper and filmmaker is well-known within independent artistic circles for his lyrics, which often critique Moroccan society and its inherent inequalities, suggesting this could be the underlying cause of his arrest.

“Based on information available at this juncture, his arrest appears to be linked to his artistic expressions and posts made on social media platforms,” states the published appeal calling for his “immediate liberation.”

 
 
 
 
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Une publication partagée par Free El Mahdi (@free.el.mahdi)

Over 700 cultural figures, including Moroccan filmmaker Faouzi Bensaidi and French actresses Adèle Haenel and Aïssa Maïga, endorsed a statement on Wednesday condemning his incarceration and demanding his release. The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) has also called for his freedom and an end to policies restricting critical voices, as detailed in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The artist appeared before a judge at the Casablanca Court of First Instance on Wednesday. The hearing was adjourned until July 22 to allow him to prepare his defense, a necessity given that lawyers in Morocco have been on strike for the past month, according to a source close to the proceedings.