Moroccan activist Saida El-Alami back behind bars

Morocco’s crackdown on free speech deepens, despite a number of activists recently released from prison, with the arrest of prominent human rights activist Saida El-Alami on July 1, Maghrebi can reveal.

Currently, details surrounding the arrest have, unsurprisingly, not been disclosed or confirmed by official channels. However, activists claim the charges are expected to be announced on July 3. They claim that El-Alami was arrested on the street in a neighbourhood of Casablanca – a move which has “shocked” some of her entourage.

Previously, El-Alami was sentenced to two years in prison in April 2022, a sentence which was later extended to three years in September of that year when she was found guilty of “insulting” government bodies, public officials, and “spreading false allegations”. Her sister, Laila El-Alami, has spoken out about ongoing harassment and surveillance inside prison, including the presence of a camera in Saida’s cell—a claim denied by Moroccan authorities

The arrest follows a short-lived “pardon” by Morocco’s King Mohammed VI in July of 2024 as part of the jubilee celebrations.

Maghrebi