Prosecutors reject release request for Moroccan activist
Moroccan activist Ibtissam Lachgar, held on charges of “insulting the divine entity,” had her release request rejected by prosecutors on August 26th.
According to Moroccan government-friendly outlet Hespress, the activist’s legal team requested Lachgar’s provisional release based on her worsening health condition. They argue their client is suffering from cancer and requires urgent medical and psychological assistance.
Lachgar was detained in Rabat on August 12 after posting a photo of herself on X in a T-shirt with the words “Allah is lesbian.” The post sparked outrage, earning the LGBT activists death threats and a potentially 5-year-long prison sentence.
As well as her battle with cancer, the source claims she needs to undergo crucial surgery in September on her partly prosthetic left hand. Without the surgery, doctors say she may face amputation.
Her lawyers reportedly also claim Lachgar has been placed in solitary confinement, restricted from any contact with other inmates. Paired with her physical condition, her defence team believes these circumstances could have a seriously negative impact on her mental health.
Her legal team, of course, questioned the reasoning behind her detainment in solitary confinement, believing the prison’s administration had no clear justification for imposing such a punishment.
In the most recent hearing of this case, Lachgar purportedly seemed in poor health, especially her left hand, which apparently showed visible signs of injury. Despite this, she was still smiling, expressing gestures of defiance and showing solidarity with her fellow activists present in court.
Lachgar’s lawyers believe that if the court decides to deny her release, they will be in breach of her human rights and could further damage her mental and physical health.
Judges have postponed the next hearing to come to a final decision on the release request.
The fight for the protection of human rights in Morocco is a longstanding one; Lachgar’s case only marks another common instance of an activist being jailed based on questionable charges. As Maghrebi reported, human rights lawyer Fouad Abdelmoumni was also jailed, based on accusations of “spreading false allegations.”
As seen in Maghrebi Weekly, the struggles of Morocco’s youth are laid bare, yet in a time when they most need advocates, the country silences those voices within prison walls.
Hespress, Maghrebi.org, Maghrebi Weekly
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