UPDATE – 31 July 2026: Moroccan filmmaker and rapper El Mahdi Lyoubi has been provisionally released from custody pending trial. He continues to face prosecution for “outrage against a constitutional institution” in connection with his artistic expression. His next court hearing has been scheduled for 2 October 2026.
Freemuse condemns the detention of Moroccan filmmaker and rapper El Mahdi Lyoubi, known professionally as Black Wind, and calls for the immediate end of the charges against him and his release from custody.
El Mahdi Lyoubi has been in police custody in Casablanca since Monday evening 13 July. He appeared before the prosecutor on Wednesday 15 July, who ordered that he remain in detention. His first hearing has been postponed to 22 July. He is currently held at Oukacha prison in Casablanca. According to the information available at this time, his arrest is linked to his artistic expression and social media posts. This is particularly concerning given that lawyers in Morocco are currently on strike. As a result, Lyoubi had to appear before the prosecutor alone, without legal representation.
At the end of June, Mahdi travelled to Morocco to scout locations for an ongoing documentary. After spending time with his family and watching the France-Morocco World Cup football match, he planned to return to France on 10 July. However, at the airport, a police officer informed him, without explanation, that he was prohibited from leaving the country. He was then given a summons to appear before the Casablanca judicial police on Monday, 13 July. His family was informed around 9:00 PM that he had been taken into custody.
An internationally recognised artist
Lyoubi is an internationally recognised filmmaker and rapper. His documentary work has been screened at Sheffield Docfest and MoMA’s New Directors/New Films festival. His songs “Nashid,” “L’Koul Fer3oun Kin Moussa,” and “Nbiyech” became underground hits, drawing hundreds of thousands of views. According to Reuters, more than 500 artists, musicians, and film professionals have signed a petition calling for his release, published by the French media outlet Mediapart.
Freemuse calls on the Moroccan authorities to immediately release Lyoubi, refrain from pursuing any criminal proceedings against him in connection with his peaceful artistic activities, and cease targeting him for the peaceful exercise of his right to artistic expression. We consider his arrest and any criminal investigation or prosecution arising from his peaceful artistic activities to be incompatible with the rights to freedom of artistic expression and to participate in cultural life. Such actions are inconsistent with Morocco’s obligations under international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to both of which Morocco has been a State Party since 1979.
Freemuse also calls on the international community to join its call for the immediate release of Lyoubi and to urge the Moroccan authorities to cease any criminal proceedings against him in connection with his peaceful artistic activities.
