Moroccan feminist activist Ibtissame 'Betty' Lachgar faces prosecution for 'insulting Islam'
The decision by the public prosecutor's office, which came as a "shock" to the activist's family, opened a new chapter in a case that has been widely discussed in Morocco and abroad. Lachgar now faces up to five years in prison, depending on how the judge interprets Article 267-5 of the Moroccan Penal Code, which punishes anyone who offends Islam.
Yet the charges against her came as a surprise, given that the women's and LGBTQ+ rights activist had been posting photos of herself wearing the controversial T-shirt since 2022 without any interference from the justice system. In 2021, she even appeared wearing it during an interview broadcast on the French television channel LCI.
Threats of rape and lynching
Should yet another post have gone unnoticed? That is what those close to the feminist activist believe, suggesting that her upcoming trial may be linked to the "unexpected" outcry caused this time by the controversial image. A week after it was posted on X, there had been no reaction, until a wave of anonymous accounts – mostly affiliated with the so-called Moorish identity movement, which regularly conducts cyber-harassment campaigns against feminist circles – began targeting her on August 9, even tagging the General Directorate for National Security, the Moroccan national police. In recent days, Lachgar claimed to have received numerous threats of rape and lynching.
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