Latest news with #RabatCourtofFirstInstance
LeMonde
19 hours ago
- LeMonde
Moroccan feminist activist Ibtissame 'Betty' Lachgar faces prosecution for 'insulting Islam'
Not only will Ibtissame Lachgar face prosecution by the Moroccan courts for "insulting Islam," but she will also await her trial behind bars. Brought before the prosecutor of the Rabat Court of First Instance on Tuesday, August 12, the 50-year-old feminist activist was held in police custody for 48 hours before being placed in pretrial detention at a prison near Arjate, where she spent her first night in a cell. The prosecutor's office had requested her arrest on Sunday, after she posted on X on July 31 a photo of herself wearing a T-shirt with the words "Allah is lesbian." 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.
Ya Biladi
3 days ago
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Activist Ibtissame Lachgar placed in custody over «blasphemous» t-shirt
Moroccan feminist activist Ibtissame Lachgar was taken into custody on Sunday, August 10, after posting a photo of herself wearing a t-shirt with «phrases offensive to the Divine Being», the Public Prosecutor at the Rabat Court of First Instance announced in a statement. The photo, shared on her social media account, was accompanied by a post «containing insults to the Islamic religion», the statement noted. The public prosecution has ordered an investigation into the matter and, «given the urgency», Lachgar was «placed in police custody in accordance with the law», the same source added. «The appropriate legal measures will be taken in light of the investigation's results once it is concluded», the statement specified. On social media, Lachgar's post has gone viral, drawing strong condemnation from many who called for her to be held accountable. Former Minister of Justice Mustapha Ramid also called for her prosecution, writing in a post: «The so-called Ibtissame Lachgar deserves to be questioned, if what has been attributed to her in some outlets, describing God Almighty in an inappropriate manner, is indeed true. This is not about a different opinion or personal belief, but about her deliberate insult to God Almighty, attributing to Him what should never be said or heard».
Ya Biladi
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Maati Monjib travel ban amid money laundering probe : Prosecutor clarifies legal grounds
The historian and activist Maati Monjib has been subjected to a travel ban due to an ongoing judicial investigation into suspicions of money laundering. In an interview published by MAP, Zouhair Lahrach, the First Deputy Prosecutor at the Rabat Court of First Instance, stated on Monday that this measure does not call into question either the political or academic activities of the person concerned, nor «his exercise of any of the rights guaranteed to him by law». Last Thursday, Maati Monjib announced that he had begun a hunger strike after being barred from leaving the country at Rabat-Salé Airport, where he was heading to attend a conference at Sorbonne University in France. In response, Zouhair Lahrach denounced «misleading allegations regarding this matter». According to him, investigations revealed that Monjib received substantial transfers from abroad and owns several properties flagged in suspicious transaction reports under Article 18 of Law 43.05. On this basis, the Prosecutor's Office «ordered a preliminary investigation», after which Maati Monjib was referred to the public prosecutor. The latter then «filed a request for a judicial investigation» on suspicions of acts «constituting the crime of money laundering under Articles 574-1, 574-2, and 574-3 of the Penal Code», Lahrach explained. These investigation procedures «are linked to international letters rogatory sent abroad», the official added, emphasizing that the results «require the presence of the individual concerned to confront the findings». The case, he said, «is still under review by the investigating judge», who ordered a travel ban and passport confiscation «in accordance with Article 142 of the Code of Criminal Procedure». Regarding any potential connection between this measure and the royal pardon granted to Maati Monjib last year, Lahrach firmly denied any link to the ongoing legal proceedings. He clarified that the acts under investigation «constitute a crime independent of the original offense related to illicit gains and do not stem from it based on their legal foundation», contrary to what he described as «false claims circulating on the matter».
