Urgent call for release of detained moroccan filmmaker and rapper el mahdi lyoubi

The detention of Moroccan filmmaker and musician El Mahdi Lyoubi since July 13, 2026, following an unexplained travel ban, has sparked widespread concern over artistic freedom and free expression in the Kingdom. International human rights organizations and cultural institutions are now demanding his immediate release.

An internationally recognized artist

Born in Salé in 1992, El Mahdi Lyoubi moved to Marseille in 2017 and trained at France’s renowned national film school, La Fémis. His documentary short film “Marseille, 14 juillet” has been showcased at prestigious festivals worldwide, including New Directors-New Films (MoMA, New York), Sheffield DocFest, and the African Film Festival of Tarifa. Currently working on his first feature-length documentary—selected for funding by the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) in 2025—Lyoubi is also known in Morocco’s music scene as Mehdi Black Wind. His creative work consistently explores themes of social justice and freedom of expression. Last September, he performed at L’Boulevard Festival in Casablanca, drawing over 50,000 attendees.

Arrest and unresolved detention

On July 10, 2026, while preparing to return to Marseille after a family visit and documentary scouting, Lyoubi was informed at Rabat-Salé Airport of a travel ban preventing him from boarding his flight to France. The reasons for this restriction were never disclosed. After being denied departure, he was taken to a police station in Salé, where authorities provided no further explanation and issued him a summons to appear before the National Brigade of Judicial Police (BNPJ) in Casablanca on July 13.

After a full day of questioning, he was placed in police custody that evening. Relatives were only informed late and informally that the arrest might be linked to social media posts, though no specific details were provided. He was presented before a prosecutor on July 15 and subsequently remanded in custody at Oukacha prison in Casablanca, awaiting trial scheduled for July 22. This process unfolds amid a nationwide lawyers’ strike, preventing his legal representatives from meeting with him or accessing his case file. His family has also been denied visitation rights.

A disturbing pattern of artistic repression

El Mahdi Lyoubi’s case is not an isolated incident. Since late 2025, Morocco has seen a troubling increase in legal actions against artists for their creative work or online statements. Rapper Jawad Asradi, known as Pause Flow, was arrested in November 2025 and initially held in pretrial detention over lyrics in his songs before receiving a three-month suspended sentence for insulting a constituted body in June 2026. Another rapper, Hamza Raid, was similarly detained in Casablanca and given a six-month suspended sentence. In March 2026, 20-year-old rapper Souhaib Qabli was sentenced to eight months in prison for insulting a constitutional institution and spreading false news. In February 2026, film distributor Zineb Kharroubi received a six-month suspended sentence for inciting crimes via electronic means.

These cases, though varied in circumstances, reveal a disturbing trend: the growing criminalization of artistic expression. This contradicts Article 25 of the Moroccan Constitution, which guarantees freedom of thought, opinion, and expression in all forms. It also conflicts with the Kingdom’s international human rights commitments.

The timing of these developments coincides with the GenZ 212 protest movement, largely organized online, which has demanded access to healthcare and education, anti-corruption measures, and freedom of expression.

Demands for justice and artistic freedom

Convinced that artistic freedom and free expression are pillars of cultural and democratic vitality, the signatories of this appeal urge Moroccan authorities to:

• Ensure that El Mahdi Lyoubi enjoys all procedural rights guaranteed under Moroccan law and international conventions, including full access to legal counsel;
• Reevaluate immediately any restriction on his liberty or movement to ensure it is legally grounded, serves a legitimate purpose, and meets principles of necessity and proportionality;
• Ensure that his case is handled in full compliance with fair trial standards and Morocco’s constitutional and international human rights obligations;
• Strengthen protections for artists, creators, and cultural actors to enable them to work freely and participate in public debate within a framework that respects pluralism and diversity in artistic expression;
• Release El Mahdi Lyoubi unconditionally and without delay.

We continue to monitor this case closely and remain open to constructive dialogue with the competent authorities.

Co-signatories include:

National and international organizations:

• Moroccan Association for Human Rights
• Lawyers Without Borders
• Visions du Réel Festival
• International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), within the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
• La Fémis
• Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
• Human Rights League
• World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
• Magistrates’ Union
• The International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk

Prominent public figures:

• Adele Haenel
• Aïssa Maïga
• Alice Diop
• Annie Ernaux
• Bachar Mar-Khalifé
• Clément Cogitore
• Edouard Louis
• Fatna El Bouih
• Françoise Vergès
• Geoffroy de Lagasnerie
• Georges Didi-Huberman
• Guillaume Cailleau
• Judith Lévy
• Leaticia Dosch
• Lina Soualem
• Louis Arène
• Maguy Marin
• Mati Diop
• Milo Rau
• Montassir Sakhi
• Pinar Selek
• Robert Guédiguian
• Tiago Rodrigues
• Virginie Despentes

Moroccan member organizations:

• Democratic Association of Moroccan Women (ADFM)
• Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH)
• Moroccan Organization for Human Rights (OMDH)