Politically outspoken Moroccan rapper and filmmaker Mehdi El Youbi has been granted provisional release from prison in Casablanca after being detained for 18 days, according to a statement from a group of his supporters shared with Al Jazeera.
A judge granted El Youbi's request for provisional release on Friday. The statement said he will not return to Oukacha Prison, where he had been held since July 15. However, his next hearing is scheduled for October 2, 2026.
As things stand, El Youbi is still being prosecuted under Article 179 of the Moroccan Penal Code for 'insulting a constitutional institution.' He faces a sentence of six months to two years in prison, as well as a fine of between 20,000 and 200,000 Moroccan dirhams ($2,150 to $21,500).
Better known by his stage name, Mehdi Black Wind, El Youbi was arrested in Casablanca days after being barred from returning to France, where he has been based since 2017. His supporters believe the arrest was linked to his artistic views and social media posts.
El Youbi rose to prominence in Morocco and across North Africa in the early 2010s, during the Arab Spring, with songs that caught the attention of authorities for their politically engaged lyrics.
Moroccan investigative journalist and human rights activist Omar Radi, previously jailed for criticizing a judge, told Al Jazeera that El Youbi is 'the most outspoken and politically direct Moroccan rapper.' At the time of El Youbi's arrest, a supporter said the move reflected the 'intensified repression linked to the Gen Z movement,' referring to the youth-led protest movement that emerged last year demanding better health services and education reforms.
In the group statement, El Youbi's supporters said '600 people' remain in detention since autumn 2025, with some sentences as long as 15 years. In October, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights reported that 600 people had been held for participating in protests.
El Youbi appeared before a judge in Casablanca on Friday without a lawyer, as lawyers in Morocco are currently on strike, which concerned his supporters. However, they said the 'wave of support' that followed his arrest, with rallies held in cities across Morocco, Europe, and North America, helped secure his temporary release.
Source: www.aljazeera.com