A Moroccan court on Monday upheld a 30-month prison sentence for feminist activist Ibtissame Lachgar over blasphemy charges, according to an AFP journalist at the court. Lachgar was arrested in August after posting a photo online of herself wearing a T-shirt with the word “Allah” in Arabic followed by “is lesbian.”
Health concerns and medical appeal
Lachgar’s lawyers had previously requested her release on medical grounds, highlighting that she required critical surgery for cancer on her left arm. Doctors warned that the operation was essential to prevent amputation. However, the court denied the medical release request.
Freedom of Speech vs. Moroccan Law
The controversial T-shirt post, which described Islam as “like any religious ideology… fascist, phallocratic and misogynistic,” drew widespread backlash in Morocco. Human Rights Watch condemned the sentence, calling it a “huge blow to free speech.”
Under Morocco’s penal code, anyone who offends Islam can face up to two years in prison, with sentences increasing to five years if the offense is public, including online. The prosecution argued that Lachgar’s post threatened public order and the “spiritual well-being of Moroccans.”
Next steps
Lachgar reiterated in court that her T-shirt slogan was a feminist message, not a direct insult to Islam. Her legal team is preparing to challenge the ruling in a higher court and push for alternatives to imprisonment.
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