by MENA
In London, a protest was held at the Moroccan Embassy on the same day, calling for the immediate release of activist Lachgar amid her struggle with cancer.
A Moroccan court has denied the release of feminist activist Ibtissame Lachgar, keeping her behind bars despite serious health concerns, as her trial for “offending Islam” sparks national and international outrage.
On Wednesday, her defence team asked Rabat’s first instance court to free the 50-year-old on medical grounds, citing reports that she is undergoing cancer treatment and could face an arm amputation if urgent surgery is not carried out.
The court denied the request and scheduled the next hearing for 3 September.
At the hearing, Lachgar appeared with her left arm in a sling, briefly smiling at supporters in the room. She has been held in solitary confinement at El Arjat prison near Rabat since her arrest on 12 August.
The co-founder of the Alternative Movement for Individual Freedoms (MALI) was detained after posting a photo on social media wearing a T-shirt that read “Allah is lesbian.”
In the caption, she described Islam, “like all religions,” as “fascist, patriarchal, and misogynist.”
If convicted under Article 267-5 of Morocco’s penal code, which criminalises publicly or online offending of Islam, Lachgar faces up to five years in prison.
Her sister, Siam Lachgar, who was in France at the time of the arrest, said she had been worried after seeing a social media post in which Betty reported cyber harassment, death threats, and threats of sexual violence.
“Put the T-shirt in the context of Betty’s whole fight. Knowing her activism in Morocco… She fights for individual freedoms and women’s rights,” she told French media.
Until now, Lachgar had never been imprisoned, despite engaging in provocative actions such as distributing abortion pills banned in Morocco through her collective, which she co-founded in 2009.
She is a polarising figure in the North African country, known for high-profile activism in support of women’s and LGBTQ+ rights.
Her campaigns have included organising a “kiss-in” outside parliament, advocating for abortion rights, and challenging conservative religious norms.
Inspired by radical feminist movements such as Femen, the trained psychologist turned activist has staged other controversial actions, including supporting a Dutch boat offering abortions and reclaiming public spaces through civil disobedience.
In 2020, she told Moroccan weekly TelQuel, “Rights and freedoms have to be taken… It is not by acting cautiously, politely, or politically correctly that progress will be made.”
Her first prominent action was a 2009 picnic during Ramadan, which led to her first detention.
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