In its first reaction to the arrest and sentencing of Moroccan activist and feminist Ibtissame Lachgar, Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday urged Moroccan authorities to urgently overturn her 30-month prison sentence. In a statement issued the same day, HRW said Morocco must ensure respect for the right to free expression, referring to the charges against Lachgar, who was tried for blasphemy after posting a photo of herself wearing a T-shirt that read «Allah is Lesbian». Lachgar was arrested on August 10 and charged by the Rabat First Instance Court with «causing harm to Islam». On September 3, the court sentenced her to 30 months in prison and a fine of 50,000 dirhams. «Sentencing an activist to more than two years in prison merely for posting a photo on social media is a huge blow to free speech in Morocco», said Hanan Salah, associate Middle East and North Africa director at HRW. «The authorities should abolish this draconian legislation instead of using it as a tool to violate free speech rights», nonprofit watchdog group headquartered in New York City argued. «Prosecutors in Morocco have a wide arsenal of repressive laws to punish critics for nonviolent speech, including broad and harsh provisions on terrorism, cybercrime, apostasy, and criminal defamation», it alleged. These laws are «frequently used to jail human rights defenders, activists, and bloggers», HRW claimed, referring to a 2022 ruling against Moroccan blogger Fatima Karim, sentenced to two years in prison on charges of publicly insulting Islam through Facebook posts. HRW argued that Moroccan authorities should decriminalize laws that restrict freedom of expression, including those that criminalize «insulting religion» and blasphemy. «Morocco's parliament should revise the penal and press codes by eliminating all nonviolent speech offenses that conflict with Morocco's obligations to respect freedom of expression», the organization said. HRW further noted that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by Morocco in 1979, guarantees that «everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference» and «the right to freedom of expression». The United Nations Human Rights Committee, which interprets the covenant and reviews governments' compliance, has ruled that, except in very limited cases, «prohibitions of displays of lack of respect for a religion or other belief system, including blasphemy laws, are incompatible with the Covenant». «Decriminalizing peaceful speech, including laws on blasphemy and insult to religion, should be a top priority for Morocco's legislature», Salah added. It is worth noting that Lachgar, a clinical psychologist and prominent activist, is the co-founder of MALI, a movement for individual freedoms. Before sentencing, her lawyers requested her release from pretrial detention on medical grounds, citing a condition requiring ongoing treatment, but the request was denied. Her lawyers plan appeal the first-instance ruling.
