Moroccan rapper Mehdi El Youbi temporarily released from prison

xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoRapper Mehdi El Youbi, better known by his stage name Mehdi Black Wind, was arrested in Morocco after authorities barred him from returning to France, where he’s been based since 2017 [Courtesy of supporters of Mehdi El Youbi]By Alex Milan DuriePublished On 1 Aug 20261 Aug 2026The politically outspoken Moroccan rapper and filmmaker Mehdi El Youbi has been granted a provisional release from prison in Casablanca, Morocco, after being detained for 18 days.

A judge granted El Youbi’s request for provisional release on Friday, according to a statement from a group of his supporters shared with Al Jazeera.

“He will not return to Oukacha Prison, where he had been held since 15 July. While we are extremely happy to know that he has been provisionally released, we are now waiting for his next hearing on 2 October 2026,” the statement said.

“As things stand, Mehdi is still being prosecuted under Article 179 of the Moroccan Penal Code for ‘insulting a constitutional institution.’ He still 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 arrest was believed to be linked to his artistic views and posts on social media, his supporters said.

El Youbi rose to prominence in Morocco and across North Africa in the early 2010s, at the same time as the Arab Spring, with songs that caught the attention of authorities for their politically engaged lyrics.

Omar Radi, a Moroccan investigative journalist and human rights activist who was previously jailed for criticising a judge, earlier 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 in Morocco demanding better health services and education reforms.

In the group statement shared with Al Jazeera, El Youbi’s supporters said “600 people” remain in detention since Autumn 2025. “Some sentences are as long as 15 years in prison.”

In October, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights reported that 600 people had been held for participating in the 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. But they said the “wave of support” that followed his arrest, with rallies held in cities across Morocco, Europe and North America, helped in his temporary release.