[Paris Tonkar magazine]: Rapper allegedly set up and arrested

“One of the most famous rappers of the Moroccan protest movement called ‘20th February Movement’ was arrested in Casablanca, Morocco, yesterday evening, September 9th 2011. The 24 years old rapper Moad Belghouat, artist name: Lhaqed [also spelled: el7a9ed, orHaked, meaning ‘hateful’ or ‘malicious’], was arrested while he was distributing flyers for a pacific demonstration for freedom & democracy in Morocco on September 11th. The police arrested Lhaqad after someone filed a charge against him claiming that Lhaged had aggressed him. We have reasons to believe that Lhaqed was set up by the authorities for the following reasons: According to his lawyer, a member of an informal organisation called ‘Royalist youth alliance’ which is known for its radical rightwing positions and its violence, went to the house of Lhaqed on September 9th and insulted him and his family. Lhaqed was not at home at this moment but was told about it later and went to the police to file a charge. There he was held and interrogated for three hours. Eventually when he was allowed to leave the police station, he returned to his neighborhood to join a group of activists that were mobilizing for the demonstration.

Lhaqed was distributing flyers peacefully when the same person approached him and began to insult him. Then he assaulted him. There was quarrel between the two. By ‘coincidence’ an ambulance was waiting down the street and took the aggressor to a hospital. There he was given a sick certificate for 45 days of medical treatment with which he filed a charge against Lhaqed for sustained injury. With this charge, Lhaqed risks a prison sentence of one to two years. It is a common strategy of the moroccan authorities to set up cases of civil charges against political activists or journalists. The 20th February Movement is a protest movement in the spirit of the ‘Arab spring’ and has been fighting for more democracy, liberty, dignity and social justice over the last seven months. Lhaqed is one of the artists highly involved in this movement. His lyrics are famous for being outspoken and critical about the Moroccan regime. He criticizes corruption, clientelism, the oligarchy of a few families in Morocco and the monarchy's excessive wealth.”

mercredi 28 septembre 2011