RABAT, July 16 (Reuters) – Casablanca’s public prosecutor ordered rapper and documentary filmmaker El Mahdi Lyoubi, an outspoken critic of Morocco’s political system, into pre-trial detention on Wednesday, a rights group and a judicial source said.
Known professionally as Mehdi Black Wind, Lyoubi was placed in police custody on Monday, after he was prevented from boarding a flight to Marseille, where he lives.
The prosecutor’s office has not disclosed the charges against him.
The Moroccan Association for Human Rights called for his immediate release, saying the case raised concerns about freedom of expression.
More than 500 artists, musicians and film professionals also signed a petition published by French media platform Mediapart demanding his release.
(Reporting by Ahmed El Jechtimi; Editing by Stephen Coates)
