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Marrakech – Kacem El Ghazzali, representing the Center for Inquiry (CFI) at the UN Human Rights Council’s 60th session, condemned Morocco’s 30-month prison sentence for activist Ibtissame Lachgar. Speaking during Item 4 General Debate on situations requiring urgent attention, El Ghazzali questioned the basis of her imprisonment.
“What is Ibtissame Lachgar’s crime? Did she embezzle public funds? No. Did she assault anyone? No,” he declared. “Her crime is simply challenging religious authority through an expressive act.”
“She didn’t impose her opinion on anyone but merely demanded her right to a different opinion, which she expressed freely. But Morocco sentenced her to two and a half years for blasphemy,” he added.
The CFI, which has held special consultative status with the United Nations since 2005, works to protect and advance human rights from a secular perspective, focusing on freedom of religion, belief, and expression; women’s rights; and LGBTQ equality.
El Ghazzali, a world-renowned secular essayist with expertise in Middle Eastern studies who joined the organization in March, connected Lachgar’s case to broader regional concerns, noting that in Algeria, the 80-year-old Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal is “fighting cancer behind bars, sentenced to five years imprisonment.”
“These are not isolated incidents but systematic attacks on freedom of expression,” El Ghazzali asserted. “Both Morocco and Algeria criminalize things they consider ‘insulting to Islam,’ even though the concept of insult is vague and difficult to define consistently.”
In his Council speech, he urged both countries to abolish blasphemy laws, calling them illegitimate tools “primarily as a tool to suppress political opposition and target non-religious and secular voices throughout the region.”
Lachgar, known as “Betty” on social media, is a 49-year-old clinical psychologist and co-founder of the Alternative Movement for Individual Liberties (MALI). She was arrested on August 10 after a photo of her circulated on the social media platform X showing her wearing a t-shirt with the words “Allah is lesbian.”
According to Associated Press, the post also included messages labeling Islam “fascist” and “misogynistic,” which her defense team argued was protected political speech. Between August 12 and 27, she was prosecuted in detention, and her bail request was denied despite health concerns.
‘Penal Code Article 267-5 sent Morocco backward’
The Rabat First Instance Court convicted her on September 3 under Article 267-5 of Morocco’s penal code for “causing harm to Islam,” a charge that carries enhanced penalties when committed through electronic media. The court sentenced her to prison and a fine of MAD 50,000 ($5,000).
Her family claims the photo originated in 2022 and only resurfaced in July this year, adding that as a cancer survivor, she requires specialist care that may be unavailable in detention.
In Morocco’s specific framework, Islam is widely described as one of the country’s sacrosanct “constants,” alongside the monarchy and territorial integrity. The Constitution enshrines Islam as the state religion, and the penal code contains provisions against insulting it or undermining sacred symbols.
Speaking to Morocco World News (MWN), El Ghazzali was more direct. He asserted that “Law 267-5 has a history – it was introduced by the Islamist government after the Arab Spring and set Morocco back years in terms of human rights obligations.” The law, he said, “contradicts a fundamental principle of the 2011 Constitution – freedom of speech and thought.”
He warned that Morocco cannot “keep such restrictions without undermining its international credibility” – and stressed that “no one has the right to harm anyone simply because they disagree with them – there is no room for ‘self-justice’ in Morocco.”
El Ghazzali also accused former Justice Minister Mustapha Ramid – a senior figure in the Islamist PJD – of engaging in “political blackmail” by publicly attacking Lachgar. He labeled Ramid’s intervention an electoral maneuver: “The state itself had no real interest in arresting her, but Ramid exploited the upcoming elections to mobilize Islamists and pressure the government.”
Still, he underlined that the state cannot absolve itself of responsibility. “Parliament made a mistake when it passed Law 267-5. Before the Islamist government, Morocco was largely consistent with international conventions. This law pushed us years backward – and it needs to be repealed.”
In a previous analysis for Swiss newspaper NZZ, El Ghazzali had described Lachgar as “a visionary who brings ideas from a possible future into the present,” adding that even in Europe, her views are considered “hyperprogressive.”
He noted that Lachgar belongs to a privileged class of activists who typically avoid arrest despite being critical, and pointed out that she has alienated potential supporters across the political spectrum due to her outspoken positions on multiple issues.
‘A huge blow to free speech’
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Moroccan authorities to overturn the verdict, describing it as “a huge blow to free speech.” The organization cited Morocco’s obligations under the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights, which it ratified in 1979, guaranteeing freedom of expression.
Lachgar’s defense team has announced plans to appeal while she remains in detention despite requests for medical release due to her cancer-related complications and need for arm surgery. Coverage noted she appeared in court with an arm sling and a headscarf.
Lachgar has a history of provocative activism challenging Morocco’s social boundaries, having organized a “Ramadan picnic” in 2009 protesting Penal Code Article 222, which criminalizes publicly breaking the fast.
She later organized a 2013 “kiss-in” outside Parliament supporting teenagers prosecuted for posting a kissing photo on Facebook, and has backed access to abortion, including supporting the docking of a Dutch “abortion boat” initiative off Morocco.
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