A Moroccan court on Wednesday rejected a bail request for activist Ibtissame Lachgar, who faces trial accused of “offending Islam.” Lachgar, a 50-year-old psychologist and rights campaigner, was arrested this month after posting online a photo wearing a T-shirt declaring “Allah is lesbian.” Appearing in court for the first time, she looked weary, her left arm bound in a medical brace, yet smiled as she greeted supporters.
Her lawyer, Naima El Guellaf, said Lachgar is undergoing cancer treatment and requires urgent surgery in September to avoid amputation. Defence lawyers stressed her condition was “critical,” presenting medical documents and guarantees that she would not abscond, but the judge refused release.
The request followed a similar plea denied last week, as the trial was adjourned until 3 September after two more lawyers joined the defence. El Guellaf said Lachgar was being held in isolation, barred from speaking with other inmates, worsening her already fragile condition.
Her social media post sparked a storm of outrage, leading critics to demand prosecution under Morocco’s penal code, which criminalises offending Islam. The law carries prison terms of up to two years, extended to five if offences occur publicly or through electronic platforms.
Lachgar is no stranger to controversy. In 2009 she co-founded the Alternative Movement for Individual Liberties, which staged a Ramadan picnic to challenge fasting laws. The movement has since led campaigns against gender-based violence and child abuse, drawing sharp scrutiny from authorities.
She was previously arrested in 2016 for disturbing public order and briefly detained in 2018 for advocating abortion rights, though not prosecuted. Her case now stands at the uneasy crossroads of health, faith, and freedom, igniting fierce debate over expression and dissent in Morocco.
