Moroccan rapper Mehdi El Youbi temporarily released from prison

The outspoken artist was detained in mid-July for ‘insulting a constitutional institution’.The 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.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4The Arab Spring hasn’t ended, and Arab regimes know itlist 2 of 4Global system of human rights in ‘peril’, warns HRW in its annual reportlist 3 of 4Prominent Moroccan journalist Ali Lmrabet released from custodylist 4 of 4Outspoken Moroccan rapper Mehdi El Youbi arrested in Casablancaend of list“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”.