{"success":true,"data":{"id":"54d81bf1-e905-4084-9f67-2728a188d0f9","title":"Outspoken Moroccan rapper Mehdi El Youbi arrested in Casablanca","summary":"Navigation menu NewsShow more news sections More Show more sections Click here to search Navigation menu Outspoken Moroccan rapper Mehdi El Youbi arrested in Casablanca Activists say Moroccan authorities are intensifying repression of critical voices and the Gen Z protest movement.","content":"Navigation menu\n*   [News](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/)Show more news sections\n\n*   More Show more sections\n\nClick here to search\n\nNavigation menu\n\n# Outspoken Moroccan rapper Mehdi El Youbi arrested in Casablanca\n\n_Activists say Moroccan authorities are intensifying repression of critical voices and the Gen Z protest movement._\n\nListen (3 mins)\n\nSave\n\nClick here to share on social media\n\nAdd Al Jazeera on Google\n\n![Image 1: El Youbi, born in 1992, is widely known in Morocco and across North Africa for his politically-conscious rap songs that rose to fame during the early 2010s. [File: Mehdi El Youbi support committee]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/photoehdi1-1784059429.jpeg?resize=554%2C513&quality=80)\n\nMehdi El Youbi, who has been arrested in Morocco [Courtesy of supporters of Mehdi El Youbi]\n\nBy [Alex Milan Durie](https://www.aljazeera.com/author/alexander-durie)\n\nPolitically outspoken Moroccan artist, rapper, and filmmaker Mehdi El Youbi has been arrested in Casablanca, days after being barred from returning to France, where he has been based since 2017.\n\nEl Youbi, better known by his stage name Mehdi Black Wind, was detained on Monday night after being questioned by Morocco’s National Brigade of Judicial Police in Casablanca, according to a statement from a group of his friends and supporters.\n\n## Recommended Stories\n\nlist of 4 items\n*   list 1 of 4[Jailed Senegal fans deny wrongdoing in AFCON final chaos in Morocco](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/4/14/jailed-senegal-fans-deny-wrongdoing-in-afcon-final-chaos-in-morocco)\n*   list 2 of 4[Morocco king pardons jailed Senegal football fans from AFCON final](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/5/23/morocco-king-pardons-jailed-senegal-football-fans-for-humanitarian-reasons)\n*   list 3 of 4[‘Love you, from Gaza’: Fans, athletes hail Yamal’s Palestine flag wave](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/5/12/lamine-yamals-palestine-flag-wave-hailed-by-fans-activists-and-athletes)\n*   list 4 of 4[The Arab Spring hasn’t ended, and Arab regimes know it](https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/12/18/the-arab-spring-hasnt-ended-and-arab-regimes-know-it)\n\nend of list\n“After a day of questioning, his family were informed at around 9pm that he had been taken into police custody and was due to appear before the public prosecutor on Wednesday”, the statement said. “According to the latest information, his arrest is believed to be linked to his artistic views and posts on social media.”\n\nEl Youbi, born in 1992, is widely known in Morocco and across North Africa for his rap songs heavily influenced by US hip-hop. He rose to prominence in the early 2010s, at the same time as the [Arab Spring](https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2025/12/18/the-arab-spring-hasnt-ended-and-arab-regimes-know-it), with songs that caught the attention of the authorities for their politically engaged lyrics.\n\n“When I return home, I’m afraid of being arrested or banned from the country,” El Youbi [told](https://mosaiquemagazine.fr/blogs/articles/interview-mehdi-black-wind-au-maroc-la-can-coupe-dafrique-des-nations-est-utilisee-pour-apaiser-la-colere-du-peuple) French music magazine Mosaique Magazine in December 2025. “Many people try to depoliticise art or sport, but I believe that every committed artist, every activist, or anyone who takes risks lives between boldness and fear.”\n\nEl Youbi is “the best rapper in North Africa and it’s not close”, Algerian journalist Maher Mezahi said on X.\n\n![Image 3: Mehdi El Youbi was arrested in Morocco, days after being barred from returning to Marseille, France, where he’s been based since 2017. [Courtesy of supporters of Mehdi El Youbi]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/photomehdi3-1784059195.jpeg?w=770&resize=770%2C770&quality=80)\n\nMehdi El Youbi was arrested in Morocco, days after being barred from returning to Marseille, France, where he’s been based since 2017. [Courtesy of supporters of Mehdi El Youbi]\n\nOmar Radi, a Moroccan investigative journalist and human rights activist who was [previously jailed in Morocco for criticising a judge](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/3/17/morocco-sentences-activist-for-criticising-judiciary), told Al Jazeera that El Youbi is “the most outspoken and politically direct Moroccan rapper”.\n\n“There is a deliberate attempt to stamp out any possibility of criticism of the government or police methods, whether within civil society and the press, or in artistic circles or amongst football supporters,” Radi said.\n\nEl Youbi’s detention comes a day after the arrest of Moroccan journalist Ali Lmrabet, which was [condemned](https://cpj.org/2026/07/moroccan-authorities-arrest-journalist-ali-lmrabet-over-alleged-false-information/) by the Committee to Protect Journalists, and two weeks after Zineb Kharroubi, a leading figure in the Gen Z 212 activist movement, was given a six-month [suspended prison sentence](https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2026/06/30/zineb-kharroubi-figure-du-collectif-genz-212-en-france-condamnee-a-de-la-prison-avec-sursis-au-maroc_6717119_3212.html?srsltid=AfmBOorN1liNg3dafmCJIYu0evKGcVczdoeSNZPbWMHRVpiy8np6IXha) after being found guilty of “incitement to commit crimes or offences by electronic means”.\n\nA supporter of El Youbi said that these developments reflect “intensified repression linked to the Gen Z movement”, referring to the [youth-led protest movement](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/29/gen-z-protesters-rally-across-morocco-demanding-health-education-reforms) that [emerged last year](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/10/youth-led-protests-in-morocco-push-for-reforms-ahead-of-kings-speech) in Morocco demanding better health services and education reforms.\n\nGet instant alerts and updates based on your interests. Be the first to know when big stories happen.\n\nYes, keep me updated\n\nEl Youbi is due to appear before the public prosecutor on Wednesday morning. His supporters said they were concerned that he may have to appear without a lawyer, as lawyers in Morocco are currently on strike.\n\nVideo Player is loading.\n\nPlay Video\n\nPlay Skip Backward Skip Forward\n\nMute\n\nCurrent Time 0:00\n\n/\n\nDuration 0:00\n\nLoaded: 0.00%\n\n0:00\n\nStream Type LIVE\n\nSeek to live, currently behind live LIVE\n\nRemaining Time-0:00\n\n1x\n\nPlayback Rate\n\n*   2x\n*   1.75x\n*   1.5x\n*   1.25x\n*   1x, selected\n*   0.75x\n*   0.5x\n\nChapters\n\n*   Chapters\n\nDescriptions\n\n*   descriptions off, selected\n\nCaptions\n\n*   captions settings, opens captions settings dialog\n*   captions off, selected\n\nQuality Levels\n\nAudio Track\n\nFullscreen\n\nThis is a modal window.\n\nBeginning of dialog window. 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