Morocco: Free Outspoken Moroccan Rap Star

Imprisoned, Charged for 'Insulting Royalty' "Through rap, I'll stage a coup d'Étatwith my spiteful homies, 'cause their lives are all stormy weather... Go ahead, take me -- blindfold my eyes, reopen Tazmamart, and throw me in." With these biting lyrics, 34-year-old Moroccan rap star Mehdi Lyoubi, known as Mehdi Black Wind, invoked the infamous Tazmamart prison, where those accused of plotting against the monarchy were jailed in atrocious conditions from the mid-1970s through the early 1990s. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines When a Moroccan judge ordered the detention of Lyoubi on July 15, he didn't send him to Tazmamart. Instead, he remanded him to Oukacha prison in Casablanca, pending prosecution for offending the king or crown prince - an offense punishable by up