Ibtissame “Betty” Lachgar, a Moroccan lesbian activist, may lose her arm due to deteriorating health conditions while incarcerated for wearing a T-shirt that read, “Allah is a lesbian.” The 50-year-old has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison after a Facebook post deemed offensive to Islam led to her conviction in September 2022. Reports indicate that Lachgar’s health has significantly declined during her time in Salé prison, located on the outskirts of Rabat.
In her controversial post, Lachgar stated, “In Morocco, I walk around with T-shirts bearing messages against religions, Islam, etc. You tire us with your sanctimoniousness, your accusations.” This bold statement ignited outrage among conservative factions, with some calling for severe punishments, including threats of stoning and lynching. Moroccan law prohibits insults to Islam, the monarchy, and incitement against the country’s territorial integrity. Violators can face penalties of up to five years in prison and fines reaching 500,000 dirhams (approximately $136,130).
Lachgar’s lawyers argue that her conviction contradicts Morocco’s 2011 constitution and violates a United Nations treaty that safeguards freedom of expression. A survivor of bone cancer, she uses a prosthesis and has reportedly sustained a fractured elbow while imprisoned. Allegations of abuse and torture at Salé prison have been raised by Amnesty International, further complicating her situation.
Family members and legal representatives are calling for Lachgar’s immediate release, citing inadequate medical treatment for her injuries. Reports indicate that she has spent the past six months sleeping on a cold floor without a mattress in a cell with a broken window. Avaaz, a U.S.-based nonprofit, has launched a petition urging King Mohammed VI to intervene, which has garnered nearly 400,000 signatures—making it one of the largest petitions targeting Moroccan authorities in the past decade.
“The decline in Ibtissame Lachgar’s health is alarming,” said Ghizlane Mamounti, one of her lawyers. “Her prosthesis has completely dislodged and she’s only being treated with paracetamol for that and the fractured elbow she has sustained during her detention, despite urgently requiring complex surgery.”
As a co-founder of the Alternative Movement for Individual Freedoms, Lachgar has long advocated for personal liberties, including abortion access and same-sex marriage. Her activism has frequently placed her at odds with Moroccan authorities. The T-shirt that led to her conviction was worn in solidarity with two LGBTQ activists in Iran who faced the death penalty for promoting homosexuality and engaging with media considered hostile to the Islamic Republic.
“By keeping Betty in solitary confinement, she is being treated like a violent criminal when her only ‘crime’ is having worn a T-shirt bearing a slogan in support of two Iranian women sentenced to death,” Mamounti added. “In this, she is the victim of a double injustice—an illegal conviction under the Constitution and international agreements, and detention conditions that, given her disability, are inhumane and degrading.”
Siham Lachgar, Ibtissame’s sister, expressed her concerns in a statement, emphasizing the broader implications of her sister’s imprisonment. “This punishment isn’t about her actions but about what she stands for,” she stated. “It shows that, even today, you can be jailed simply for thinking differently. Every day she remains behind bars is another injustice to her, and another nail in the coffin of freedom.”
As the situation continues to unfold, the international community watches closely, aware that Lachgar’s plight embodies the ongoing struggle for freedom of expression and human rights in Morocco and beyond.
