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The family and friends of a woman jailed in Morocco over a T-shirt saying “Allah is lesbian” have expressed fears over the cancer survivor’s health in prison.
Ibtissame “Betty” Lachgar, 50, a Moroccan feminist activist and psychologist, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after she was convicted on blasphemy charges.
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Ibtissame first posted the photo on her social media channels in 2022, her family said (Ibtissame Lachgar)
She was arrested on 10 August at her home in the capital Rabat after a picture circulated online showing her wearing the T-shirt, her sister Siham Lachgar told The Independent. She explained the shirt was inspired by the quote: “I saw God. She is black, communist, and lesbian”, attributed to the French feminist Anne-Marie Fauret.
Siham said her sister was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a type of bone cancer, in her twenties. She has ongoing health issues, with a prosthesis replacing the bone in her upper left arm. Siham fears her sister may not have access to healthcare in prison, and that she needs urgent treatment for her prosthesis or risks having her arm amputated.
Describing the sentencing on Wednesday as a “shock and an injustice”, she said: “Not taking her health into consideration is simply inhumane.
“I’m very worried because she has no medical follow-up in Morocco – all of her doctors are in France – and she doesn’t seem to have seen a doctor in prison.”
Ibtissame posted the photo on her social media in 2022 in response to the conviction and death sentence of two LGBT+ activists in Iran. She had never worn the T-shirt in Morocco, where same-sex relations are illegal, her sister said.
The photo was shared by a stranger on the social media platform X in July, accompanied by a message calling for her arrest, her family says. The post was reportedly shared by hundreds of other users, many tagging the official X account of the Moroccan police.
Ibtissame was held in pre-trial detention before appearing in court in Rabat this week, wearing a headscarf and appearing exhausted. According to her lawyers, she has been kept in isolation in prison and is forbidden from speaking to other inmates.
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Friends and family are calling for Lachgar’s release (Nederlandse Leeuw/Wikimedia)
Loubna Rais, an activist in Rabat who has known Ibtissame since they were teenagers, has only seen her three times since her arrest, during her court appearances.
“We can see each time her health is deteriorating,” she told The Independent. “Her mental health has suffered, and her physical condition is getting worse.”
Her sentencing on Wednesday was also Loubna’s birthday. “When I saw her in court, she said happy birthday, because she didn’t forget,” she said, her voice breaking. “She is a very generous and loyal person.”
Ibtissame told the court she had no intention of offending Islam, but she was found guilty of violating part of Morocco’s penal code that outlaws offending the monarchy or Islam.
Maryam Namazie, a close friend, said she believes the photo was taken in London, where the activist has frequently taken part in LGBT+ and human rights campaigns.
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Maryam Namazie (left) and Ibtissame have taken part in campaigns on LGBT+ and human rights in London (Maryam Namazie)
She is known in Morocco for her provocative activism, having called for the decriminalisation of sex outside of marriage, which also remains illegal, and organised a demonstration outside Morocco’s parliament where couples kissed to support two teenagers facing indecency charges over a photo of themselves kissing on Facebook.
“She’s a well-regarded activist and feminist who has fought for people’s rights for so long,” Maryam said. “She does so much at such a great risk to herself. She has a great deal of empathy and is kind, caring and thoughtful.
“The fact that someone can be arrested for a T-shirt is outrageous.”
A member of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, which aims to break the taboo that comes with leaving Islam, Maryam said supporters will continue to demand her release while she plans to appeal her conviction.
The Moroccan General Directorate of National Security has been contacted for comment.
