Human rights activists refuse to issue custodial sentences against the “rapper” in Morocco

A few days ago, the Court of Delict Misdemeanors at the Fez Primary School issued a ruling against Rabour “B. A., the owner of the song “Amo Rak Waldi El Zein”, was sentenced to two years in prison and a fine of 10,000 dirhams. This came after the same court issued two imprisonment sentences, for the same period, against the author of the song “Shar Kabi Atay” and the author of the song “Shar Kabi Hawai.”

The rulings issued against these singers raised a lot of controversy, especially since the matter related to a deprivation of freedom punishment against young people and regarding songs classified as an art that has its followers. Human rights activists assert that these provisions are “exaggerated and cannot serve their purpose.”

In this context, Adel Chiquito, head of the Moroccan League for the Defense of Human Rights, said, “The singer must have his creative material respect the privacy of society and not contain obscene content, especially since the artistic material he produces may be available to children and minors.”

Chiquito commented: “On the other hand, the Moroccan constitution guarantees them their right to creativity,” noting that “these rulings include discretionary discretion for judges, but what is required is that injunctive rulings such as fines or reprimands be issued and that these people not be dealt with with a security and judicial approach, but rather an educational one.” .

The same human rights activist considered that “the Artists Syndicate, the Ministry of Culture, parties, and other institutions entrusted with regulating these young people should have intervened,” and added: “The question that embarrasses us all is why did we reach this matter?”

The same speaker considered that “the artistic field is open without controls and guidance, which has led us to artistic productions containing obscene words,” speaking about what he called “a collective resignation, whether of the judiciary, the educational institution, the parties, and the various institutions, from performing their duties, especially guidance and artistic advancement for young people.” “This is what makes us today face artistic materials that contain obscene words.”

For his part, Idriss Sedrawi, President of the Moroccan Association for Citizenship and Human Rights, said: “We accompanied the trial of a group of rappers, and we record that the sentences issued against them were characterized by inequality before the law.”

Al-Sadrawi added in a statement to Hespress: “A number of rappers have the same content, but no judgments of this kind were issued against them,” citing the example of issuing judgments against singers in Italy, “but they were penalties for the rappers, and did not lead to imprisonment.”

The human rights activist criticized “the absence of legislative texts for a group of practices that we see today on social media, which do not respect the values ​​of society, women, and children, and carry contents of insult, slander, etc.,” and spoke of “shortcomings in legislative texts,” not to mention what he called “the absence of plans and strategies by the government for this.” The type of art that attracts a number of young people, and we must pay attention to it and embrace singers with good content.”