Kabyle man sentenced for wearing Moroccan map t-shirt

On Tuesday, January 6, a court in Tizi Ouzou handed down a two-year prison sentence to a young Kabyle man, accusing him of «undermining national unity». «Lyes Guernine, a devoted fan of Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie (JSK), was arrested several weeks ago at a JSK match for wearing a t-shirt depicting the complete map of Morocco», Axel Bellabbaci, advisor to the president of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK), told Yabiladi.

«Young Lyes has never been politically active. He is merely an enthusiastic JSK supporter. This ruling comes at a time when hundreds of Moroccans are openly waving Algerian flags in the streets of Rabat during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) matches in Morocco», he lamented. Bellabbaci also noted, «For now, Algerian media seem to be steering clear of reporting on this conviction».

For the record, in February 2021, the Algerian government initiated a campaign against maps of Morocco that include Western Sahara, leading to incidents considered absurd. Notable examples include the hunt for globes in August 2023 and the controversy surrounding the Renaissance Sportive de Berkane jersey in April 2024.