Moroccan rapper Mehdi Black Wind placed in police custody

Moroccan rapper Mehdi El Youbi, better known by his stage name Mehdi Black Wind, was taken into police custody on the evening of Monday, July 13, after being questioned by Morocco's National Brigade of Judicial Police (BNPJ) in Casablanca.

According to several sources, the artist was prevented from leaving Morocco for France at the end of last week before receiving an official summons to appear at the BNPJ headquarters on Monday.

The reasons behind the investigation have not been officially disclosed. As a result, it remains impossible to determine whether the proceedings are linked to his music, known for its critical social and political themes, to online calls for demonstrations attributed to the «Generation Z» movement circulating on social media, or to another case currently under investigation.

Several Moroccan activists and journalists, including Imad Stitou, Omar Radi and Khalid El Bekkari, said on social media that the rapper had been due to return to Marseille at the end of last week but was barred from traveling before being summoned by the BNPJ and subsequently placed in police custody.

Originally from Salé, Mehdi Black Wind is considered one of the leading figures of Morocco's underground rap scene.