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 the Judicial Police (BNPJ) in Casablanca.
According to several sources, the artist was prevented from leaving Morocco for France late last week before receiving an official summons to appear at BNPJ headquarters on Monday.
The reasons for the investigation have not been officially disclosed. As a result, it remains impossible to determine whether the proceedings are related 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 Stitu, Omar Radi and Khalid El-Bekkari, said on social media that the rapper was due to return to Marseille late last week but was banned from traveling before being summoned by the BNPJ and then placed in police custody.
Hailing from Salé, Mehdi Black Wind is considered one of the leading figures in Morocco’s underground rap scene.