Moroccan activist jailed for 'Allah is lesbian' slogan, family seeks release over health crisis

The family and legal representatives of Moroccan activist Ibtissame Betty Lachgar are urgently appealing for her release from prison, citing a severe decline in her health. Lachgar, who is serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence, faces significant pain and complications from a bone cancer that required a prosthetic humerus when she was 20. Her lawyer, Ghizlane Mamouni, expressed grave concern over Lachgar's condition, noting that the prosthesis is nearing perforation and causing excruciating pain. "It is really very, very worrying. I visit her almost every week. The last time was yesterday and I could see that it had worsened," Mamouni stated. Lachgar, a 50-year-old psychologist, requires extensive surgery, described as a "mega-prosthesis of the humerus," which her legal team believes cannot be adequately performed in Morocco. An operation scheduled for September in France was canceled when she was imprisoned in August. Activists and human rights organizations have launched a campaign, gathering over 500,000 signatures, to secure her release. The case stems from a photograph posted on social media in 2025, showing Lachgar wearing a t-shirt with the slogan "Allah is lesbian." She was arrested in August and has been in prison for ten months.

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It is really very, very worrying. I visit her almost every week. The last time was yesterday and I could see that it had worsened: the prosthesis is about to perforate the skin and she suffers atrocious pains.