Morocco’s revolutionary rapper gets 4 months in prison for intoxication and assaulting police

CASABLANCA, Morocco – A Moroccan human rights organization says a rap artist belonging to a pro-democracy movement has been convicted of public intoxication and attacking police and was sentenced to four months prison with a $1,200 fine.

Mouad Belghouat — known as El-Haqed — sings songs critical of Morocco and its king and has been jailed twice before. His supporters say he is being unfairly targeted by police.

He was arrested in May outside a soccer match, allegedly for scalping tickets, though those charges were dropped on Tuesday when the verdict was announced, said Samira Kinani of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, who was present at the trial.

Belghouat’s lawyer disputed the evidence presented during the trial, especially incriminating statements by his client whom he maintained had refused to speak to police.