On 10th August 2025, Ms Lachgar was arrested in Rabat and placed in police custody pending investigation, following the online publication of a photograph in which she wore a T‐shirt reading “Allah is lesbian,” accompanied by a caption critiquing Islam. Ms Lachgar has since been targeted with thousands of threats, including calls for rape, death, stoning and other extreme violence.
Her arrest, conducted under Article 267‐5 of Morocco’s Penal Code, which criminalises public insults to Islam, carries severe penalties ‒ up to five years in prison and substantial fines.
Ms Lachgar is due to speak at our FiLiA conference in a matter of weeks. She is well regarded, and the audience of over 2,000 are anticipating being able to hear from her about her work on women’s rights and freedoms.