Crowds gathered outside the Ain Sebaa court in Casablanca on Wednesday to demand the release of Moroccan rapper El Mahdi Lyoubi, known by his stage name "Mehdi Black Wind," who has been held in pre-trial detention since earlier this month. Lyoubi is being prosecuted under Article 179 of the Moroccan Penal Code — which carries a sentence of up to two years in prison — over a song his supporters say criticises the country's authorities. The case has drawn attention to freedom of artistic expression in Morocco, with fellow artists and activists arguing that his arrest amounts to the criminalisation of rap lyrics.