Fez — Moroccan artists and civil society figures have voiced concern over the prosecution of rapper Jawad Asradi, known professionally as Pause Flow, saying the case stems from artistic content in more than 10 rap songs.
The signatories argued the trial is built on what they described as misread excerpts from song lyrics and a “non-artistic” interpretation that ignores the genre’s context and conventions.
They also said some of the works included in the case are older tracks, including material published when Asradi was still a minor.
What the petition is demanding
The petition lists three main demands: releasing Asradi, stopping prosecutions of artists over artistic expression, and accelerating a legal framework that protects creativity and freedom of expression without custodial penalties or criminal-code prosecutions for artistic work.
It also notes that the petition had over 4,680 verified signatures at the time of publication on the platform.
Signatories from Morocco’s rap scene
Several well-known rappers are allegedly among the signatories. The list reportedly includes: AlNasser (Nabil Enmiry), ART-SMOKE (Soufiane Aresmouk), Black Wind (Mehdi Lyoubi), Diib (Mohamed Azzouzi), Khtek (Houda Abouz), Klass-A (Hamza Takafi), Koman (Mehdi Yassir), NessYou (Younes Ait Taarabt), and ElGrandeToto (Taha Fahssi).
What the statement is asking for
Beyond calling for Pause Flow’s release, the signatories urged Morocco to adopt a clearer legal framework protecting artistic creativity and freedom of expression, while avoiding custodial penalties and criminal-code prosecutions tied to artistic work.
They also referenced Morocco’s constitutional guarantees, citing Article 25, which protects freedom of thought, opinion, and expression “in all its forms,” as well as artistic and literary creation, publication, and exhibition.
