The international campaign to free Moroccan feminist Ibtissame Betty Lachgar from jail was highlighted by long-time socialist feminist Debbie Brennan, a retired Australian Services Union member, at the International Women’s Day rally on March 8.
Lachgar has been jailed in Morocco for more than six months for campaigning to free two Iranian lesbians, sentenced to death in Iran. She was arrested on a trip home to see her mother.
According to Radical Women – Australia, Lachgar wore a T-shirt with the message “Allah is Lesbian” — adapting the famous 1970s feminist slogan, “I saw God. She is black, communist, and lesbian”. The Moroccan regime is trying to make her an example to anyone who dissents.
Actions on March 8 were organised in Washington DC, London, Paris, Madrid, Sardinia and Melbourne, and formed part of a growing international campaign urging King Mohammed VI to grant Lachgar royal pardon. More than 380,000 people worldwide have now signed a petition calling for her release.
Lachgar is a prominent campaigner for reproductive rights and broader feminist struggles. Supporters say her health is deteriorating due to her untreated bone cancer.
Actions on March 8 were organised in Washington DC, London, Paris, Madrid, Sardinia and Melbourne, and formed part of a growing international campaign urging King Mohammed VI to grant Lachgar royal pardon. More than 380,000 people worldwide have now signed a petition calling for her release.
Australian Unions for Western Sahara, which organises solidarity with Western Sahara, is supporting the campaign for Lachgar’s release. Amnesty international said Lachgar’s health complications include the risk of losing the use of her left arm if she does not receive urgent healthcare. Nonetheless, authorities have denied multiple requests for her provisional release on medical grounds.
International pressure continues to grow. The “Free Betty Coalition” now includes more than 150 civil society organisations worldwide. Amnesty International has designated Betty a prisoner of conscience. Human Rights Watch has called for her immediate release and her case has been raised before the United Nations Human Rights Council.
[Supporters are asked to sign and share this petition.]