Overview

• Proceedings opened on August 27 after an earlier postponement requested by the defense.
• The case stems from a late-July post showing her in a T‑shirt reading "Allah is lesbian" alongside a text harshly criticizing Islam.
• She is charged under penal code article 267‑5, which punishes attacks on Islam with six months to two years in prison, rising to five years if committed publicly or online.
• Lachgar was taken into custody in August and held ahead of trial following a viral backlash that included calls for her arrest and violent threats.
• Human rights groups denounce the law as a curb on free expression, supporters rallied including in Paris, and her record as MALI cofounder underscores years of activism for individual liberties.