Rabat – A French court reportedly granted on Thursday provisional release to Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred, who earlier this year was sentenced to six years in prison on charges of aggravated rape.
Converging reports suggest that Lamjarred’s mother, Moroccan actress Nezha Regragui, announced the news in an interview with celebrity magazine Ralia, expressing her happiness that her son will spend Eid Al Fitr with his family.
Regragui confirmed the news via an Instagram post with a picture of her, her husband, and Lemjarrad and his wife, captioning: “Relief came, praise be to God.”
Lamjarred’s lawyers Thierry Herzog and Marc Vededa are reported to have submitted the provisional release request a few days ago.
After the news of the singer’s release broke out, several Moroccan celebrities took to social media to congratulate Lamjarred.
Mimia Le Blanc, a jewelry guru and a close friend of the Lamjarred family, shared her excitement as she said she will be celebrating “two feasts” this week, referring to the fact that the news comes ahead of Eid Al Fitr celebrations.
Moroccan influencer Btissam Batma also took to Instagram to congratulate Lamjarred and his family. “God is Great. Congratulations Saad and his family for this joy,” she said.
Meanwhile, Moroccan actor Omar Lotfi said that it was “the best news to spend Eid [Al Fitr] with.”
Lamjarred’s case sparked widespread controversy in Morocco and elsewhere earlier this year. While some netizens took to social media to defend the Moroccan singer and express solidarity with him, others heavily criticized him and accused his supporters of condoning rape and toxic masculinity.
Commenting on the news of the singer’s provisional release, a Twitter user said: “I am absolutely disgusted that Saad Lamjarrad was granted bail pending appeal. How awful that must be for the victim(s).”
Around a week after the court announced its verdict handing Lamjarred a six-year prison sentence in February, the Moroccan artist, who pleaded not guilty, appealed the court’s sentence.
