The Moroccan pop singer Saad Lamjarred has been sentenced by the Draguignan court to five years in prison for rape. The verdict was delivered on May 15 after a week-long trial held behind closed doors. Despite the severity of the sentence, the artist left the court a free man – an immediate arrest warrant was not issued.
For many observers, the trial marks another profound turning point in the case of a man who was considered one of the biggest pop stars in the Arab world for years. Millions of people celebrated his songs, especially the hit Lm3allem, which broke records on the internet and made Lamjarred famous far beyond Morocco. Now, a very different image dominates the headlines.
The allegations date back to the summer of 2018. At that time, a young woman met the singer in a nightclub in Saint-Tropez. Later, she followed him to his hotel according to investigation files, where they initially intended to have a drink. The woman later stated that she never consented to a sexual relationship. Lamjarred denied the allegations from the start and always spoke of consensual sex.
The case cast a shadow over the musician’s career for years. After his arrest, he was initially held in pre-trial detention for several months before being released under conditions. The appellate judges in Aix-en-Provence decided in 2021 that the case belonged before a jury court. In doing so, the court formulated a sentence that has since gained significance far beyond the trial: The act of going together to a hotel room does not by any means imply sexual consent. A sentence as simple as a street sign – and yet legally central.
The prosecution had demanded ten years of imprisonment. The court sentenced him to less but awarded the victim an additional €30,000 in damages as well as €5,000 for legal costs.
For Lamjarred, the verdict comes at the worst possible time. Already in 2023, he was sentenced in France to six years in prison for another rape case. That case involved a young woman in a luxury Paris hotel. An appeal process is still ongoing against that verdict. Two serious trials within a few years – this no longer just scratches the image, it destroys it piece by piece.
The intense public debate surrounding the singer remains particularly striking. In Morocco and other Arab countries, fans often defended him with almost religious fervor. On social networks, supporters and women’s rights activists engaged in real trench warfare. For some, he remained an idol; for others, a symbol of how difficult it is for victims of sexual violence against prominent men to be heard.
The verdict from Draguignan therefore goes far beyond a single criminal case. France’s judiciary signals once again that fame, international renown, and millions of fans do not form a shield of protection. This is likely what many will remember — even long after the last applause.
By C. Hatty