Dogs of the State (song)
Artist: El-Haqed (Mouad Belghouat)
Year: 2012
Date of Action: March-May 2012
Region: Africa
Location: Casablanca, Morocco
Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion
Medium: Music
Confronting Bodies: Morocco's National Security Agency
Description of Artwork: The artist describes police corruption in Morocco.
The Incident: Mouad Belghouat, stage name El-Haqed (or "The Enraged") was arrested on March 29th, 2012 for "insulting state employees and official institutions" in his song "Dogs of the State." Some of the lyrics within it include "You are paid to protect the citizens, not to steal their money," and "Did your commander order you to take money from the poor?" [1].
Results of Incident: The artist was sentenced to a year in prison on May 11th, 2012.
Source:
• http://monde-arabe.arte.tv/en/moroccan-rapper-el-haqed-on-trial-on-april-30th/