Casablanca attracted crowds of supporters, who claimed that the case was a set-up. The defense team contended that there were many inconsistencies in the account provided by Belghouat’s alleged victim. In January, the court convicted Belghouat of the assault, sentenced him to the four months he had already served in pretrial detention, and released him. “If Morocco wants to give substance to the freedoms proclaimed in its new constitution, a good place to start would be abolishing repressive laws that can land you in jail for producing political rap songs and videos,” Whitson said.