Ex-Convicts Turn YouTube Stars in Morocco, Revealing Prison Life

Among these former inmates is Mohamed Moustadraf, a former drug trafficker who spent 23 years behind bars, reports AFP. However, that did not stop him from staying on the wrong side of the law once in detention. On his YouTube channel, he reveals how he continued to deal drugs right under the guards’ noses. "You had to be a pro to sell drugs in prison, like me. In prison as outside, I made a lot of money, but there was one thing missing: my freedom. Today I’m trying to make the most of it and share my experience, especially with young people," says Mohamed Moustadraf, alias "Slaoui".

At 48 years old, this father of three says he has completely straightened out since his last release from prison in 2016. He has retrained and when he is not on YouTube talking about prison life, he is a construction site foreman in Rabat. Even though his appearance is still close to that of a drug kingpin (hair in a ponytail, tracksuit, large gold watch), his videos have accumulated more than thirteen million views, given the subjects he addresses. He lays bare the difficulties of "crowded" prisoners, "corrupt" guards, and micro-drug trafficking networks. He does not forget the suspicious deaths and violations of inmates’ rights. According to him, surviving in prison requires "climbing the ranks, being resilient, enduring torture and injustice," writes AFP.

Mohamed Moustadraf mainly created his YouTube channel in 2019 to raise awareness about the way society views former inmates. "Just because we’ve been to prison doesn’t mean we’re people without faith or law," he confides. Ilyas Korrari is also a former inmate who is making a sensation on YouTube. For him, addressing his subscribers is "like a therapy." His videos recount the tumultuous seventeen years he spent behind bars. He now heads a small audiovisual production company.

There is also Mohamed Bentazout, a former boxer convicted of murder, who was released in 2019 after more than twenty years of criminal detention. The man has always claimed his innocence and is trying to have his case reviewed. His YouTube videos have allowed him to reach a "wide audience in Morocco and around the world." As a way to denounce the injustice of his incarceration, he has been living since his release in a tiny cell built on the roof of the family home.

What does the Directorate General of Prison Administration (DGAPR) think of these videos denouncing many irregularities and human rights violations? It indicated "not to attach importance to these YouTube channels, preferring not to react to the lies they convey." The DGAPR had already described prison overcrowding as a "chronic problem" in a note published in 2020.

The average area per inmate is 1.8 m², according to the Court of Auditors. With more than 86,000 inmates in 2019, the occupancy rate would exceed 250% of the capacity of some facilities, according to the latest report from the Prison Observatory. This Moroccan organization also points to "the lack of hygiene, medical staff." In 2019, nearly 700 inmates filed complaints for "ill-treatment," the same source said.