Occupied El Aaiun, 20 February 2025 (SPS) – The Moroccan occupation authorities prevented today, Thursday, three European parliamentarians from entering the occupied city of El Aaiun. The parliamentarians, arriving from the Spanish Canary Islands, were barred in a new episode of the ongoing blockade imposed on the occupied territory, aimed at preventing visitors from documenting the crimes of the Makhzen (Moroccan regime).
The Moroccan occupation forces expelled the parliamentarians from the occupied El Aaiun airport after their arrival from the Canary Islands, denying them the opportunity to conduct an inspection visit to the occupied part of Western Sahara.
The delegation of the European Parliamentarians included Spanish parliamentarian Isabel Serra Sánchez from the Podemos party, Finnish parliamentarian Jussi Saramo from the Vasemmistoliitto party, and Portuguese parliamentarian Catarina Martins from the Left Bloc party. They had come to visit occupied El Aaiun in response to an official invitation from the Sahrawi human rights defense organization CODESA (Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders).
According to testimonies from the three European delegates, the Moroccan authorities prevented them from even disembarking from the plane, citing "lack of permits allowing them to enter the city."
They stated, "Our illegal detention prevents us from carrying out our duties as members of the European Parliament," adding, "We came on a mission to monitor the implementation of the European ruling that cancels the agriculture and fisheries agreements between the European Union and Morocco, as the latter is exploiting the resources of the Sahrawi people."
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