London (UK) 9 July 2025 (SPS)– Adala UK, a human rights organization based in the United Kingdom, today strongly condemned the latest expulsion of international observers from Western Sahara by Moroccan occupation authorities.
On Tuesday, Moroccan forces detained and deported two Spanish journalists and a human rights activist who had entered the territory to document ongoing human rights violations against the Sahrawi people. This incident brings the total number of international observers expelled from the region to over 330, according to Adala UK's data.
The three expelled individuals were identified as Leonor Suárez, a journalist from Asturias; Óscar Allende, director of the independent media outlet El Faradio; and Raúl Conde, a member of the solidarity organization Cantabria por el Sáhara.
They were intercepted at a checkpoint on the outskirts of El Aaiún, the capital of the occupied territory. According to first-hand testimony obtained by Adala UK, plainclothes Moroccan officers declared them "personas non gratas" and forcibly escorted them by four secret police vehicles to Agadir, inside Morocco.
Adala UK asserts this expulsion is part of "a deliberate and systematic campaign by Moroccan authorities to block access to the territory and silence critical reporting." Raúl Conde confirmed that officers gave no reason for the expulsion, only orders to leave.
Sidi Ahmed Lyadasi, President of Adala UK, stated, "Morocco wants the world to remain blind to the situation in Western Sahara. By expelling journalists and human rights defenders, they are attempting to isolate the Sahrawi people from international solidarity and scrutiny."
Adala UK and the expelled observers emphasize that this action "constitutes a violation of multiple fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, freedom of movement, and most critically, the right of the Sahrawi people to receive and impart information, as guaranteed under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)."
Morocco, as a State Party to this treaty, is legally bound to uphold it, even in territories it occupies. Adala UK stressed that this was "not only an attack on the observers... It was an attack on the Sahrawi people’s right to have their voices heard."
The organization further argues that under international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, "Morocco—as an occupying power in Western Sahara—is obligated to protect the civilian population and permit independent monitoring of human rights conditions."
The ongoing refusal to allow access to NGOs, UN bodies, and journalists represents a "flagrant violation of these obligations." Lyadasi reiterated, "Morocco has no legal right to expel observers or prevent documentation of human rights conditions in the territory."
In response, Adala UK is urging urgent international action. They call on the British government to "publicly condemn the expulsion" and demand Morocco’s compliance with international law.
They also urge the European Union and Spanish authorities "to pressure Morocco to allow unfettered access to Western Sahara for international monitors," and the United Nations "to immediately extend a human rights monitoring mandate to MINURSO."
Adala UK concluded: "The international community must not stay silent while Morocco silences the truth. We need urgent action to protect human rights, ensure accountability, and support the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination." (SPS)
090/500/60 (SPS)
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