Paris (France), 19 June 2026 (SPS) – The French Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Among Peoples (MRAP) has expressed its full solidarity with Sahrawi political prisoner and human rights defender Naama Asfari, who is conducting an open-ended hunger strike under the slogan "Battle of Dignity."
The organization called on the Moroccan authorities to respect their international obligations and release him.
In a statement issued on Wednesday and published on Friday, MRAP urged the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and the French government to call on Morocco to comply with the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and to respect the decisions of the United Nations Committee Against Torture and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concerning the prisoners of the Gdeim Izik group.
The movement stated that Naama Asfari began an open-ended hunger strike on 8 June in protest against his continued detention within Moroccan territory. Through his action, he is demanding the implementation of decisions issued by UN bodies recognizing his rights and calling for an end to what he describes as violations of international humanitarian law.
The statement recalled that, in its December 2016 decision, the United Nations Committee Against Torture concluded that Asfari had been subjected to torture and ill-treatment. The Committee called on Morocco to provide him with fair compensation and to ensure protection for him and his family members against any acts of retaliation or intimidation.
MRAP also condemned the continued failure of the Moroccan authorities to comply with opinions and decisions issued by UN mechanisms. It noted that Sahrawi prisoners from the Gdeim Izik group remain incarcerated in prisons located hundreds of kilometers from their families and are reportedly subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment. According to the statement, some are also denied family visits, including Naama Asfari, whose French wife, Claude Mangin, is still prohibited from visiting him.
The statement further noted that Asfari was arrested in connection with the events of the Gdeim Izik Camp in 2010 and was sentenced to 30 years in prison following military and civilian trials that MRAP said did not meet fair trial standards. He is currently serving his sentence in the prison of Kenitra.
In conclusion, the French movement reiterated that Western Sahara remains a Non-Self-Governing Territory on the United Nations decolonization agenda. It stated that the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention apply to the territory, requiring that Sahrawis be treated as protected persons and not be transferred to or detained within the territory of the occupying power.
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