Rabat (Morocco), July 8, 2026 (SPS) – The families of the Sahrawi civilian prisoners of the Gdeim Izik Group organized a protest on Wednesday in front of the headquarters of the so-called the Moroccan Prison Administration Delegation in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, to denounce what they described as the dire conditions, serious violations, systematic searches, and torture endured by Sahrawi political prisoners in Moroccan prisons.
In a statement issued following the demonstration, the families said the protest was an expression of their unconditional solidarity with Sahrawi civilian prisoner Naâma Asfari, who is in the second month of an open-ended hunger strike in protest against what they described as the policy of forced starvation practiced by the Moroccan prison administration against him. They considered that such practices amount to crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The statement held the Moroccan authorities fully responsible, legally and politically, for the lives of the Sahrawi prisoners. It also condemned what it described as the denial of their right to a fair trial and the continuation of practices amounting to psychological and physical torture, including prolonged solitary confinement and deliberate medical neglect, carried out in the absence of accountability, independent investigations, and while preventing visits by impartial human rights organizations.
The families further denounced what they described as the international community's silence in the face of these violations, which they said contravene the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and relevant United Nations resolutions concerning Western Sahara. They called for the immediate and unconditional release of all Sahrawi civilian prisoners, particularly Naâma Asfari.
The statement also urged the urgent intervention of United Nations mechanisms, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to save the lives of the hunger strikers and called for an independent international investigation into the crimes and violations committed against Sahrawi detainees in Moroccan prisons.
The families concluded by reaffirming their commitment to continuing what they described as their human rights campaign and legitimate peaceful struggle, stressing that the steadfastness of their imprisoned relatives reflects the Sahrawi people's determination to achieve freedom, independence, and the restoration of what they consider their inalienable rights.
