Madrid, 17 July 2026 (SPS) – The Spanish NGO supporting the Sahrawi people, CEAS-Sahara, has called for the “immediate release” of Sahrawi political prisoner Naâma Asfari and warned of a “serious deterioration” in his health.
Stressing that the life of the Sahrawi political prisoner is “seriously at risk,” the NGO called for an immediate response from the Moroccan authorities and the international community to prevent an “irreversible outcome.”
“Naâma Asfari's alarming health condition directly challenges the conscience of the international community. It is intolerable to remain silent in the face of this situation, which places his life in imminent danger and violates the most fundamental values of justice and human dignity,” CEAS-Sahara President Maite Isla said, according to a statement.
Asfari, a Sahrawi human rights defender arbitrarily detained since 2010, is vice-president of the Committee for the Respect of Freedoms and Human Rights in Western Sahara.
On 8 June, he began a new hunger strike to denounce his detention by the Moroccan occupying authorities.
He was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a military court, along with other activists arrested during the dismantling of the Gdeim Izik camp, where thousands of Sahrawis were protesting against the social and economic discrimination imposed by the Moroccan occupation.
In 2023, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention recommended that Morocco release him and his 18 other Gdeim Izik group companions.
That recommendation has remained unimplemented.
The Spanish NGO called on the Moroccan authorities to “immediately” guarantee Naâma Asfari access to the specialised medical care he needs due to the deterioration of his health caused by his hunger strike.
It stressed that “the protection of the fundamental rights of political prisoners cannot be subjected to political or diplomatic interests” and called for urgent action to guarantee their physical integrity.
CEAS-Sahara demanded the “immediate and unconditional release” of Naâma Asfari and all Sahrawi political prisoners, recalling that various United Nations bodies have denounced violations of their rights during their detention in Moroccan prisons.
The NGO also stressed the need for the United Nations to promote respect for its mandate concerning Western Sahara by organising a referendum on the self-determination of the Sahrawi people.
