Occupied El Aaiún, – The media team "Equipe Media" denounced the continued detention of Sahrawi journalist Bashir Khadda by Moroccan occupation authorities under "degrading and inhumane conditions," calling for urgent action to end the ongoing violations faced by Sahrawi journalists in Moroccan prisons.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the media team clarified that Khadda has been behind bars for nearly 15 years due to his journalistic work and political stance against the Moroccan occupation, emphasizing that he has "become a symbol of the suffering of Sahrawi journalists, who pay the price for their commitment to truth-telling and exposing violations."
The statement confirmed that Khadda has endured harsh solitary confinement for over 8 years in the Moroccan occupation prison "Tiflet 2," east of the capital Rabat, amid deteriorating psychological and physical health conditions.
It added that depriving him of family visits "exposes the true face of retaliatory practices aimed at breaking the will of Sahrawi prisoners," noting that reports from inside the prison confirm "continuous humiliation by prison authorities, where Khadda faces daily degrading treatment—a blatant violation of international conventions guaranteeing the dignity of political detainees."
The statement pointed out that the policy of humiliating Khadda has gone beyond isolation and insults, even violating his right to education. According to credible testimonies, he was restrained while taking university exams, a scene described by the team as "an additional punishment to crush his morale and undermine his academic aspirations."
The same source noted that Khadda’s case is one of dozens exposing the systematic suppression of press freedom in occupied Western Sahara, recalling other Sahrawi journalists such as Mohamed Lamin Haddi, Abdallah Lakhfawni, and Hassan Dah, who also face unfair trials, torture, and deprivation of their most basic rights as prisoners of conscience.
The media team stressed that at least six other Sahrawi journalists remain imprisoned after sham trials, enduring discriminatory treatment, physical and psychological torture, and systematic medical neglect—solely for upholding their professional duty to document violations in the occupied territories.
In conclusion, Equipe Media called on the United Nations and all international organizations concerned with press freedom and human rights to intervene and halt these grave violations. They demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Bashir Khadda and all detained Sahrawi journalists, as well as independent investigations into their detention conditions, urging accountability for Moroccan occupation authorities over abuses that amount to crimes against humanity.
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