Kampala (Uganda), July 15, 2026 (SPS) – The African Youth Congress (AYC) expressed its full solidarity with Sahrawi civilian prisoner and human rights defender Naâma Asfari, who continues his open-ended hunger strike in Moroccan prisons, warning of the serious deterioration of his health and calling for his immediate and unconditional release, in implementation of the resolutions of the competent United Nations bodies.
In a statement issued by its General Secretariat from the Ugandan capital, Kampala, the African organization condemned the continued detention of Naâma Asfari since his arrest in 2010 in connection with the events of the Gdeim Izik camp, considering his case one of the most prominent examples of grave human rights violations in the occupied Western Sahara.
The statement noted that the United Nations Committee against Torture concluded in its decision on Asfari's case that the Kingdom of Morocco had violated several provisions of the Convention against Torture, due to his subjection to torture, the use of confessions obtained under coercion, the failure to conduct effective investigations, and the lack of adequate remedies. It also recalled that the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found in 2023 that his detention was arbitrary and called for his immediate release and compensation.
The African Youth Congress stressed that the continued detention of Naâma Asfari, despite United Nations decisions and views, undermines the credibility of the international human rights system and respect for international law. It noted that repeated reports of his recurrent hunger strikes, the continued deterioration of his health, prolonged solitary confinement and denial of medical care require urgent action by the international community.
The movement called on the Moroccan authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Sahrawi civilian prisoner Naâma Asfari, fully comply with United Nations decisions and mechanisms, and open an independent international investigation into the torture, ill-treatment and violations to which he has been subjected. It also called for ensuring that, until his release, he receives specialized medical care, family visits and legal counsel, as well as protection from any acts of retaliation due to his peaceful struggle and hunger strike.
The movement concluded its statement by stressing that “delayed justice for Naâma Asfari is incomplete justice,” and reaffirmed its full solidarity with the Sahrawi people in their legitimate struggle for freedom and independence.
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