Bir Lehlu (Sahrawi Republic), 18 July 2026 (SPS) – The Ministry of Affairs of the Occupied Territories and the Diaspora warned on Saturday of the critical and life-threatening health condition of Sahrawi political prisoner and human rights defender Naama Asfari, who has been on an open-ended hunger strike for 41 days.
In a statement, the Ministry said that Naama Asfari's health situation had entered a critical phase, noting that he had lost approximately 10 kilograms since beginning his hunger strike on 8 June.
According to human rights sources close to his family, the Sahrawi prisoner has stopped cooperating with the prison administration in protest against the concealment of his critical health condition and the indifference shown towards his legitimate demands, which are linked to the implementation of international humanitarian law and human rights standards.
The same sources reported that the Moroccan occupation authorities had prevented Asfari from communicating with his wife, Mrs. Claude Mangin, and other family members in the occupied territories. Scheduled communications, which had previously taken place three times a week, were reduced to only three or four minutes before being completely banned as of 13 July.
The Ministry recalled that Naama Asfari launched his open-ended hunger strike following three warning hunger strikes carried out during May, in protest against the continued failure to implement decisions issued by United Nations mechanisms.
It said his demands were directly linked to the decision of the UN Committee against Torture and the opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which calls for the immediate release of the prisoners of the Gdeim Izik group, compensation for them and the prosecution of those responsible for the violations committed against them.
The Ministry stressed that these decisions are binding on the Moroccan occupation authorities, which have so far failed to implement them or respond to repeated calls from UN mechanisms and leading international human rights organisations.
It also recalled that Naama Asfari was abducted on 7 November 2010, on the eve of the dismantling of the peaceful Gdeim Izik camp, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison following an illegal military and civil trial marred by serious irregularities.
The Ministry strongly condemned the Moroccan authorities' ban preventing Mrs. Claude Mangin from visiting her husband, and called on the international community to exert pressure on the Moroccan occupation authorities to secure the immediate and unconditional release of Naama Asfari and all Sahrawi civilian prisoners.
It further called for an independent and transparent medical report on Asfari's health condition, the provision of immediate medical care, regular and unrestricted communication with his family, wife and lawyer, and the transfer of Sahrawi prisoners to prisons close to their families in Western Sahara pending their release.
The Ministry also urged the Moroccan authorities to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture to visit Sahrawi prisoners.
Finally, it commended the international solidarity shown with Naama Asfari and his fellow prisoners, urging all forces committed to justice, peace and democracy to broaden the circle of solidarity and intensify pressure on the Moroccan occupation regime to comply with international legality and guarantee the freedom of Sahrawi prisoners and their return to their homeland.
