Shaheed El Hafed, July 21, 2026 (SPS) – The Sahrawi National Council has launched an international parliamentary campaign to protect Sahrawi political prisoners on hunger strike, foremost among them Sahrawi civilian prisoner Naâma Asfari.
The initiative forms part of the Council's efforts to strengthen parliamentary diplomacy and mobilize international support for urgent intervention to protect their lives and ensure respect for their fundamental rights in accordance with international law.
The campaign includes the preparation and dispatch of a series of official letters to leading international, African, and European humanitarian, human rights, and parliamentary institutions, calling for urgent action in response to the deteriorating health and humanitarian situation of Sahrawi political prisoners on hunger strike in Moroccan occupation prisons.
The letters were addressed to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in addition to several African parliamentary institutions, including the Pan-African Parliament, the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa (both chambers), the Parliament of the Republic of Namibia, and the Parliament of the Republic of Botswana.
The correspondence calls for urgent humanitarian intervention to safeguard the lives of Sahrawi political prisoners on hunger strike and to ensure that they receive immediate, independent medical care, particularly in cases involving serious health deterioration. It also urges the dispatch of international and parliamentary fact-finding missions to visit Moroccan prisons and assess firsthand the conditions of Sahrawi political prisoners.
The campaign further calls on the Moroccan occupation authorities to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, to ensure continued monitoring of the human rights situation in the occupied part of Western Sahara, and to guarantee respect for fundamental rights and freedoms.
The Sahrawi National Council renewed its call for the immediate release of all Sahrawi political prisoners, particularly the Gdeim Izik Group detainees, in accordance with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions and mechanisms. It also reaffirmed the Sahrawi people's inalienable right to self-determination, in line with international legitimacy and UN resolutions.
The campaign represents one of the Sahrawi National Council's most significant parliamentary diplomacy initiatives during the current period, targeting a broad range of international and continental institutions involved in humanitarian, human rights, and parliamentary affairs. It is expected to strengthen the Council's presence on the international stage and support ongoing efforts to protect Sahrawi political prisoners and defend the Sahrawi people's legitimate right to freedom and independence.
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