Shaheed El Hafed, 9 November 2026 (SPS) – President of the Republic, Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Mr. Brahim Ghali, received on Sunday Spanish researcher, academic and human rights activist Dr. Carlos Martín Beristain.
During the meeting, the President of the Republic commended Dr. Beristain's efforts in documenting serious human rights violations committed by the Moroccan occupation and developing initiatives to address their psychological and physical consequences for victims.
Dr. Beristain has received several human rights awards in recognition of his work in the Basque Country, Western Sahara and Latin America, including the León Felipe Human Rights Award (1998), the Guernica Award for Human Rights and Reconciliation (2015), and the René Cassin Award from the Basque Government (2020).
He has also provided expert advice to victims before the International Criminal Court and conducted research on enforced disappearances, mass graves and landmines in Western Sahara, including the publications Oasis of Memory and studies on the impact of Moroccan occupation.
Since the late 1980s, Dr. Beristain has worked with victims of serious human rights violations, political violence and armed conflicts. His expertise includes psychosocial support, historical memory, truth commissions, reparation and judicial investigations. He has authored or co-authored around 20 academic books and numerous articles on these issues.
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