Algiers, 14 March 2025 (SPS) - David Blanco, the secretary in charge of international relations at the General Confederation of Spanish Workers (CGT), who was expelled by the Moroccan occupier after a brief visit to Dakhla in the occupied territories, has warned against the dangerous escalation of abuses committed by the Makhzen in Western Sahara.
In a statement to APS, Mr. Blanco, who was expelled by the Moroccan authorities at the beginning of March, stated that Morocco "fears that its policy of daily repression against civilians in the occupied Sahrawi territories will be exposed to the world."
He highlighted that the Makhzen does not want its "serious violations" of human rights to be revealed, "and that is precisely why it prohibits observers, human rights defenders, trade unionists, and media professionals from accessing the occupied territories."
David Blanco warned of the serious escalation of abuses in this occupied territory in the absence of a UN mechanism to monitor human rights. He also denounced, in the same context, the use of repression by the Makhzen authorities against anyone who dares to criticize, protest, or express their opinions on social media.
As for foreigners, the authorities consider anyone who communicates with "Sahrawi activists and human rights defenders as undesirable persons and systematically expel them from the cities of Western Sahara."
Mr. Blanco further condemned "the reprisals, torture, arbitrary arrests, and forced disappearances that are part of daily life" in the occupied territories.
Finally, the trade unionist reaffirmed the rejection by the organization he represents of the oppression of peoples fighting for their right to self-determination, assuring that he will continue to defend the Sahrawi cause.
