The Movement of the Sahrawi Political Prisoners in Moroccan Prisons is set to hold a protest outside the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Madrid on March 2nd, marking the fifth anniversary of its weekly demonstrations calling for the release of the Sahrawi political detainees.
According to a report published on the movement’s official website on Tuesday, the demonstration is part of ongoing political and human rights pressure aimed at ending “the continued violation of fundamental rights” of dozens of Sahrawis held in Moroccan prisons. The report underlined that five years have passed since the protest movement began with no meaningful improvement in detainees’ conditions, reflecting “a continuing policy of turning a deaf ear” to human rights demands.
The report highlighted that a number of these detainees received harsh sentences following unfair trials that drew condemnation from international human rights organizations, citing legal violations, allegations of torture and the extraction of confessions under coercion.
In this regard, the movement reiterated its demand for the release of all Sahrawi political prisoners, emphasizing that the continued detention of Sahrawi activists cannot be separated from a broader context related to the issue of decolonization in Western Sahara. In this respect, the report held the Spanish government politically and morally responsible by virtue of the region’s legal status according to the United Nations.
The movement affirmed that genuine stability cannot be built on silence in the face of the suffering of prisoners and their families, but must be grounded in respect for international law and the protection of peoples’ dignity.
