A Sahrawi human rights organisation “strongly” condemns the arrest and torture of activists in occupied Dakhla

The “Shams Al-Hurriya” organization for the protection of Sahrawi human rights defenders strongly condemned the arrest of Sahrawi activists Hassan El-Zrouali and Saleh El-Dlimi in the occupied city of Dakhla on Wednesday, as well as the physical and psychological torture they endured during their detention, according to the Sahrawi News Agency (SPS) on Saturday.

The organisation disclosed that the activists were subjected to ill-treatment by Moroccan occupation forces, including severe beatings, verbal abuse, and humiliation both inside the police vehicle and during interrogation at the station. The organisation emphasised that such actions represent a “flagrant violation of human rights.”

The organisation further underscored that “torture is an indefensible crime, prohibited under international humanitarian law, including in situations of armed conflict.”

The organisation stressed that “these violations are part of a systematic policy by Moroccan occupation authorities targeting Sahrawi human rights defenders, and they are strongly condemned by the international community.” In this regard, it reiterated its call for the international community to “take urgent action to pressure the occupying state to halt these violations, especially the crime of torture, and to end all actions that breach the fundamental principles of international justice and human rights.”