Moroccan Occupation Intensifies Systematic Intimidation of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders
The Moroccan occupation has escalated its grave violations in Western Sahara by intensifying a policy of collective punishment and intimidation targeting human rights defenders, political detainees, and their families. This includes the imposition of what has been described as “arbitrary house arrest” in retaliation for their struggle for their people’s right to self-determination.
The Association for the Protection of Sahrawi Prisoners in Moroccan Prisons stated in a communiqué that it is following with “grave concern” the escalating violations suffered by unarmed civilian populations in the occupied Sahrawi territories. This follows the targeting by Moroccan occupation forces of the family of Sahrawi political detainee Abdelmoula El Hafidi, who was recently released after completing his sentence.
According to documented information, occupation forces surrounded the family’s tents, dismantled them, and tampered with their contents in a provocative display carried out in full view of family members, including women and children.
The organization considered this act to be a further episode in a systematic pattern of violations affecting the family since their son’s release.
The family home and its members have reportedly been subjected to siege measures, with strict restrictions imposed on their movement. Sahrawi citizens have been prevented from expressing solidarity or visiting them, in what appears to be a deliberate attempt to isolate and collectively punish the family.
The organization held the Moroccan occupation authorities fully responsible for the safety of the Sahrawi student and his family. It further warned the international community and human rights organizations of the dangers posed by the continuation of such violations, which it stated are intended to “humiliate them and exact revenge for their children’s struggle.” The group called upon all human rights and humanitarian organizations to intervene urgently to expose these crimes and denounce the practices of the occupation against activists and their families.
For its part, the Sahrawi Body Against the Moroccan Occupation described the incident as a “dangerous escalation,” condemning the violations against unarmed civilians. It called on the international community to intervene “immediately” to ensure international protection for Sahrawis and to exert pressure on the Moroccan occupation to cease its campaign of terror.
In a related context, the Sahrawi Association of Victims of Grave Human Rights Violations Committed by the Moroccan State (ASVDH) affirmed that this escalation “reflects a systematic policy of intimidation.” It asserted that the harassment and siege constitute “arbitrary measures in violation of international laws and conventions.” The association reaffirmed its commitment to defending human rights and exposing all policies of repression targeting the Sahrawi people in the occupied part of Western Sahara.
