GENEVA – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, has called for an end to the repression against Sahrawi activists following the violent assault on Mahfouda Bamba Lafkir by Moroccan police officers.
“I have received troubling reports that Moroccan police officers physically assaulted and injured Mahfouda Bamba Lafkir, a human rights defender in Western Sahara, on March 16, 2025,” Lawlor wrote in a statement on social media. She urged an immediate end to the ongoing repression against Sahrawi human rights defenders in the occupied territory.
Last week, the Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders in Western Sahara (CODESA) denounced an attack by Moroccan occupation forces on both Mahfouda Bamba Lafkir and journalist Salha Boutanguiza. The organization described the assault as “retaliation” against the activists for their advocacy of the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.
“This represents a serious threat to the lives, physical integrity, and personal security of all those who struggle and advocate for the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination, particularly those who monitor, document, and report various violations of international and humanitarian law in Western Sahara,” CODESA warned.
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