Occupied Laayoune, June 29, 2026 (SPS) – The Association for the Protection of Sahrawi Prisoners in Moroccan Prisons has received a statement from the families of political detainees that the Sahrawi civilian prisoners belonging to the “Gdeim Izik” group, who are detained in various Moroccan prisons, will begin a 48-hour hunger strike on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
This warning strike comes as a second step of struggle, in solidarity with their comrade, the Sahrawi civilian prisoner, Al-Naama Abdi Moussa Asfari, who has continued his open hunger strike inside the central prison in Kenitra since June 8 (21 days), in protest against the conditions of his detention and the continued violations to which Sahrawi prisoners are exposed inside Moroccan prisons.
According to what the association learned from some families of Sahrawi civilian prisoners, their sons decided to resort to this militant step to declare their absolute solidarity with their comrade, demanding that the Moroccan prison administration, and through it the Moroccan occupation state, respond urgently to the legitimate demands of their comrade Asfari, most notably the immediate release of him and all the group’s detainees, and compensation for the material and moral damages they suffered as a result of their arbitrary detention.
The families confirmed, in their contacts with the Association, that the prisoners, after this second struggle step, are heading towards escalating steps of struggle, stressing that they will not give up their legitimate and legal human rights, no matter the challenges, and despite the intransigence of the Moroccan occupation and its continued ignoring of their just demands.
The prisoners based their position on the decision of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued in March 2023, which called for an end to their detention, in addition to the recommendations of the United Nations Committee against Torture, reiterating their adherence to their right to a decent life and their rejection of what they described as inhumane treatment inside Moroccan prisons.
For its part, the Association for the Protection of Sahrawi Prisoners in Moroccan Prisons expresses its deep concern about the repeated violations of basic rights that Sahrawi civilian prisoners are subjected to inside Moroccan prisons, and strongly denounces the suspicious international silence regarding these practices, which contradict all international human rights conventions and conventions.
The Association reminds the international community of its moral and legal responsibility to intervene urgently to put an end to these violations, and to exert the necessary pressure on the Moroccan authorities to stop the policy of abusing Sahrawi prisoners, and to respond to their legitimate demands for freedom and dignity.
The Association also calls on all human rights and humanitarian bodies and civil society organizations to take immediate action to break the silence, condemn these practices, work to uncover the truth of what is happening inside Moroccan cells, and demand that the Kingdom of Morocco comply with United Nations resolutions and its international obligations.
The Association also calls on national and international public opinion to show solidarity with the prisoners on hunger strike and to stand by their legitimate right to freedom and dignity. (SPA)
