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Press Release

On the Open Hunger Strike of Sahrawi political prisoner Naâma Asfari

The Sahrawi Organ Against the Moroccan Occupation (ISACOM) strongly condemns the Moroccan occupying authorities’ continued policy of collective punishment and individual retaliation, as clearly illustrated by the case of Sahrawi political prisoner Mr. Naâma Asfari, who has now entered the second month of his open-ended hunger strike.

These practices, uniquely carried out by the Moroccan occupation against Sahrawi civilians, constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and international legitimacy. Mr. Naâma Asfari, Vice-President of CORELSO and an Honorary Citizen of the French city of Ivry-sur-Seine, has been arbitrarily detained since 2010 following the unlawful military trial of a civilian, in blatant violation of his fundamental rights.

The continuation of this hunger strike, coupled with the Moroccan occupation authorities’ refusal to respond to his legitimate demands, namely the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the competent United Nations human rights mechanisms, places full legal and moral responsibility for his physical and psychological well-being on the Moroccan occupying State. The United Nations Committee Against Torture has previously concluded that Mr. Asfari was subjected to torture, while the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention determined that his detention is arbitrary and called for his immediate release. The continued disregard for these findings represents a blatant violation to the international human rights system.

In this regard, ISACOM stresses the following:

First:  ISACOM reminds the United Nations, represented by the Security Council and the Secretary-General, of its legal and moral responsibilities towards Sahrawi civilians living under occupation. It calls for urgent action to ensure the implementation of the recommendations issued by UN human rights mechanisms and to work towards ending the suffering of Sahrawi political prisoners, as an essential prerequisite for achieving peace and a just resolution of the conflict.

Second: ISACOM strongly denounces the International Committee of the Red Cross for failing to fulfil its humanitarian mandate towards Sahrawi civilian prisoners. It calls upon the ICRC to assume its legal responsibilities by taking immediate steps to visit the detainees, assess their health conditions, and ensure that they enjoy their fundamental humanitarian rights. It is unacceptable that this category of civilians remains without any meaningful international humanitarian monitoring.

Third: ISACOM highly commends the position taken by Front Line Defenders, which has been among the first international organizations to draw attention to the plight of Naâma Asfari. It calls on all international human rights organizations and civil society actors to follow its example by intensifying their efforts, launching urgent solidarity campaigns, and exerting pressure on the Moroccan occupation authorities to respond to Mr. Asfari’s humanitarian and legal demands, rather than leaving him to face the risk of death alone as a result of the Moroccan occupation authorities’ policy of deliberate disregard.

The Organ Against the Moroccan Occupation reaffirms that the steadfastness of Sahrawi political prisoners, foremost among them Naâma Asfari, embodies the universal values of justice, freedom, and human dignity. The retaliation directed against him constitutes an ongoing crime against humanity’s conscience. Furthermore, the continued policy of starvation and deliberate indifference pursued by the Moroccan occupation amounts to a slow death sentence, making urgent international action imperative before it is too late.

Executive Bureau

Organ Against the Moroccan Occupation

07 July 2026

Occupied El Aaiún

Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic