We Demand the Immediate Release of Naama Asfari and His Fellow Activists
Friends of Western Sahara Japan
We Demand the Immediate Release of Naama Asfari and His Fellow Activists
On June 8, Western Saharan human rights advocate Naama Asfari initiated an indefinite “Dignity Hunger Strike” at Kenitra Prison in Morocco, advocating for enhanced prison conditions and the protection of fundamental human rights. His health has subsequently declined to a critical and life-threatening state.
In October 2010, approximately 20,000 individuals in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara established approximately 7,000 tents at Gdeim Izik, situated on the outskirts of the capital, El Aaiún. This was a peaceful demonstration whereby the oppressed Sahrawi populace articulated their legitimate rights following decades of Moroccan occupation, which has persisted since 1975. The protest endured for one month prior to the Moroccan authorities forcibly dismantling the encampment, resulting in the detention of numerous participants.
After having been detained without trial for over two years, twenty-three Sahrawis were presented before a military court and received sentences ranging from four years to life imprisonment. Nineteen of these individuals continue to be incarcerated under severe prison conditions. Among them is Mr. Asfari, who is serving a 30-year prison sentence. Since 2019, his wife, a French citizen named Claude Mangin, has been prohibited from entering Morocco and has consequently been unable to visit her husband.
The United Nations Committee Against Torture has determined that confessions obtained from nine members of the Gdeim Izik Group were acquired through torture. Several international human rights organizations have also condemned Morocco’s conduct, characterizing their detention as arbitrary.
The Friends of Western Sahara Japan affirms its ongoing solidarity with the Sahrawi people as they endeavor to overcome over fifty years of occupation and advocate for the release of those unjustly detained. We respectfully urge the immediate release of Naama Asfari, who is risking his life through his Dignity Hunger Strike in defense of his dignity and fundamental rights.