Intergroup for Western Sahara

European Parliament

Brussels, 26.02.2021

Esteemed Excellences,
Honourable Members of Parliament,
Esteemed Sir or Madam,

In view of the increasing repression in the occupied territory of Western Sahara, the Intergroup
for Western Sahara at the European Parliament expresses its solidarity with the Saharawi
human rights defenders and political activists under attack and calls for an urgent and robust
response from the EU and the Member States

Firstly, the Intergroup is concerned about the repeated attacks on the prominent Saharawi
woman human rights defender Sultana Khaya and her family. In 2007, Sultana was already
attacked during a demonstration and lost one eye. In recent days, she suffered repeated physical
assault, leading to serious head injury, by Moroccan agents in her home in Boujdour where she
and her family have been held under house arrest since last November. Her sister Ouara Khaya
got seriously injured as well.

Secondly, we would also like to highlight the situation of the two Saharawi activists, Ghali
Bouhala and Mohamed Nafaa Boutasoufra, who were arrested without warrant in the streets of
El Aaiun. They disappeared for 3 days and their homes got damaged.
Both activists are currently in the Ait-Maloul Prison in the Moroccan city of Aghadir while
they await trial.

Thirdly, the Intergroup expresses its solidarity with the journalist and rights defender Mohamed
Lamin Haddi of the Gdeim Izik group. He began an indefinite hunger strike on 13th January to
denounce the acts of ill-treatment against him in the Tiflit 2 prison. He demands the respect of
basic rights such as medical care, adequate food, light in his cell, as well as the end of the
solitary confinement to which he has been subjected for three years. His health deterioration is
very worrying.

Finally, the Intergroup wants to recognize the efforts of the Saharawi journalists who risk their
lives to report on the above-mentioned cases and other breaches of human rights. Given that
the territory remains strictly closed to international observers, including to the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and international human rights
organizations, their work is all the more essential.

Beyond these individual cases, the Intergroup wishes to denounce the worsening situation of
Sahrawi human rights defenders and other voices of dissent in occupied Western Sahara, who
face heightened repression since the end of the cease-fire. Since then, human rights violations
against the Saharawi people have increased exponentially - which continues until today.
 Intergroup for Western Sahara
European Parliament

Therefore, in light of this alarming situation and the continuing violation of human rights in
Western Sahara, we call on the EU, notably the High Representative/Vice President Josep
Borrell, to take immediate and decisive action towards Morocco in order to ensure an end to
the repression of Saharawi human rights defenders and political activists, as well as to support
Saharawi civil society in their legitimate demands for the respect of their basic freedoms. We
also join the call on the ICRC to deploy a humanitarian operation on the ground, in order to
provide urgent protection to the Saharawi civilians and to ensure respect for international
humanitarian law.

Sincerely,

The Members of the Intergroup for Western Sahara