MRAP Expresses Support for Naama Asfari's Hunger Strike
On June 19, 2026, in Paris, the French Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Among Peoples (MRAP) publicly declared its unwavering support for Naama Asfari, a Sahrawi political prisoner and human rights advocate, who has embarked on an indefinite hunger strike titled "Battle of Dignity." This courageous act of protest is aimed at drawing attention to his prolonged detention in Moroccan territory and advocating for the recognition of his rights under international law.
MRAP has urged the Moroccan authorities to adhere to their international commitments and immediately release Asfari. In a statement released on Wednesday and disseminated on Friday, the organization called upon French President Emmanuel Macron and the French government to pressure Morocco into compliance with the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, as well as to respect the directives of the United Nations Committee Against Torture and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, particularly concerning the imprisoned members of the Gdeim Izik group.
Call for International Compliance and Human Rights Respect
Asfari initiated his hunger strike on June 8, protesting his continued confinement and demanding the enforcement of UN resolutions that affirm his rights and highlight violations of international humanitarian law. The statement from MRAP emphasized that the United Nations Committee Against Torture had previously determined that Asfari had endured torture and other forms of mistreatment, calling on Morocco to provide him with just compensation and to ensure the safety of him and his family members from any potential retaliatory actions.
MRAP condemned the persistent noncompliance of Moroccan authorities with UN mandates and highlighted the dire conditions faced by Sahrawi prisoners, particularly those from the Gdeim Izik group, who are unjustly incarcerated far from their families and reportedly subjected to inhumane treatment. The organization pointed out that many of these prisoners, including Asfari, are denied family visits, with his French wife, Claude Mangin, currently barred from seeing him.
The statement further detailed that Asfari's arrest was linked to the events surrounding the Gdeim Izik Camp in 2010, resulting in a 30-year prison sentence determined through military and civilian trials that did not adhere to fair trial norms. He is presently incarcerated at the Kenitra prison.
In closing, MRAP reaffirmed that Western Sahara is recognized as a Non-Self-Governing Territory on the United Nations decolonization agenda, emphasizing that the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention are applicable to the region and mandating that Sahrawis be regarded as protected individuals, thereby prohibiting their transfer or detention by the occupying power.
As reported by spsrasd.info.
