UN experts condemn human rights violations against Aminatou Haidar and other Sahrawi activists

4 May 2021

Right Livelihood Laureate Aminatou Haidar

Share this story

In a joint communication to the Moroccan government, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, the Special Rapporteur on torture, and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, expressed deep concern at the human rights violations committed against Right Livelihood Laureate Aminatou Haidar and seven other Sahrawi activists. 

On September 20, 2020, in response to the escalation of human rights violations against the Sahrawi people, Aminatou Haidar established a new organisation in El-Ayoun, the Sahrawi Organ Against Moroccan Occupation (ISACOM). A few days later, the Moroccan Prosecutor’s Office in El-Ayoun opened a judicial investigation against ISACOM on the basis that the organisation “threatens national integrity.”

In the following months, Moroccan occupation forces maintained a police siege on Haidar and other fellow activists’ houses for months, preventing them from leaving their residences or receiving visits, while also intimidating their family members. 

“Moroccan agents in civilian cars followed us during all our movements and spent the nights right next to our residences, terrorising our children and our families,” Haidar said. She also highlighted that “Saultana Khayya, a member of ISACOM, has been under house arrest for five months.”

In October 2020, the Right Livelihood Foundation had brought this situation to the attention of the UN Special Procedures and urged them to request Morocco to halt this unjustifiable persecution. In March 2021, they published a communication requesting the Moroccan government to explain the reasons for the strict surveillance imposed on Haidar, as well as the status of the investigation against her. They expressed deep concern at the hostile environment towards human rights defenders in Morocco and Western Sahara and stressed that “acts of torture, judicial persecution, threats and constant surveillance constitute a serious assault on human rights defenders and organisations.”

We regret that these serious allegations were not addressed by the Moroccan government, which used Covid-19 measures as a pretext to justify prolonged police surveillance and intimidation of Haidar and ISACOM members. Replying to the Moroccan attempt to justify the legal basis of the investigation, we would like to stress that the letter concerns Saharawi citizens from the non-autonomous territory of Western Sahara, over which Morocco has no sovereignty. 

“It is not a question of national territory,” Haidar has stated. “The whole argument of Morocco’s response is based on Moroccan law, whereas Western Sahara is not part of Morocco and therefore cannot be managed according to Moroccan laws.” (Read Haidar’s full statement here.) 

Sahrawi organisations and activists who peacefully fight for independence and their right to self-determination are unjustly mistreated, criminalised, arbitrarily arrested and detained. Since the violation of the ceasefire agreement between the Polisario Front and the Kingdom of Morocco on November 13, 2020, the authorities have further intensified their crackdown on Sahrawi citizens.

At this critical time for the stability of the region, the Right Livelihood Foundation reiterates its position on the issue of Western Sahara and calls upon the UN to take urgent steps to address the gross and systematic violations against the Sahrawi people, and in particular against human rights defenders who peacefully work to achieve freedom. Lastly, we urge the UN to take full responsibility for the observation and protection of human rights in the non-self-governing territory.

The Right Livelihood Foundation is a member of the Geneva Support Group for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in Western Sahara and supports the Press Release published by the group on this issue on April 28, 2021. 

Last Posts

oplus_0

Delegates during a workshop aimed at enhancing the monitoring and evaluation framework for the SADC Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting Children Already in Marriage.

SADC PF workshop seeks better monitoring and domestication of child marriage Model Law

Share this story

Share this storyMoses Magadza in Johannesburg A workshop aimed at enhancing the monitoring and evaluation framework for the SADC Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting Children Already in Marriage got underway in Johannesburg,…

4 May 2021

President Advocate Duma Gideon Boko

Botswana’s Watershed Moment: Boko becomes sixth President as UDC sweeps the stakes in national poll

Share this story

Share this storyThe Pan Afrikanist Watchman When on 8th August 2024 Letsile Tebogo won the 200m final at the Paris Olympics, securing the first-ever gold medal for Botswana with a time of 19.46s, Duma Boko,…

4 May 2021

France is coming back to recolonize Africa – Sahrawi Republic Representative to the African Union

Share this story

Share this storySaharawi Deputy Permanent Representative to the AU, Ambassador Malainnin Lakhal, described as a recolonization of Africa, the recent visit of President Macron of France to Morocco and speech before the Moroccan Parliament in…

4 May 2021

Dr Faith Rapuleng-Tuelo, UB's Director of Public Affairs

University of Botswana makes ‘significant strides’ in THE World University rankings

Share this story

Share this storyThe Pan Afrikanist Watchman The University of Botswana has recorded “significant strides” in the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. According to UB’s Director of Public Affairs, Dr Faith Rapuleng-Tuelo, it…

4 May 2021

Mr. Adolf Mavheneke, an independent consultant. Photo: Contributed.

SADC PF committee receives calls for more women’s political participation

Share this story

Share this storyBy Moses Magadza A public hearing convened by the SADC Parliamentary Forum’s Standing Committee on Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Climate Action (FANRCA) on 18 October 2024 received presentations from different organisations within…

4 May 2021

Cuttimg-the-AnniversaryCake-Ambasadors-Ahmet-idem-Akay-and-Clifford-Maribe.jpg

Türkiye-Botswana relations growing in leaps and bounds

Share this story

Share this storyTPA Watchman   The national day reception to celebrate the 101st anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Türkiye (October 29), was an occasion to ruminate on the state of relations between…

4 May 2021

Related Stories