BY: Dr. Hana Saada
Polisario representatives, diplomats, and activists call for decisive EU action against Morocco’s illegal detentions, resource plunder, and human rights abuses in Western Sahara
Algiers, Algeria | April 26th, 2025 — In a powerful demonstration of solidarity and resistance, representatives of the Polisario Front to Europe and the European Union organized an international conference and protest on Wednesday in Brussels, demanding the immediate release of Sahrawi civilian prisoners unjustly detained by Morocco.
The conference, held under the banner “The Sahrawi Republic: A Pillar of Peace and Stability in the Region,” brought together a distinguished audience, including ambassadors from several European and African countries, diplomats, political figures, and human rights activists.
In parallel, a protest rally took place outside the European Parliament, where Sahrawi citizens and their allies raised their voices against the ongoing human rights abuses perpetrated by Moroccan authorities in occupied Western Sahara.
In a statement issued by the organizers, participants declared:
“We, the participants in this protest and solidarity action before the European Parliament, including Sahrawis and friends of the Sahrawi people, demand the immediate and unconditional release of all Sahrawi civilian prisoners unjustly held in Moroccan prisons, most notably the Akdeim Izik Group.”
They called on the international community—foremost the European Union—to uphold its ethical and legal responsibilities towards the just cause of the Sahrawi people and the plight of the detainees.
The statement also reaffirmed full support for the 2023 United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s decision, which calls for the immediate release of the Akdeim Izik Group, denounces the illegality of their detention, highlights evidence of torture, and demands reparations and accountability for those responsible.
“This decision must not remain a dead letter,” the statement stressed, “it must be enforced, not ignored by Morocco, which continues its violations with impunity.”
Participants vehemently condemned all human rights violations committed by Moroccan forces in occupied cities of Western Sahara, denouncing the systematic repression, arbitrary arrests, and the silencing of any voice advocating for Sahrawi self-determination and independence.
They also highlighted Morocco’s ongoing plunder of Western Sahara’s natural resources through illegal agreements with foreign companies, urging the European Union to immediately suspend all trade deals involving Sahrawi resources.
“These agreements only serve to legitimize the occupation and prolong the suffering of the Sahrawi people,” they warned.
The organizers further drew attention to the inhumane Moroccan sand wall, describing it as “one of the world’s deadliest military barriers,” stretching over 2,700 kilometers, lined with millions of landmines, and “a permanent threat to civilians, wildlife, and peace efforts.”
They called on the EU and the UN to intensify pressure for the dismantling of the wall and the removal of landmines, which continue to claim innocent lives.
The statement laid out a series of urgent demands addressed to the European Parliament and the EU leadership:
-Adopt an official resolution condemning political detentions in Western Sahara and calling for the immediate release of Sahrawi civilian prisoners.
-Suspend all trade and economic agreements with Morocco until it fully complies with human rights obligations and United Nations resolutions.
-Dispatch an independent European fact-finding mission to Moroccan prisons to investigate the conditions of Sahrawi detainees.
-Halt any agreements exploiting Western Sahara’s natural resources, given the territory’s status as non-self-governing according to the UN and the European Court of Justice rulings.
-Activate genuine mechanisms to monitor human rights violations in Western Sahara through the United Nations and the Security Council.
-Demand the removal of the militarized sand wall and make it a prerequisite for achieving a just and lasting peace.
-Reaffirm the Sahrawi people’s inalienable right to self-determination and call on the international community to take serious steps toward enabling a free and fair referendum.
The participants also issued a fervent appeal to civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and all forces committed to justice and freedom to intensify efforts to advocate for the Sahrawi prisoners and bring international attention to their plight.
They urged European and international media outlets to shed light on what they described as a “humanitarian tragedy systematically ignored and deliberately obscured.”
The demonstration concluded with a declaration of unwavering solidarity with the Freedom March for Sahrawi Prisoners, currently moving from France toward Kenitra Prison in Morocco, and a renewed vow to continue the struggle until justice is achieved for all Sahrawi prisoners and the Sahrawi people realize their legitimate right to self-determination and independence.
