Arrests and assaults targeting Sahrawi human rights defenders, students and families of political prisoners

On 12 October 2026, Moroccan police forces violently dispersed a peaceful solidarity gathering organised by a group of Sahrawi human rights defenders and the families of Sahrawi political prisoners in front of the General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration in Rabat, Morocco. The gathering called for the freedom of the Sahrawi political prisoners known as the Gdeim Izik Prisoners, who began a hunger strike on 23 September 2026. The peaceful protesters called for their legitimate demands to be met and their human rights to be respected. Seven Sahrawi human rights defenders, activists and students were arrested, including Hassana Eddouihi.

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Hassana Eddouihi is a Sahrawi human rights defender, Vice-President of the League for the Protection of Sahrawi Prisoners in Moroccan Prisons, and a member of the Sahrawi Association of Victims of Grave Violations of Human Rights Committed by the Moroccan State (ASVDH) and the Sahrawi Committee Against the Moroccan Occupation, which advocates for the right of the Sahrawi People to self-determination. As a result of his human rights work, Hassana Eddouihi has been subjected to arrest, abduction and torture on numerous occasions since 2005.

The other six individuals arrested alongside him are students activists Ibrahim Babit, Mohamed Lemrabet, Salah Eddine Essabbar, Aziz Elouahidi, El Houcine Cheihab and Khalid Boufryoua. According to the information received, on 14 October 2026, the seven detainees were brought before the Public Prosecutor in Rabat. They face charges of unauthorised assembly and violence against law enforcement officers. In addition, a previous complaint was reportedly lodged against Khalid Boufryoua by the director of Souissi University campus in December 2025. Ibrahim Babit, a student activist and former detainee who was imprisoned with the group of students, told the public prosecutor that he had been tortured. The defence team requested that he undergo a medical examination, to which the Court agreed. He is now receiving access medical care.

It is reported that on 12 October 2026, Moroccan police forces used physical violence when dispersing the peaceful protesters, which included Sahrawi human rights defenders, women, students and relatives of prisoners, causing injuries.

On 14 October 2026, while the seven detainees were brought before the Public Prosecutor, Moroccan authorities reportedly prevented family members and other supporters from reaching the courthouse. Police forces also forcibly dispersed families and supporters and compelled some taxi drivers to remove individuals from the vicinity of the Court. These actions further restricted the families' and supporters' ability to express solidarity with the detained human rights defenders and Sahrawi students and to attend the proceedings.

These arrests and assaults have taken place amid growing concern for the health, physical integrity and safety of Sahrawi political prisoners known as the Gdeim Izik Prisoners, who began a hunger strike on 23 September 2026. They are protesting their detention conditions and demanding access to medical care, visits and communication with their families, as well as an end to harassment and punitive treatment by the Moroccan prison authorities. The continuation of the hunger strike raises serious concerns for their health and right to life.

Additional information received indicate that, on 12 October 2026, Claude Mangin was denied entry into Morocco at Marrakech-Menara Airport, preventing her from visiting her husband, Ennaâma Asfari, a Sahrawi human rights defender and member of the Gdeim Izik group who is serving a 30-year prison sentence and has been transferred to Marrakech Prison.

Front Line Defenders is deeply concerned that the detained human rights defenders, activists and students are being prosecuted in connection with their human rights activities and participation in a peaceful solidarity gathering. The charges brought against them, together with the previous complaint against Khalid Boufryoua, raise concerns about the potential use of legal proceedings to intimidate and deter Sahrawi human rights defenders and peaceful protesters from exercising their fundamental rights.

Furthermore, Front Line Defenders remains seriously concerned about the physical and psychological integrity of the seven detainees and the protesters reportedly assaulted by Moroccan police forces, as well as the risk of further intimidation and reprisals against Sahrawi human rights defenders, students and families advocating for the rights of political prisoners. The use of force against a peaceful gathering, restrictions imposed on families and supporters seeking to reach the courthouse, and the prosecution of individuals arrested during the gathering raise serious concerns regarding the Moroccan authorities' obligations to respect and protect the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and a fair trial.

Front Line Defenders calls on the Moroccan authorities to:

1. Immediately and unconditionally release human rights defender Hassana Eddouihi and the six other detained activists and students, on the basis that they are being held solely for the peaceful exercise of their human rights. Pending their release, ensure that their physical and psychological integrity, guarantee access to lawyers, family members and independent medical care, and ensure that all proceedings against them comply with international fair-trial standards.
2. Guarantee immediate access to independent medical care for all Sahrawi human rights defenders in prison participating in the hunger strike; take all necessary measures to protect their right to life and physical integrity; and address their demands regarding detention conditions, contact with their families and treatment by the authorities.
3. End all harassment, intimidation and reprisals against Sahrawi human rights defenders, students, prisoners' families and individuals participating in peaceful solidarity activities. Respect their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, refrain from using force against peaceful gatherings, and remove arbitrary restrictions preventing family visits, including permitting Claude Mangin to visit human rights defender Ennaâma Asfari in prison.
4. Guarantee families, supporters and independent observers access to court proceedings, in accordance with applicable legal standards, and refrain from obstructing or penalising peaceful expressions of solidarity with detained human rights defenders and Sahrawi students.
5. Ensure an independent, impartial and effective investigation into the reported police assaults, arrests and use of force, including the injuries sustained by protesters. Protect victims and witnesses from reprisals and hold those responsible for any unlawful use of force or other violations accountable.