Occupied El Aaiún, 13 January 2026 (SPS) – A Canary Islands delegation composed of Carmelo Ramírez, Noemí Santana Perera, and Fernando Ruiz Pérez was expelled by the Moroccan occupation authorities upon arrival in El Aaiún, as they were about to begin a human rights observation mission in the Occupied Territories of Western Sahara, according to reports from the occupied city of El Aaiún.
This expulsion constitutes an unacceptable act of repression and yet another attempt to obstruct peaceful international observation efforts in the face of the serious and systematic human rights violations suffered by the Sahrawi people, including arbitrary arrests, torture, enforced disappearances, trials lacking due process, and the constant persecution of activists and human rights defenders.
After their return to the Canary Islands, the activists strongly condemned this action, denouncing that Morocco repeatedly prevents access by delegations and solidarity organizations in order to silence the Sahrawi population and conceal the repression it exercises against them. They reaffirmed their firm commitment to human rights, solidarity with the Sahrawi people, and their inalienable right to self-determination, as recognized by international law, while demanding an end to the occupation, the release of Sahrawi political prisoners, and the holding of a free and fair referendum, as stipulated by United Nations resolutions.
