Paris (France), July 14, 2026 (SPS) – Sahrawi community associations in France have addressed an open letter to the French authorities, representatives of the French political establishment, and international stakeholders, drawing attention to the situation of Sahrawi political prisoner and human rights defender Naâma Asfari, who has been on an open-ended hunger strike since June 8 at Morocco's Kenitra Central Prison.
Copies of the letter were also sent to the United Nations, the European Union, the Spanish government, and several international organizations. In the letter, the associations expressed their deep concern over the continued deterioration of Asfari's health, attributing it to the conditions of his detention and his ongoing hunger strike.
The signatories recalled that Naâma Asfari, Vice-President of the Committee for the Respect of Freedoms and Human Rights in Western Sahara (CORELSO), is one of the most prominent Sahrawi human rights defenders and that his case has been the subject of several decisions and opinions issued by United Nations human rights mechanisms.
They noted in particular that, in 2014, the United Nations Committee against Torture concluded that violations of the Convention against Torture had occurred in his case. They also recalled that, in 2023, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found his detention to be arbitrary and called for his release.
Through this appeal, the associations hold the Moroccan occupation authorities fully responsible for the deterioration of Naâma Asfari's health, condemn his continued detention and the violations of his fundamental rights, and call for him to be granted, without delay, access to specialized, independent, and appropriate medical care.
The associations also urged the implementation of the recommendations issued by United Nations mechanisms regarding his case, as well as respect for international humanitarian law and the guarantees of a fair trial.
The letter was signed by the Association of Sahrawis in France, the League of Sahrawi Women in France, the Action and Reflection Committee for the Future of Western Sahara, the Association of Sahrawi Youth in France, the Sahrawi Sons of the Clouds Association, the Bejaoui Sahrawi Association, the Sahrawi Association of Vendée, and the Sahrawi Community Association of Gironde.
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