Ivry-sur-Seine (France), 15 July 2026 (SPS) – The Mayor of Ivry-sur-Seine, Philippe Bouyssou, has sent a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron, calling on him to intervene with the Moroccan authorities for the immediate release of Sahrawi political prisoner and human rights defender Naâma Asfari, as well as all Sahrawi political prisoners from the Gdeim Izik group.
In the letter, dated 10 July 2026, the mayor recalled that Naâma Asfari, who has been an honorary citizen of the city since 2016, has been detained in Morocco since his arrest on 7 November 2010 in occupied El Aaiún. He stressed that the Sahrawi activist was subjected to torture before being sentenced to 30 years in prison following a trial denounced by numerous international human rights organisations as failing to meet fair-trial guarantees.
The Mayor of Ivry-sur-Seine highlighted the findings of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which, in its Opinion No. 23/2023, deemed Naâma Asfari's detention arbitrary and recommended his immediate release, the provision of appropriate reparation and the opening of an independent investigation into the human rights violations to which he was subjected.
The letter also expressed deep concern over the deterioration of Naâma Asfari's health. He has been on an indefinite hunger strike since 8 June, described as a “hunger strike for dignity”, in protest against his conditions of detention.
Reaffirming the commitment of the city of Ivry-sur-Seine to peace, solidarity among peoples and respect for international law, the mayor urged France to use its dialogue with the Moroccan authorities to promote a solution consistent with human rights principles and international commitments.
In his letter, he called on the French president to intervene to ensure that Morocco respects its international human rights obligations by demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Naâma Asfari, the other Sahrawi political prisoners of the Gdeim Izik group and all Sahrawi human rights defenders detained in Moroccan prisons.
The mayor also called for the transfer of the Sahrawi political prisoners to Western Sahara pending their release, so that they could be detained closer to their families.
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