Madrid, 3 May 2025 (SPS) – The Sahrawi Journalists and Writers Association in Europe reaffirmed on Saturday its commitment to continue advocating for and amplifying the voices of Sahrawi journalists "as long as the enemies of the Sahrawi cause persist in silencing dissent and suppressing press freedom." This comes in light of the recent targeting of journalists accompanying the international march demanding the release of Sahrawi prisoners held in Moroccan occupation jails.
In a statement marking World Press Freedom Day, observed annually on May 3, the Association declared: "We, the Sahrawi Journalists and Writers Association in Europe, will persist in our advocacy and efforts to convey the voices of Sahrawi journalists as long as the gagging of free speech and press repression by the opponents of our cause continues. The latest example is the verbal abuse and online defamation against journalists covering the peaceful international 'Freedom March' for Sahrawi detainees, led by Ms. Claude Mangin, wife of the Sahrawi civilian prisoner Naama Asfari."
On this occasion, the Association stated: "We raise our voices to condemn the brutal repression faced by our colleagues in the occupied Sahrawi territories, where journalism accompanies the resistance and peaceful uprising witnessed in these regions."
The Association also "strongly denounced the militarization and police siege imposed by the Moroccan occupation authorities, preventing journalists and international observers from entering the occupied cities." It emphasized that "this media blackout aims to conceal from the world the grave human rights violations committed daily against unarmed Sahrawi civilians—all under the watch of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), which remains silent."
The statement praised the courage of Sahrawi journalists in the occupied territories of Western Sahara, "who face persecution, torture, professional bans, salary cuts, and harassment. Despite the silence of much of the international press, their voices remain beacons of resistance against occupation and injustice."
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