The Moroccan authorities have the obligation to guarantee the right to health for all people. Denying medical attention to any person in critical condition is not only heartless and cruel, but also clearly illegal.

Many Saharawis are victims of police violence under the Moroccan occupation of the Western Sahara; these victims are not given medical attention in Moroccan hospitals. 

Naima Brahmin is one of many Saharawi victims who suffer injuries but who are never given medical attention in Moroccan hospitals due to their political positions regarding the conflict in Western Sahara.

She was beaten by a Moroccan police officer, causing serious harm to her nose, on the 15th January 2014 following a peaceful protest defending the Western Sahara’s right to self-determination – a right recognised by the UN under resolution 1514. 

In a phonecall, Naima told members of Adala UK that doctors in Moroccan hospitals in the Western Sahara never gave her any medical attention. Thanks to Algerian NGOs she was able to leave the country for an operation in the Algerian capital on 29th February 2014.

Today Naima will undergo another operation, hoping her injuries will heal. Doctors have classified her condition as serious.

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