Adala UK strongly condemns the ongoing campaign of intimidation and racial discrimination waged by Moroccan intelligence services against the families of Saharawi prisoners from the Gdeim Izik group. These repressive measures appear to be a direct reprisal against the families’ peaceful demands for the release of their arbitrarily detained loved ones.

According to confirmed reports received by Adala UK’a activists in occupied territories of Western Sahara , on Thursday, 22 May 2025, Moroccan intelligence agents surrounded the home of the family of Mohamed El Bachir Boutengiza, one of the Gdeim Izik detainees, in Occupied El-Aaiun.

In a disturbing escalation, the family was confronted by approximately 20 plainclothes officers, including members of the Moroccan police and intelligence services. The agents remained outside the house for nearly 40 minutes, during which they intimidated and threatened the family, preventing them from leaving their home. This act appears to be part of a deliberate campaign to pressure and silence families who speak out against the unjust imprisonment of their relatives.

On the same day, the mother of Saharawi political prisoner Abdallah El Wali Lekhfaouni, also a member of the Gdeim Izik group, was subjected to humiliating treatment at the Kenitra Central Prison while attempting to visit her son. She was forced to wait for nearly four hours to obtain visitation permission, during which she was subjected to a degrading body search, and several of her son’s personal items were damaged or confiscated.

These violations occur in the context of growing national and international pressure calling for the immediate release of Saharawi political prisoners. The Gdeim Izik detainees, arrested following the dismantling of the peaceful protest camp in 2010, have long been recognized by human rights organizations as victims of unfair trials, torture, and arbitrary detention.

These recent incidents underscore a pattern of reprisals by Moroccan authorities against those advocating for Saharawi rights and justice. Harassment of prisoners’ families constitutes a flagrant violation of international human rights standards, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention Against Torture, to which Morocco is a party.

Adala UK reiterates the following demands:

1. Immediate end to the harassment and intimidation of Saharawi families and activists.
2. Full respect for the rights of political prisoners and their families, including humane treatment during prison visits.
3. Independent investigations into abuses committed by Moroccan security forces.
4. Unconditional release of all Saharawi political prisoners, in compliance with international human rights obligations.

Adala UK calls upon the United Nations, the European Union, and the British Government to take a clear and firm stance in condemning Morocco’s systematic human rights abuses in Western Sahara, and to support the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination and justice.

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