Adala UK Welcomes UN Alarm Over Moroccan Attacks on Human Rights Defenders in Western Sahara
Adala UK welcomes the strong and timely statement by Mary Lawlor, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, expressing deep concern over the ongoing violence and repression targeting Sahrawi human rights defenders in the occupied territories of Western Sahara.
On Friday, Lawlor took to social media to condemn the recent violent assault by Moroccan security forces against prominent Sahrawi activists Sidi Mohammed Daddach and Mustapha Dah following a peaceful gathering commemorating the 55th anniversary of the Zemla Intifada—a historic Sahrawi uprising against Spanish colonial rule in 1970. The event, held in El Aaiun on 19 June 2025, was met with brutal repression by Moroccan police, who assaulted numerous attendees, including Brahim Farrik, a well-known local human rights defender, and Daddach Mohamed, president of the Sahrawi Committee for the Right to Self-Determination.
“I have received disturbing reports of Moroccan police violence against Sahrawi human rights defenders,” Lawlor stated. “Moroccan authorities must end the repression of human rights defenders in Western Sahara.”
This is not the first time Mary Lawlor has raised the alarm about Morocco’s increasingly aggressive tactics against Sahrawi civil society actors. In April 2025, she joined other UN experts in a formal communication to the Moroccan government, detailing grave concerns over a sustained campaign of intimidation, surveillance, harassment, and judicial abuse targeting Sahrawi human rights defenders, journalists, and advocates for the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.
Among the cases highlighted was that of Ali Salem Tamek, a senior member of CODESA (Sahrawi Collective of Human Rights Defenders), who remains under constant police surveillance and faces restrictions on his freedom of movement and assembly. The same communication denounced defamatory campaigns against Tamek and other Sahrawi defenders, alongside a broader strategy by Moroccan authorities to delegitimize activists by portraying them as “foreign agents”—a narrative that fosters hostility and justifies repression.
A Worsening Pattern of Repression
Adala UK has long documented and condemned Morocco’s ongoing violations of fundamental rights in Western Sahara. These include the use of force against peaceful protestors, arbitrary detentions, travel bans, and the criminalisation of civil society activity. Over the years, Moroccan authorities have repeatedly blocked access to Western Sahara for international observers, journalists, and human rights delegations—a clear attempt to silence voices and hide abuses from the world.
Adala UK has documented numerous cases of expulsions and denied entry to international human rights defenders attempting to access the occupied territories.
This incident occurred during one of the visits of Adala UK’s president to Western Sahara. During a peaceful demonstration in El Aaiun, Mr. Sidi Ahmed was physically assaulted by Moroccan security forces. The organisation strongly condemned this violent and unprovoked attack, expressing full solidarity with Mr. Sidi Ahmed and all victims of Moroccan brutality. Adala UK continues to call on the Moroccan government to cease its attacks on peaceful demonstrators and to allow international observers access to monitor the situation on the ground.
The Urgency of International Responsibility
For Adala UK, Mary Lawlor’s public condemnation is a crucial affirmation of what Sahrawi defenders have endured for decades: systematic repression under occupation, with little recourse to justice or international protection.
Adala UK emphasises that:
“It’s certain that in Morocco there’s a Parliament, a judicial system and a Government, but there’s no separation of powers.”
This lack of institutional independence allows Morocco to operate with impunity in the occupied territories.
Adala UK is therefore calling for concrete action from the international community and the UN system. The time for statements alone has passed. There must be:
- An independent international investigation into all acts of violence, intimidation, arbitrary detention and harassment targeting Sahrawi human rights defenders;
- Accountability for those responsible, including legal action through the Moroccan judicial system, where possible, or international mechanisms where national remedies have failed;
- Immediate access for international observers, journalists and humanitarian organisations to Western Sahara;
- And clear pressure from Morocco’s allies—including the United Kingdom—to demand respect for international human rights norms.
Standing with Defenders
Adala UK reaffirms its unwavering support for all Sahrawi human rights defenders. We remind the Moroccan government and the broader international community that these courageous individuals are not criminals or agents of division—they are the last line of defence for justice, dignity, and the rule of law in the occupied territories.
As Mary Lawlor rightly noted, the world cannot remain indifferent. The repression must stop—and it must stop now.
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Adala UK is a British-based organisation dedicated to defending human rights in Western Sahara and supporting the voices of Sahrawi civil society