Adala UK firmly condemns the intensifying campaign of defamation targeting Sahrawi human rights defender Taleb Alisalem known online as “Taleb Sahara” and the dangerous discourse aimed at delegitimizing his legitimate activism. The recent wave of baseless accusations portraying him as racially divisive or aligned with far-right ideologies is not an independent critique but part of a coordinated smear campaign launched and sustained by the media apparatus of the Moroccan occupation.

This campaign does not merely seek to discredit Taleb’s work it constitutes a direct assault on fundamental freedoms: freedom of expression, political participation, and the right to defend human rights, all of which are protected under international law.

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1. Self-Determination and the Right to Speak

Taleb Alisalem’s advocacy must be understood through the lens of international law, particularly Article 1 of both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which recognize the right of all peoples including the Sahrawi people to self-determination.

His commentary, including criticism of Moroccan state policy and the colonial legacy in Western Sahara, is a protected form of expression under Article 19 of the ICCPR, which guarantees the right to freedom of opinion and expression. These rights are especially crucial for members of oppressed peoples who face erasure and state violence.

Allegations that Taleb promotes “Morophobic” or racially divisive rhetoric reveal a disturbing pattern: equating resistance with extremism in order to silence decolonial voices. In truth, Taleb consistently speaks against all forms of racism and state-sponsored discrimination, particularly the systemic abuse faced by Sahrawis under Moroccan occupation.

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2. Defamation as a Tool of Occupation

The effort to portray Taleb as a promoter of hate without any credible evidence exemplifies the Moroccan occupation’s well-documented strategy of discrediting Sahrawi human rights defenders. This method includes targeting critics with character assassination, misinformation, and false claims of extremism.

Rather than addressing the substance of Taleb’s arguments which highlight state violence, displacement, and the systematic suppression of Sahrawi identity his detractors resort to ad hominem attacks. This violates General Comment No. 34 of the UN Human Rights Committee, which affirms that political speech and criticism of government policy are protected forms of expression.

This campaign is not accidental. It is part of a systematic information war waged by the Moroccan occupation to suppress Sahrawi voices, particularly those in exile. Taleb’s profile and principled positions make him a target because he represents an alternative narrative one grounded in law, justice, and historical truth.

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3. Moroccan Repression of Sahrawi Journalists and Activists

The Moroccan authorities have a long and well-documented record of suppressing Sahrawi journalists, activists, and ordinary civilians in the occupied territories of Western Sahara. This includes arbitrary arrests, torture, and systematic censorship, as documented by Adala UK, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and multiple UN Special Rapporteurs.

Taleb Alisalem, based in Spain, amplifies the voices of those forcibly silenced within the occupied territory. His work should be seen as part of the broader movement for justice and decolonization not as a threat, but as a critical reminder of unfinished legal obligations.

Attempts to depict him as dangerous or divisive are not rooted in fact, but in fear fear of losing control over the narrative and international legitimacy.

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4. Using Human Rights Discourse to Silence Sahrawi Struggle

Claiming that Taleb “reproduces colonial logics” is a dangerous distortion. It is not the Sahrawi people victims of colonization and occupation who perpetuate racism. Rather, it is the Moroccan state that continues to violate international humanitarian law, multiple UN resolutions, and the 1975 ICJ advisory opinion, which confirmed that Morocco has no sovereignty over Western Sahara.

Equating criticism of Moroccan state practices with hate speech deliberately obscures the legal and moral foundation of the Sahrawi cause. It also undermines the UN’s own recognition of Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territorystill awaiting decolonization.

Taleb Alisalem’s work is not “identity fetishism” or “paranoid rhetoric”; it is a clear demand for justice, dignity, and international accountability. His critique of both European complicity and Moroccan repression exposes the ways in which state power manipulates identity, race, and fear to preserve impunity.

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5. Solidarity with the Sahrawi People and Their State

This is not just about one individual. The attacks on Taleb Alisalem are attacks on the Sahrawi people’s right to self-representation. They are designed to erase the political memory of a people struggling for freedom. The state Taleb represents is not imaginary it is the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), a founding member of the African Union and the legitimate expression of the Sahrawi people’s sovereignty.

Taleb’s voice is not an isolated one. It reflects the collective determination of a people denied their land, rights, and identity. In line with the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, his right to speak, organize, and advocate for his people must be protected, not persecuted.

The media of the Moroccan occupation must be held accountable for inciting hatred, spreading disinformation, and seeking to delegitimize peaceful human rights advocacy. Their smear campaign is not about Taleb personally it is about controlling the narrative, criminalizing dissent, and whitewashing the occupation.

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Conclusion: Human Rights Include the Right to Dissent

Taleb Alisalem’s work does not threaten human rights it embodies them. Attempts to silence him are part of a wider global pattern where critical voices are only “tolerated” if they conform to sanitized versions of dissent.

Adala UK calls on the international community, civil society organizations, and democratic governments to:

• Publicly recognize the right of Sahrawi defenders like Taleb Alisalem to speak freely and without fear of reprisal;
• Condemn the Moroccan occupation’s use of media and disinformation to smear activists;
• Take concrete steps to support the implementation of the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination and the recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

In a time when human rights are being co-opted to serve political convenience, we must return to their foundational values: freedom, justice, and dignity for all peoples including the Sahrawis.

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