On 31st August 2013, around 19.50, Moroccan authorities violently intervened in a peaceful demonstration of a group of unemployed Saharawi graduates to prevent them from exercising their right to peaceful protest and stop them from accessing the office of the “Work Delegation”, a representation of the Ministry of Work, on Meca Street, El Aaiun. The graduates had called for this demonstration the previous night in order to demand their right to work, as stipulated in international conventions and the Moroccan constitution. Many of these graduates completed their degrees in various disciplines years ago and have still not been able to obtain work due to restrictions imposed by Morocco, and despite the resources available in Western Sahara, which would be sufficient to provide work for all Saharawis.

Moroccan police, in uniform and civilian clothes, and auxiliary forces surrounded the whole area of Meca Street to break up the protest. During their violent intervention, using wooden sticks and metal bars, many of the demonstrators were severely injured and had to be transferred to Hassan Ben Eye Mahdi hospital. A member of Adala UK was able to access the hospital to talk to some of the victims, take photos and compile a list of their names