{"id":6080,"date":"2025-07-25T23:33:06","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T23:33:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/?p=6080"},"modified":"2025-07-25T23:33:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T23:33:52","slug":"adala-uk-condemns-hortidailys-promotion-of-illegal-agriculture-in-occupied-western-sahara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/?p=6080","title":{"rendered":"Adala UK Condemns HortiDaily’s Promotion of Illegal Agriculture in Occupied Western Sahara"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Adala UK strongly condemns the recent article published by HortiDaily on\u00a06 May 2025, titled\u00a0\u201cDakhla growers urged to diversify their markets\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. The article presents a commercial narrative about agricultural production and export in\u00a0Dakhla<\/strong>, without any mention of the legal status of the territory as part of\u00a0occupied Western Sahara<\/strong>, or the serious human rights and international law violations that such activity entails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misrepresentation of Occupied Territory as Morocco<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The article refers to Dakhla as part of Morocco and promotes its agricultural expansion and export potential. This framing is factually incorrect and legally irresponsible<\/strong>. Dakhla lies within Western Sahara<\/strong>, a territory that is internationally recognised as Non-Self-Governing<\/strong> and has been subject to illegal military occupation by Morocco since 1975<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By presenting agricultural activities in Dakhla as Moroccan development, the article\u00a0legitimises the occupation<\/strong>, undermines international law, and ignores the rights of the indigenous\u00a0Saharawi people<\/strong> including their fundamental right to\u00a0self-determination<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The European and International Legal Context<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Multiple rulings by the\u00a0European Court of Justice (ECJ)<\/strong> notably cases\u00a0C-104\/16 P<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0C-266\/16<\/strong> have clearly established that\u00a0Western Sahara is \u201cseparate and distinct\u201d from Morocco<\/strong>, and that no agreement or economic activity can lawfully include the territory without the\u00a0free, prior and informed consent of its people<\/strong>, represented by the\u00a0Polisario Front<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trade or investment activities involving Western Sahara’s natural resources whether agricultural, fishing, or energy related are\u00a0unlawful<\/strong>\u00a0under international law if conducted without Saharawi consent. This includes\u00a0produce grown on land illegally seized under occupation and exported as \u201cMade in Morocco\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misleading Involvement of the United Kingdom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

HortiDaily\u2019s article further claims that the United Kingdom is already a key market<\/strong> for produce from Dakhla. As a UK-based organisation, Adala UK finds this reference deeply misleading and unacceptable<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UK government does not recognise Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara<\/strong>. Including the UK in a narrative that promotes the export of goods produced under occupation risks misrepresenting UK policy<\/strong>, misleading consumers, and encouraging companies to become complicit in violations of international law<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We urge British retailers, wholesalers, and consumers to investigate the origin of imported goods and ensure that no product sourced from occupied Western Sahara<\/strong> is falsely labelled as Moroccan or enters UK markets in breach of international norms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exploitation Under Occupation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The agricultural projects described by HortiDaily are a direct result of Moroccan state-backed settlement schemes that systematically exclude the indigenous Saharawi population<\/strong> from participation or benefit. These operations are built on land unlawfully occupied, often using water and infrastructure subsidised by the Moroccan government<\/strong>, and are designed to consolidate de facto annexation through economic means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This model violates international humanitarian law<\/strong>, particularly Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention<\/strong>, which prohibits the transfer of civilians by an occupying power into the territory it occupies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adala UK\u2019s Position and Call to Action<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Adala UK calls on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • HortiDaily<\/strong>\u00a0to immediately correct the misleading presentation of Dakhla as part of Morocco, and to acknowledge the\u00a0occupied status of Western Sahara<\/strong>;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Media platforms and journalists<\/strong>\u00a0to adopt responsible reporting standards that respect the legal status of disputed and occupied territories;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Governments and international markets<\/strong>, including the UK, to prevent the import of goods originating from Western Sahara without the consent of its people;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Agricultural and retail companies<\/strong>\u00a0to conduct thorough\u00a0human rights due diligence<\/strong>\u00a0before engaging in trade with companies operating in occupied lands.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    We reaffirm the inalienable right of the Saharawi people to self-determination<\/strong>, as enshrined in the UN Charter<\/strong>, and will continue to advocate against the illegal exploitation of their land and resources under occupation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Adala UK strongly condemns the recent article published by HortiDaily on\u00a06 May 2025, titled\u00a0\u201cDakhla growers urged to diversify their markets\u201d. The article presents a commercial narrative about agricultural production and export in\u00a0Dakhla, without any mention of the legal status of the territory as part of\u00a0occupied Western Sahara, or the serious human rights and international law violations that such activity entails. Misrepresentation of Occupied Territory as Morocco The article refers to Dakhla as part of Morocco and promotes its agricultural expansion and export potential. This framing is factually incorrect and legally irresponsible. Dakhla lies within Western Sahara, a territory that is internationally recognised as Non-Self-Governing and has been subject to illegal military occupation by Morocco since 1975. By presenting agricultural activities in Dakhla as Moroccan development, the article\u00a0legitimises the occupation, undermines international law, and ignores the rights of the indigenous\u00a0Saharawi people including their fundamental right to\u00a0self-determination. The European and International Legal Context Multiple rulings by the\u00a0European Court of Justice (ECJ) notably cases\u00a0C-104\/16 P\u00a0and\u00a0C-266\/16 have clearly established that\u00a0Western Sahara is \u201cseparate and distinct\u201d from Morocco, and that no agreement or economic activity can lawfully include the territory without the\u00a0free, prior and informed consent of its people, represented by the\u00a0Polisario Front. Trade or investment activities involving Western Sahara’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6081,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[143,1,95],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6080"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6080"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6083,"href":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6080\/revisions\/6083"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}