{"id":6295,"date":"2026-08-18T23:51:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T23:51:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/?p=6295"},"modified":"2026-08-18T23:51:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T23:51:39","slug":"uk-government-responds-to-adala-uks-urgent-appeal-on-gdeim-izik-prisoners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/?p=6295","title":{"rendered":"UK Government Responds to Adala UK\u2019s Urgent Appeal on Gdeim Izik Prisoners"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Adala UK welcomes the UK Government\u2019s response to our urgent appeal concerning the deteriorating situation of Sahrawi human rights defender Na\u00e2ma Asfari and the continued detention of members of the Gdeim Izik Group.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 15 July 2026, Adala UK wrote to the UK Foreign Secretary urging His Majesty\u2019s Government to take urgent diplomatic action in response to the critical health condition of Mr Na\u00e2ma Asfari, who has been detained for more than fifteen years, and to the continuing detention of members of the Gdeim Izik Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our letter highlighted serious concerns relating to arbitrary detention, allegations of torture and coerced confessions, fair-trial guarantees, prolonged detention, restrictions on family contact, and the failure to implement recommendations issued by United Nations human rights mechanisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We specifically called on the UK Government to engage with Morocco and advocate for the immediate and unconditional release of Mr Asfari and the other members of the Gdeim Izik Group, the implementation of UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Opinion No. 23\/2023<\/strong>, urgent access to independent specialist medical treatment for Mr Asfari, humanitarian access for his family and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and unrestricted access for relevant UN human rights mechanisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UK Government acknowledges the case<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In its response, the Minister of State for North Africa confirmed that the UK Government is aware of reports concerning the case of Na\u00e2ma Asfari and stated that it \u201ccontinues to monitor this.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Minister reaffirmed that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThe UK remains firmly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights globally.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The response also outlined the UK\u2019s existing diplomatic engagement with Morocco. According to the Minister, UK officials, including at ambassadorial level, regularly raise human rights issues with the Moroccan Government and authorities. The Minister referred specifically to the visit of the UK\u2019s Human Rights Ambassador in June 2026 as a recent example of such engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UK Government also pointed to the bilateral UK\u2013Morocco Human Rights Dialogue<\/strong>, with the most recent meeting held in November 2025. The dialogue addressed a range of issues, including freedom of expression, minority rights, women\u2019s rights, media freedom and judicial reforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Minister concluded by stating that the UK will continue to engage with Morocco, as it does with other international partners, on the importance of respecting human rights obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acknowledgement is welcome, but urgent action remains necessary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Adala UK welcomes the UK Government\u2019s acknowledgement that it is aware of Mr Asfari\u2019s case and that human rights concerns continue to be raised through bilateral engagement with Morocco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, we note that the response does not provide a specific commitment regarding the urgent measures requested in our letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In particular, the response does not indicate whether the UK Government will call for Mr Asfari\u2019s immediate and unconditional release, request urgent independent specialist medical care for him, raise the implementation of Opinion No. 23\/2023<\/strong> directly with the Moroccan authorities, or advocate for unrestricted humanitarian and family access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nor does the response set out any specific action concerning the other members of the Gdeim Izik Group, despite the broader concerns surrounding their continued detention and the findings and recommendations of UN human rights mechanisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Adala UK, this distinction is important. Monitoring a case and maintaining diplomatic dialogue are necessary, but the gravity of the current situation requires concrete and urgent diplomatic action.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The humanitarian situation cannot be separated from the human rights concerns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mr Asfari\u2019s situation is particularly urgent. He began an open-ended hunger strike on 8 June 2026<\/strong> in protest against his conditions of detention and the continued imprisonment of Sahrawi political prisoners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His prolonged detention, the reported deterioration of his health and the concerns surrounding the legal basis of his conviction require immediate attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation also affects the wider Gdeim Izik Group. Other members of the group have undertaken hunger strikes in solidarity with Mr Asfari and in protest against their continued detention and prison conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These developments underscore the need for governments with diplomatic influence to respond before the situation results in irreversible harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UK has an important role to play<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The United Kingdom has repeatedly affirmed its commitment to international human rights law, the rule of law and the protection of fundamental freedoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and an influential international actor, the UK has the diplomatic capacity to raise individual cases and broader human rights concerns with the Moroccan authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adala UK therefore believes that the UK\u2019s existing human rights dialogue with Morocco should be used to address the specific and urgent concerns surrounding the Gdeim Izik prisoners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The existence of a bilateral human rights dialogue creates an opportunity for meaningful engagement. It should not, however, become a substitute for addressing urgent individual cases where there are credible and longstanding concerns raised by international human rights mechanisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adala UK calls for concrete follow-up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Following the UK Government\u2019s response, Adala UK reiterates its call for His Majesty\u2019s Government to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • urge the immediate and unconditional release of Na\u00e2ma Asfari and the other members of the Gdeim Izik Group whose detention is arbitrary;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • press for the full implementation of\u00a0UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Opinion No. 23\/2023<\/strong>;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • call for immediate access to independent specialist medical care for Mr Asfari;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • advocate for unrestricted humanitarian and family access to Sahrawi political prisoners;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • support unrestricted access for the International Committee of the Red Cross to detainees;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • raise concerns regarding allegations of torture, ill-treatment and violations of fair-trial guarantees;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • encourage Morocco to facilitate access for relevant UN human rights mechanisms, including the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; and<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • ensure that the human rights situation of Sahrawi political prisoners remains a substantive issue within UK\u2013Morocco diplomatic engagement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    The UK Government has stated that it will continue to engage with Morocco on the importance of upholding human rights obligations. Adala UK now calls for that engagement to produce tangible action.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For Mr Asfari and the other members of the Gdeim Izik Group, the issue is not simply one of continued monitoring. Their freedom, health and fundamental rights require urgent and concrete protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Adala UK will continue to monitor the situation and engage with UK parliamentarians, policymakers, international organisations and UN human rights mechanisms to advocate for accountability, the rule of law and the protection of Sahrawi human rights defenders and political prisoners.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Adala UK welcomes the UK Government\u2019s response to our urgent appeal concerning the deteriorating situation of Sahrawi human rights defender Na\u00e2ma Asfari and the continued detention of members of the Gdeim Izik Group. On 15 July 2026, Adala UK wrote to the UK Foreign Secretary urging His Majesty\u2019s Government to take urgent diplomatic action in response to the critical health condition of Mr Na\u00e2ma Asfari, who has been detained for more than fifteen years, and to the continuing detention of members of the Gdeim Izik Group. Our letter highlighted serious concerns relating to arbitrary detention, allegations of torture and coerced confessions, fair-trial guarantees, prolonged detention, restrictions on family contact, and the failure to implement recommendations issued by United Nations human rights mechanisms. We specifically called on the UK Government to engage with Morocco and advocate for the immediate and unconditional release of Mr Asfari and the other members of the Gdeim Izik Group, the implementation of UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Opinion No. 23\/2023, urgent access to independent specialist medical treatment for Mr Asfari, humanitarian access for his family and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and unrestricted access for relevant UN human rights mechanisms. UK Government acknowledges the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6296,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[93,1,95],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6295"}],"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=6295"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6297,"href":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6295\/revisions\/6297"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adalauk.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}