UN demands end to repression of Sahrawi rights activists

The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, has called for an end to the repression of Sahrawi activists following a violent assault on Mahfouda Bamba Lafkir by Morocco police officers, reports AL24 News on March 28th.

“I have received troubling reports that Moroccan police officers physically assaulted and injured Mahfouda Bamba Lafkir, a Sahrawi human rights defender in Western Sahara, on March 16th, 2025,” she wrote in a statement on social media.

The UN Special Rapporteur called for the immediate cessation of the ongoing repression against Sahrawi human rights activists in the Morocco occupied territory.

Last week, a collective of Sahrawi human rights defenders in Western Sahara (CODESA) condemned the attack by Morocco’s occupying forces on both Mahfouda Bamba Lafkir and journalist Salha Boutanguiza.

The organisation described the assault as “retaliation” for their advocacy of the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.

“This represents a serious threat to the lives, physical integrity, and personal security of all those who struggle and advocate for the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination, particularly those who monitor, document, and report various violations of international and humanitarian law in Western Sahara,” CODESA warned.

AL24 News