Imprisoned Sahrawi activist begins indefinite hunger strike in Morocco

Sahrawi activist Naama Asfari, imprisoned in Morocco since 2010, has commenced an indefinite hunger strike to protest his confinement conditions and demand better medical attention. Asfari, 56, also seeks a transfer to a prison located within Western Sahara, the disputed territory he hails from.

The hunger strike, which began on Monday, follows two 48-hour warning strikes last month. Asfari is serving a 30-year sentence at Kenitra prison, north of Rabat. He is considered a leader of the Gdeim Izik protest camp, dismantled in 2010. He and about twenty others were convicted in 2017 for the deaths of eleven Moroccan security agents during the camp's removal. International human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have raised concerns about procedural irregularities in the trials.

The Moroccan Prison Administration stated that Asfari notified them of his hunger strike, asserting that his stated reasons are unfounded. The administration claims he enjoys all legal rights, is housed in an individual cell with adequate sanitary conditions, receives daily outdoor time, and follows a medically prescribed diet. They reported that Asfari has undergone 189 medical examinations in prison and five at external hospitals since his incarceration.

According to the administration, Asfari has refused external hospital treatment six times, most recently on March 26, due to his refusal to wear prison attire. He reportedly continues to receive visits from family, his legal defense, and human rights organizations. The prison administration rejected his transfer request, citing that his sentence exceeds the duration limits for facilities within the Western Sahara region.

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Asfari notified them of the start of a hunger strike and pointed out that the alleged reasons are false, given that the activist enjoys 'all the rights guaranteed to him by law' in Morocco.