Ivry-sur-Seine, France – In a compelling statement released on June 12, 2026, Mayor Philippe Bouyssou of Ivry-sur-Seine has called upon French authorities to take decisive action to protect the rights of Naama Asfari, a Sahrawi political prisoner and honorary citizen of the city. Asfari has been incarcerated by Moroccan authorities since the autumn of 2010, and his plight has recently gained renewed attention due to an open-ended hunger strike he initiated on June 8, dubbed 'The Battle for Dignity.'
The hunger strike aims to highlight the pressing need for the implementation of recommendations made by the United Nations Committee Against Torture and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, specifically concerning the cases of the Gdeim Izik prisoners. Mayor Bouyssou's statement emphasized that Asfari's actions are not merely a personal protest but a larger call for the international community to recognize and address the ongoing violations of human rights faced by Sahrawi prisoners.
Naama Asfari, a dedicated human rights advocate, has been at the forefront of the struggle for the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination and liberation of their homeland. His arrest in El Aaiun in November 2010 led to a controversial military trial resulting in a 30-year sentence, despite his status as a civilian and the lack of adherence to fair trial standards. The mayor's statement also reiterated the findings of the United Nations Committee Against Torture, which concluded that Asfari had endured torture during his detention, and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which deemed his imprisonment as arbitrary and called for his immediate release.
As reported by spsrasd.info.
