UN Report Highlights Torture Allegations in Western Sahara
On May 21, 2026, the United Nations Committee Against Torture accused Morocco of committing systematic human rights violations against detainees from the Gdeim Izik protest camp located in the occupied Western Sahara. The committee asserted that Moroccan authorities have relied on torture, coerced confessions, and have failed to conduct thorough investigations amid a series of politically sensitive judicial proceedings. This revelation came in a report published yesterday following the review of four new complaints submitted by Sahrawi detainees who were arrested after the dismantling of the Gdeim Izik protest camp near the occupied capital of Western Sahara, Laayoune, in 2010.
The camp, which saw participation from over 20,000 Sahrawi demonstrators at its peak, was established as a peaceful protest against what the participants described as Moroccan colonial discrimination and the deteriorating socio-economic conditions in Western Sahara. The committee's findings indicated that the four cases are part of a broader "consistent pattern" previously identified in six other rulings related to Gdeim Izik detainees. According to the committee, these cases reveal recurring practices including arbitrary detention, solitary confinement, torture during interrogation, and the use of alleged coerced confessions as evidence in courts.
The United Nations body reported that the complainants described experiencing severe torture during their arrest and detention, which included beatings, cigarette burns, threats of sexual assault, and being subjected to painful positions known as "the chicken" and "falqa," a form of torture involving repeated blows to the soles of the feet. They also reported prolonged solitary confinement, deprivation of food and medical care, and denial of access to lawyers and family visits.
Peter Fidel Kessing, the Vice Chair of the Committee Against Torture, stated that the repetitive nature of these allegations points to a structural issue rather than isolated incidents. "Unfortunately, these are not isolated cases but a structural problem in how Morocco deals with issues related to Gdeim Izik," Kessing remarked. The committee criticized Moroccan judicial authorities for refusing to register torture complaints or initiate prompt investigations despite clear signs of mistreatment. It noted that medical examinations were only conducted six years later at the behest of the Rabat Court of Appeal and were neither independent nor compliant with the Istanbul Protocol, the international standard for documenting torture.
According to the complainants, detainees were forced to sign or fingerprint police records without being aware of their content after enduring torture and mistreatment. These records were subsequently used as primary evidence in trials before a Moroccan military court in 2013 and later before the Rabat Court of Appeal. Ultimately, the four detainees were convicted, with two receiving life sentences and the other two sentenced to 25 years in prison.
The committee concluded that Morocco violated several obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Torture by failing to conduct prompt and impartial investigations into torture allegations, not preventing torture during detention and interrogation, depriving victims of effective complaint mechanisms, and relying on evidence that purportedly was obtained under duress. It also expressed concern over Morocco's continued reliance on dubious confessions in Gdeim Izik cases despite repeated international criticism.
Furthermore, the committee urged Morocco to initiate impartial investigations compliant with the amended Istanbul Protocol, to hold accountable those responsible for torture, and to provide reparations and redress to the complainants. It also urged colonial authorities to review and, if necessary, repeal judicial rulings associated with questionable confessions. The committee called for regular access for detainees to lawyers, medical practitioners, and family members, and for the cessation of any intimidation or retaliatory actions against complainants.
The Gdeim Izik camp remains one of the most politically sensitive events in the modern history of Western Sahara, which international reports consider to be an occupied and colonized territory by Morocco. Human rights organizations have raised concerns for years regarding the treatment of Sahrawi activists detained in connection with these protests, yet no decisive international responses have been recorded to date.
As reported by spsrasd.info.
