UN Committee Concludes Morocco Violated Torture Convention with Abdelmoula El Hafidhi's Detention Conditions

Morocco's Violation of Torture Standards Confirmed by UN Committee

On August 18, 2026, the United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT) publicly announced a significant ruling that the Kingdom of Morocco violated the Convention against Torture in the case of Abdelmoula El Hafidhi, a Sahrawi human rights defender and former prisoner. The ruling, which was adopted during the Committee's 84th session on April 24, 2026, highlights the degrading conditions of El Hafidhi's detention at Aït Melloul prison, marking a grave concern for human rights practices in the region. This decision was made public by the international human rights organization that represented El Hafidhi, the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR).

The complaints lodged by El Hafidhi centered around the inhumane conditions he faced during his imprisonment, which began following his arrest in 2016 in Boujdour, located in the occupied Western Sahara. The Committee’s findings underscored critical issues including severe overcrowding, lack of natural light and ventilation, insufficient heating, and limited access to clean drinking water and sanitary facilities, all of which constitute degrading treatment in violation of Article 16 of the Convention against Torture.

Context of Repression Against Sahrawi Activists

The ruling also indicated that Morocco has not fulfilled its obligations under Article 13 of the Convention, further exacerbating the situation for human rights advocates in the region. El Hafidhi was arrested on April 16, 2016, and subsequently sentenced to ten years in prison related to demonstrations at a university in Marrakech. His conviction was upheld in appeals in April 2018 and by the Court of Cassation in April 2019, with his sentence officially completed on April 16 of this year.

The case of El Hafidhi is emblematic of a broader pattern of repression against Sahrawi human rights defenders, as articulated in a joint statement by the ISHR and the League for the Protection of Sahrawi Prisoners in Moroccan Prisons (LPPS). They emphasized that the CAT’s decision corroborates the daily realities faced by Sahrawi prisoners who are incarcerated due to their political beliefs and stances. Furthermore, it highlights the use of degrading prison conditions, isolation, and denial of medical care as punitive measures against those advocating for the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination.

In a 2019 ruling, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention deemed El Hafidhi's imprisonment as arbitrary, reinforcing the urgent need for international attention and intervention. Tess McEvoy, an advocacy officer with the ISHR, remarked that the targeted persecution of individuals like El Hafidhi due to their peaceful advocacy for self-determination accentuates the critical requirement for unrestricted access to UN mechanisms and African human rights systems, as well as the protection of human rights defenders in Western Sahara.

Additionally, Hassanna Abba from the LPPS highlighted that this ruling brings to light the harsh realities faced by Sahrawi prisoners who are held because of their convictions. She noted that for years, they have documented how Moroccan authorities utilize degrading prison conditions, isolation, and medical deprivation as punishment against those who dare to speak out in defense of their right to self-determination. Numerous Sahrawi political prisoners are currently detained across various Moroccan prisons, serving unjust and severe sentences ranging from 20 years to life imprisonment, often resulting from trials lacking the guarantees and standards of a fair judiciary, as reported by international NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

As reported by spsrasd.info.