Geneva, Switzerland, May 20, 2026 (SPS) – The United Nations Committee Against Torture (CAT) announced on Wednesday that it has once again confirmed Morocco's violations of the rights of Sahrawi prisoners from the Gdeim Izik camp. The committee emphasized that there has been a "systematic pattern of arbitrary detentions, the use of torture, and confessions obtained under duress during trials," following a review of four new complaints related to the camp, which was attacked in 2010 near the occupied city of El Aaiún.
According to the allegations, the detainees were subjected to brutal methods during their detention and interrogation, including severe beatings, cigarette burns, threats of sexual assault, prolonged suspension in a "roasted chicken" position, torture through beatings on the soles of the feet with an iron bar (falaga), isolation, deprivation of food and medical care, and denial of access to lawyers or family members.
Mr. Peter Vedel Kissing, Vice President of the Committee, stated that "these four cases, along with six similar previous cases, point to a structural problem in Morocco's handling of Gdeim Izik cases." The UN official added that "when allegations of torture are repeatedly raised and ignored, followed by convictions based on dubious statements, the absolute prohibition of torture is jeopardized."
The Committee also revealed that "Moroccan judicial authorities, including the investigating judge and the prosecutor, refused to record or investigate the torture allegations, including the order for medical examinations," highlighting that "only six years later did the President of the Rabat Court of Appeal order medical examinations, but these were not conducted in accordance with the Istanbul Protocol." "These confessions, obtained under torture, were subsequently used as primary evidence in military and civil trials, leading to the conviction of the four complainants, who received life sentences (two) and 25-year sentences (two)," the report notes.
Finally, the UN Committee urged Morocco to conduct immediate, impartial, and thorough investigations into the torture allegations, hold accountable those responsible for these violations, provide fair and adequate compensation to the complainants, and reintegrate the victims into their communities. The committee also called for the rehabilitation of the victims, followed by the review and annulment of the sentences imposed against them, in accordance with local legislation, ensuring that neither they, nor their families, nor their lawyers face reprisals.
As reported by spsrasd.info.
