Sahrawi activist Naama Asfari's health deteriorates as Spain urges Morocco to release him

Naama Asfari, a Sahrawi human‑rights defender and vice‑president of the Committee for Liberties and Respect of Human Rights in Western Sahara (CORELSO), has been detained in Morocco’s Kenitra prison for more than 15 years. He is serving a 30‑year sentence and his health is now critical after a month‑long hunger strike demanding compliance with international rulings on the Gdeim Izik detainees.

The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention classified Asfari’s imprisonment as arbitrary in 2023, calling for his immediate release and for independent medical care. In Spain, the Sumar parliamentary group has submitted a non‑legislative proposal urging the government to press Morocco to free Asfari unconditionally, to apply the Nelson Mandela Rules on prison treatment, and to raise the issue within the EU and UN frameworks.