Rafto laureate Sidi Mohamed Daddach and Fellow Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders Assaulted on International Human Rights Day

At approximately 18:00, Daddach was on his way towards Smara Street alongside human rights defender Dafa Ahmed Babu, where a peaceful gathering had been scheduled. As they approached, dozens of security agents in civilian clothing moved in and quickly formed a tight cordon around them. The agents immediately launched an attack.

Daddach describes severe kicking and beating, verbal abuse and degrading insults, and direct threats tied to their human rights activities. Shortly after Daddach and Babu were set upon, human rights defender Fatimatu Hirch arrived at the scene and was subjected to the same violent treatment.

- We were forcibly dragged into narrow alleys away from the view of bystanders, where the assault continued with heightened intensity: repeated beatings, kicks, threats, and insults targeting our dignity and Sahrawi identity, says Daddach. The violence continued for several minutes before the group was left exhausted, but still under surveillance.

Peaceful demonstrations since the summer of 2005 have led to harsh repression and an uprising in the Occupied Territories of Western Sahara. Daddach is one of very few leading human rights activists who have not been jailed during these political protests.

- We are following Daddach’s situation closely and with deep concern, says Jostein Hole Kobbeltvedt, Executive Director in the Rafto Foundation.

This episode is not an isolated incident but reflects a pattern of systematic harassment targeting Sahrawi human rights defenders. Daddach has been closely monitored at his residence, peaceful assemblies and human rights meetings have been prevented, and visitors, and anyone communicating with him, have been targeted.

This is not the first time Sidi Mohammed Daddach have been met with violence from the Maroccan government. Daddach was imprisoned for more than two decades by the Moroccan authorities and has become an important symbol of Western Sahara’s struggle for self-determination. He has spoken forcefully about Morocco’s human rights violations, and drawn the world's attention to the hundreds of Sahrawis who have "disappeared" after the Moroccan invasion in 1975.

The Rafto Foundation has repeatedly documented the challenges and risks faced by courageous human rights defenders like Daddach. Sidi Mohamed Daddach was awarded the Rafto Prize in 2002 for his lifelong commitment to the Sahrawi people in their struggle for human rights. He was incarcerated for two decades, of which 14 of the 24 years were spent under a death sentence.

This latest assault underscores the urgent need for international attention and action to uphold human rights in occupied Western Sahara and to protect those who continue to defend fundamental freedoms in the face of persistent repression.