(AI translated) Mohamed Al-Bashir Botnkezza, born on December 25, 1975, in the city of El Aïoun in the Western Sahara, was arrested on November 19, 2010, in the occupied area of El Aïoun due to his human rights activities and his involvement in organizing the Akdem Izik camp, which was set up outside the urban area. There, he called on the Sahrawis to demand their economic, social, and cultural rights.

During his detention, this Sahrawi human rights defender suffered various forms of torture. He was kept blindfolded and handcuffed throughout his entire period of imprisonment at the Royal Gendarmerie facility on the outskirts of El Aïoun. He also endured physical and psychological abuse, including rape by Moroccan occupation forces, who inserted objects into his anus, causing continuous bleeding. He was subjected to electric shocks, particularly on his hands, feet, and nails, and threats were made against his family, including the threat to bring his wife and rape her in front of him.

The victim faced two trials: the first on February 13, 2013, at the military court in Salé, and the second on July 17, 2017, at the appeals court in Salé. In both cases, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Despite his requests for a medical examination, the defense team’s requests were denied three times by the military investigation judge, the military court, and the appeals court in Salé.

The victim was transferred between several prisons, including Salé Local Prison 1 and 2, Arjat Local Prison 1, and the Central Prison in Kenitra, Morocco. He carried out a number of open and symbolic hunger strikes to demand his basic human rights, as stipulated by international standards for the treatment of prisoners, in an attempt to pressure authorities to respect his human rights.