human rights defender
Enaâma Asfari
© فرونت لاين ديفنزر
Enaâma Asfari
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER
Urgent support needed
(AI translated) The immediate release of the Sahrawi political prisoner “Naima Asfari”.
Organization affiliation
- لجنة الحريات واحترام حقوق الإنسان في الصحراء الغربية (كوريلسو)
HRD's year of birth
1970
HRD's Gender
Man
Type of HRD
- NGO member
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
HRD's geographical origin
Urban
Current Status
In prison (sentenced)
HRD's bio and work
(AI translated) Nahama Asfari is a Sahrawi human rights activist who was born in 1970. He serves as the vice chairman of the Committee for Freedom and Respect for Human Rights in Western Sahara (Coreslus). He holds a degree in public law from Al Qadi Iyad University. Nahama Asfari is known for his continuous human rights activities and his defense of the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination, which has made him the target of harassment and arrest for many years.
The Sahrawi human rights activist Nahama Asfari was politically detained by the Moroccan occupying forces. In 2009, he was imprisoned for four months simply for carrying a keychain with the image of the Sahrawi flag. During the period from 2007 to 2009, he was transferred between several Moroccan prisons, including those in Tantan, Smara, Tiznit, and Marrakesh. He was then kidnapped again on November 7, 2010, on the eve of the dismantling of the Aqdim Izik camp, a time when he is alleged to have committed the criminal acts against him.
The individual in question was detained for five days in an undisclosed location, where he was subjected to torture while in custody. He was blindfolded and handcuffed and forced to sign confessions under coercion. The Moroccan occupying forces’ courts relied on these confessions during his trials. The first trial took place at the Sla Military Court in Morocco on February 13, 2013, and the second trial at the Sla Civil Appeal Court on July 17, 2017. The latter court sentenced him to 30 years in prison, a penalty that many local, regional, and international human rights organizations consider unjust.
The United Nations Committee against Torture, in its decision regarding case number 606/2014, confirmed that the Kingdom of Morocco had violated several articles of the Convention against Torture, specifically articles 1, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. It noted that Nahama Asfari’s continued detention was based on confessions obtained under torture.
Since his arrest in 2010, this Sahrawi human rights activist has been transferred between several prisons, including the local prisons of Sla 1 and 2, the local prison of Arjat 1, and the Central Prison of Kenitra.
Despite the many years that have passed since his arrest, his case continues to arouse concern among international human rights organizations, which consider the sentence imposed on him to be an example of unfair trials and grave violations of human rights.
Detained since
Nov 7, 2010
Charge(s)
- Damage to public property
- Other
- Subversion
- Threatening national security
Sentence
(AI translated) A period of 30 years.
Latitude: 34.2617581870423
Longitude: -6.580812692650398
Geolocation of detention
Country or area of detention
Region of detention
- Africa: Northern Africa
Location of detention - City/Town
القنيطرة
Location of detention - Facility
السجن المركزي القنيطرة
Alternative mailing address
العنوان: 7CF4+289، القنيطرة، المغرب
Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
(AI translated) The Sahrawi political prisoner “Naima Asfari” continues to be denied the right to receive visits from his wife, and he is also subjected to restrictions when his other family members come to visit him.
Recent case update / evolution
(AI translated) On April 30, 2026, the Sahrawi political prisoner “Al-Naima Asfari” began a warning hunger strike, declaring his intention to embark on an open-ended strike starting from May 10, 2026.
This escalation comes as part of his efforts to demand that the Moroccan occupation authorities release him, in accordance with the opinion issued by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in April 2023, which deemed his detention illegal.
Any other relevant documents
(AI translated) https://www.amnesty.org/ar/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/MDE2937212016ENGLISH.pdf
https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=23226
Attachments
Documented by
- Country(ies) of nationality
- HRD's year of birth
- 1970
- HRD's Gender
- Man
- Type of HRD
- NGO member
- HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
- Organization affiliation
- لجنة الحريات واحترام حقوق الإنسان في الصحراء الغربية (كوريلسو)
- HRD's Picture
- Copyright
- فرونت لاين ديفنزر
- HRD's bio and work
(AI translated) Nahama Asfari is a Sahrawi human rights activist who was born in 1970. He serves as the vice chairman of the Committee for Freedom and Respect for Human Rights in Western Sahara (Coreslus). He holds a degree in public law from Al Qadi Iyad University. Nahama Asfari is known for his continuous human rights activities and his defense of the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination, which has made him the target of harassment and arrest for many years.
The Sahrawi human rights activist Nahama Asfari was politically detained by the Moroccan occupying forces. In 2009, he was imprisoned for four months simply for carrying a keychain with the image of the Sahrawi flag. During the period from 2007 to 2009, he was transferred between several Moroccan prisons, including those in Tantan, Smara, Tiznit, and Marrakesh. He was then kidnapped again on November 7, 2010, on the eve of the dismantling of the Aqdim Izik camp, a time when he is alleged to have committed the criminal acts against him.
The individual in question was detained for five days in an undisclosed location, where he was subjected to torture while in custody. He was blindfolded and handcuffed and forced to sign confessions under coercion. The Moroccan occupying forces’ courts relied on these confessions during his trials. The first trial took place at the Sla Military Court in Morocco on February 13, 2013, and the second trial at the Sla Civil Appeal Court on July 17, 2017. The latter court sentenced him to 30 years in prison, a penalty that many local, regional, and international human rights organizations consider unjust.
The United Nations Committee against Torture, in its decision regarding case number 606/2014, confirmed that the Kingdom of Morocco had violated several articles of the Convention against Torture, specifically articles 1, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. It noted that Nahama Asfari’s continued detention was based on confessions obtained under torture.
Since his arrest in 2010, this Sahrawi human rights activist has been transferred between several prisons, including the local prisons of Sla 1 and 2, the local prison of Arjat 1, and the Central Prison of Kenitra.
Despite the many years that have passed since his arrest, his case continues to arouse concern among international human rights organizations, which consider the sentence imposed on him to be an example of unfair trials and grave violations of human rights.
- HRD's geographical origin
- Urban
- Country or area of detention
- Region of detention
- Africa: Northern Africa
- Location of detention - City/Town
- القنيطرة
- Location of detention - Facility
- السجن المركزي القنيطرة
- Geolocation of detention
Latitude: 34.2617581870423
Longitude: -6.580812692650398
- Geolocation of detention
- Alternative mailing address
العنوان: 7CF4+289، القنيطرة، المغرب
- Detained since
- Nov 7, 2010
- Current Status
- In prison (sentenced)
- Charge(s)
- Damage to public property
- Other
- Subversion
- Threatening national security
- Sentence
(AI translated) A period of 30 years.
- Recent case update / evolution
(AI translated) On April 30, 2026, the Sahrawi political prisoner “Al-Naima Asfari” began a warning hunger strike, declaring his intention to embark on an open-ended strike starting from May 10, 2026.
This escalation comes as part of his efforts to demand that the Moroccan occupation authorities release him, in accordance with the opinion issued by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in April 2023, which deemed his detention illegal.
- Allegations / reports of ill-treatment
(AI translated) The Sahrawi political prisoner “Naima Asfari” continues to be denied the right to receive visits from his wife, and he is also subjected to restrictions when his other family members come to visit him.
- Urgent support needed
(AI translated) The immediate release of the Sahrawi political prisoner “Naima Asfari”.
- Any other relevant documents
(AI translated) https://www.amnesty.org/ar/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/MDE2937212016ENGLISH.pdf
https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=23226
- Documented by
- Consent status
- Consent to register, store and publish the information
sorted by
Date added
3 relationships, 3 entities