Ali Al-Sadouni
Ali Al-Sadouni is a human rights defender who works to coordinate people in Western Sahara who refuse citizenship of the Moroccan occupying power. The human rights defender actively advocates for the right to self-determination in Western Sahara. Ali Al-Sadouni has been frequently detained, and allegedly tortured and ill-treated by Moroccan authorities due to his work as a human rights defender.
The issue of the status of Western Sahara remains unresolved, despite ongoing negotiations between the Moroccan authorities and the Polisario Front. The UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), established in 1991, has been extended but continues to have no human rights monitoring component. The dispute over self determination created deep political and security related tensions throughout the Sahara area and affects all aspects of life, including the work of human rights defenders.
Sahrawi human rights defenders continued to be subjected to intimidation, harassment, questioning, arrest, incommunicado detention, and unfair trials.
