In Western Sahara, violations of the most fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, assembly, and association, occur on a regular basis. However, reporting on human rights violations in Western Sahara remains limited and is severely constrained by the highly restrictive media environment, as well as the Moroccan government’s repression of Sahrawi human rights defenders, journalists, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights has been working to collect and publish credible reports of human rights abuses on a bi-annual basis to help draw international attention to the situation in Western Sahara. The following report specifically tracks human rights violations that occurred between July 1 and December 1, 2015 and were issued by reputable NGOs based in Western Sahara, credible Arabic and English media sources, and substantiated social media accounts.

Taken as a whole, the frequency and nature of these incidents paints a grim picture of the human rights situation in Western Sahara and emphasizes the need for an independent human rights monitoring mechanism in the region.