Following the announcement of a hunger strike by six detainees linked to the Gdeim Izik events, the General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration (DGAPR) has responded firmly.
The administration rejected claims of shortcomings in the detainees’ treatment and said the action was politically motivated and coordinated.
Rather than reflecting a problem with their detention, the DGAPR said the hunger strike follows directives from the Polisario.
In a statement issued Thursday, the DGAPR said that six of the 19 detainees linked to the Gdeim Izik events submitted notices on Wednesday, September 23, announcing that they would begin a hunger strike.
It also confirmed that “their hunger strike has no connection with their conditions of detention, but is taking place at the direction of the Polisario and its supporters among the Kingdom’s adversaries, in a delicate political context marked by the proximity of the Security Council meeting on the issue of the Kingdom’s territorial integrity. This is evidenced by the fact that statements and press publications issued by these parties promoted this maneuver in full synchronization with the announcement of the hunger strike.”
The DGAPR said it had already “published numerous explanatory statements regarding the detention conditions of these prisoners, whether concerning medical care inside and outside the facilities where they are being held, or the provision of appropriate conditions for them to continue their studies at different levels, in addition to ensuring accommodation spaces that meet all required standards, in the same way as for the rest of the detainees.”
Regarding the request to transfer the detainees to prisons located in the Kingdom’s southern provinces, the DGAPR said it had already “explained that the sentences of the detainees prosecuted in connection with this case do not correspond to the classification applicable to these facilities, with the exception of one prisoner whose request was granted and who was transferred to the Laâyoune local prison.”
