The Moroccan authorities continued to status” and “offending public officials”. Their 1 violate the rights of pro-independence trial was ongoing at the end of the year. Sahrawi activists throughout the year, through In July, Noureddine Aouaj, an activist and ill-treatment, arrests and harassment. In May, human rights campaigner, was sentenced to the authorities arrested Essabi Yahdih, a two years’ imprisonment. He was arrested in Sahrawi journalist and director of the online June after joining a peaceful rally supporting Algargarat Media company, at his workplace jailed journalists Omar Radi and Suleiman in Western Sahara. They interrogated him Raissouni, and charged with “insulting about his journalistic work and accused him constitutional institutions, principles and of filming military barracks in Dakhla, a city in symbols of the kingdom”, “denouncing Western Sahara. On 29 July, he was fictitious crimes” and “undermining judicial sentenced to one year in prison and a fine. In authority”. Dakhla prison he was denied medical TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT attention for pre-existing hearing and sight conditions. Some prisoners were held in harsh RIGHT TO PRIVACY conditions, including prolonged and indefinite solitary confinement, in violation of In July, together with the coalition Forbidden the prohibition of torture and other ill- Stories, Amnesty International revealed that treatment. NSO Group’s Pegasus surveillance spyware Suleiman Raissouni, a journalist and editor was used extensively by the Moroccan of Akhbar Al Yaoum newspaper, remained in authorities. Journalists, activists and political solitary confinement since his imprisonment figures of French and Moroccan origin had in May 2020. He staged a 118-day hunger been targeted with the spyware. The devices strike from 8 April to protest against his of Hicham Mansouri, a Moroccan journalist solitary confinement. living in exile in France; Claude Mangin, the Mohamed Lamine Haddi, sentenced in partner of Naama Asfari, a Sahraoui activist connection with the Gdeim Izik protest, who is imprisoned in Morocco; and Mahjoub continued to be held in solitary confinement Maliha, a Sahraoui human rights defender, since 2017. In March, prison guards ended were infected with Pegasus software in his hunger strike held in protest at his ill- violation of their rights to privacy and freedom treatment by force-feeding him, which of expression. amounts to torture under international law. FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY Members of the security forces raided the house of Sahrawi activist Sultana Khaya in On at least four occasions, the authorities Boujdour at least three times in 2021. She repressed peaceful protests demanding said that during a raid in May, members of improved working conditions and used the the security forces beat her and tried to rape health emergency decree-law to suppress her with batons, and attacked and raped her workers’ grievances. sister. On 15 November, members of the In April, police arbitrarily arrested 33 security forces broke into her house and teachers who were protesting peacefully in raped her and sexually abused her two 2 Rabat against education policies they sisters and 80-year-old mother. deemed harmful for public education and RIGHT TO HEALTH forcibly dispersed the protesters even though they were respecting Covid-19 safety In May, the Independent Syndicate of Public measures such as social distancing. The Sector Doctors held a 48-hour national strike, teachers were provisionally released after 48 excluding emergency services, to protest at hours but were still facing charges of the authorities’ inaction to their long-standing “incitement to unarmed gathering without an demands for improved pay and working authorization”, “breaching health emergency Amnesty International Report 2021/22 259