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July 10, 2025 – Spain/Morocco –
Moroccan authorities expelled two Spanish journalists—Leonor Suárez and Óscar Allende—and human rights activist Raúl Conde from occupied Laayoune on July 8, 2025. They were detained at a checkpoint while reporting on human rights in Western Sahara, in coordination with the Sahrawi media group Equipe Media, then escorted under surveillance to Agadir and expelled without official explanation.
The trio condemned the expulsions as “illegal,” accusing Moroccan authorities of deliberately silencing reporters and observers in the territory. Raúl Conde described how plainclothes agents stopped the car, refused to provide any formal justification, and drove them to Agadir under escort, underscoring a systematic blockade of independent verification in Western Sahara.
This incident is part of a wider pattern: over 330 journalists, human rights activists, and international observers have been expelled from Western Sahara in recent years, according to Sahrawi groups. Morocco maintains that unauthorized visits must be pre-approved by local “elected officials” and authorities—a requirement critics argue serves to suppress scrutiny under the pretext of protecting territorial integrity.
Human rights groups—including Sahrawi activists, Spanish media outlets, and NGOs—denounce these expulsions as violations of freedom of movement, expression, and press freedom. They argue such actions impede independent monitoring of alleged abuses in one of the world’s longest-running contested territories, further deepening Algiers’ media blackout. Adala UK highlighted that these detentions and expulsions constitute a clear infringement of the right to free speech under Article 19 of the ICCPR, to which Morocco is a party.
The expulsions prompted political fallout: Spanish MEPs raised questions with the European Commission, and calls are growing for the international community to demand unfettered access—especially through a UN-led monitoring mechanism under MINURSO—to safeguard transparency and accountability in Western Sahara.
The incident underscores Morocco’s persistent strategy of restricting independent journalism and civil society oversight in Western Sahara, reinforcing opaque control over the region.
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