Source: Amnesty International –
Mhamed Hali is a Sahrawi lawyer and human rights defender living and working in the occupied territories of Western Sahara. He is a Doctor of Law and International Humanitarian Law, and Secretary General of the Association for the Protection of Sahrawi Prisoners in Moroccan Jails. From a young age and despite the many challenges he continues to face, including being banned by the Moroccan state from practicing law as punishment for his human rights activism, he has never given up the fight for justice. On International Human Rights Defenders’ Day, he shares his story, his hopes for the future, and some advice for those thinking about joining the fight for human rights.
I was born in Laayoune, the largest city in Western Sahara, in 1987. I spent my childhood hearing stories of the grave violations committed against the Sahrawi people, my people, after the Moroccan military invasion of the region in 1975.
Since then, we have been fighting for our right to self-determination, as backed up by international law in the ruling of the International Court of Justice. But the Moroccan authorities do not tolerate any activity or movement that seeks to empower us or defend our rights. Over the years, they have targeted many human rights defenders, journalists and students by harassing, attacking and arresting them as punishment for their work.