Sahrawi political prisoner Zinelabidine Malah El Bar embraces freedom after four years of arbitrary detention, torture, and ill-treatment
Chahid El-Hafed, January 10, 2026
The Association of Families of Sahrawi Prisoners and Disappeared Persons (AFAPREDESA) welcomes the release of Sahrawi political prisoner Zinelabidine Malah El Bar and his return to his family and people in the early hours of January 10, 2026.
This young Sahrawi activist, born in Smara on April 4, 1998, was arbitrarily arrested on January 10, 2021, on the streets of the city by members of the Moroccan police and intelligence services. His arrest occurred in the context of peaceful celebrations organized by the Sahrawi masses in Smara following the Algerian national team’s victory in the Arab Cup (Qatar, December 2020).
On January 26, 2022, the so-called Court of Appeal in El Aaiún issued an unjust and disproportionate verdict against him, sentencing him to four years in prison on fabricated charges such as “unauthorized assembly,” “stone-throwing,” “insulting public officials,” and “damage to public and private property.” The judicial process lacked the minimum guarantees of a fair trial, was marked by serious irregularities, and was solely motivated by his political beliefs and his defense of the self-determination and independence of the Sahrawi people.
During these four years of arbitrary and illegal detention, Zinelabidine Malah El Bar was successively transferred between several Moroccan prisons of grim reputation:
- The civil prison of Smara
- The infamous prison known as “The Black Prison” in El Aaiún
- The prison of Bouzakaren
In these penitentiary centers, he was subjected to physical and psychological torture, systematic ill-treatment, isolation, humiliation, and degrading detention conditions, violating international human rights standards and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules). Throughout this period, he received no visits from the International Committee of the Red Cross or any other independent humanitarian or medical organization.
Additionally, the occupation authorities imposed strict and arbitrary restrictions on family visits during his imprisonment:
- Long periods without visitation permits
- Severe limitations on the number and duration of visits
- Humiliating searches and insults directed at family members
These measures are part of a deliberate policy of collective punishment and isolation, aimed at breaking the moral resistance of Sahrawi political prisoners and their families.
The release of Zinelabidine Malah Bar was carried out in the early hours of dawn, under close security surveillance: he was taken directly from the prison to his family home in Smara, where an oppressive security cordon was immediately imposed, with a heavy deployment of police forces around the house. Any gathering, popular celebration, or public expression of joy and solidarity was prohibited, in a clear attempt to minimize the symbolic impact of his release.
AFAPREDESA asserts that the freedom of Zinelabidine Malah Bar is not a favor or a concession, but a right that was unjustly taken from him for four long years. His steadfastness in prison, his intact dignity, and his unwavering commitment to the Sahrawi cause stand as a shining example for the youth of the Independence Intifada.
We demand:
- The immediate and unconditional release of all Sahrawi political prisoners still held in Moroccan prisons
- An end to the policy of torture, punitive transfers, and restrictions on family visits
- An independent and international investigation into the human rights violations suffered by Zinelabidine Malah Bar and all Sahrawi political prisoners
- Full respect for the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination and independence, in accordance with international law
Long live the Sahrawi resistance!
Freedom for all Sahrawi political prisoners!
Western Sahara is not to sale!