Claude Mangin’s “Freedom March” Approaches Rabat: French and Spanish Activists Rally for the Release of Sahrawi Political Prisoners

✍️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada

Led by French activist Claude Mangin, wife of detained Sahrawi activist Naâma Asfari, the international march for justice nears its final destination in Morocco, demanding the release of 30 prisoners from the Gdeim Izik group.

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Algiers, Algeria | May 31st, 2025 — In a determined and growing international show of solidarity, the Freedom March—a transnational grassroots initiative led by French activist Claude Mangin, the wife of detained Sahrawi political prisoner Naâma Asfari—is heading toward Rabat, the capital of Morocco. The march, which began in April, has mobilized dozens of French and Spanish human rights defenders, calling for the immediate release of 30 Sahrawi political prisoners, members of the Gdeim Izik group, held in Moroccan prisons since the 2010 dismantling of the Gdeim Izik protest camp.

After rallying support across France and Spain, the marchers gathered in Alicante, Spain, before continuing their journey toward Kenitra, the site of one of the Moroccan prisons where the Sahrawi detainees are held. The group is expected to cross into Moroccan territory by tomorrow, escalating their campaign as they approach the gates of repression with a unified call for justice, freedom, and dignity for the Sahrawi people.

Earlier, the Freedom March reached the Spanish region of Catalonia, stopping in Girona, as part of its final European leg. The march has drawn the attention of media, civil society, and local governments, with French and Spanish municipal officials, human rights organizations, and activists joining in solidarity.

The march’s previous stop in Perpignan, France, served as a powerful moment of resistance. Demonstrators there held a public rally marked by Sahrawi flags, portraits of the imprisoned activists, and banners demanding their release. Protesters marched through the main streets of the city before gathering in front of the town hall, where several French officials addressed the crowd.

Édith Meunier, a local French official and one of the voices backing the movement, declared: “We share the same convictions with the marchers: the Sahrawi cause is just, and the oppression must end. It is our duty to support them.”

Meunier emphasized the importance of raising awareness, particularly through media channels: “We are talking about an entire people being oppressed. The Sahrawis are part of this global struggle for freedom, and we cannot remain silent. Now more than ever, the world must pay attention.”

The Gdeim Izik prisoners, whose mass arrest followed Morocco’s brutal dismantling of the peaceful protest camp in 2010 near El-Aaiún, have long been the subject of international concern. Their trials have been condemned by human rights organizations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for lack of due process, allegations of torture, and politically motivated charges.

Claude Mangin, who has personally endured bans from entering Morocco to visit her husband, continues to represent a symbol of unwavering resistance. Her leadership in this march is not only deeply personal but powerfully emblematic of broader calls for human dignity, freedom of expression, and the right to self-determination for the Sahrawi people.

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