Sahrawi Journalists Expose Media Blockade in Western Sahara, Decry “Systematic Silence” Under Moroccan Rule

The revelations were highlighted by Ahmed Ettanji, director of the Sahrawi media collective Équipe Média, in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Independiente, where he affirmed that Western Sahara has been turned into a “media black hole.”

Ettanji confirmed that Sahrawi journalists are compelled to work clandestinely under constant threat of arrest, torture, and fabricated charges merely for documenting demonstrations, conducting interviews, or reporting daily life under occupation. He stated that journalism in the occupied Sahrawi cities means confronting tight surveillance, arbitrary arrests, physical assaults, and confiscation of equipment, while international reporters are expelled and independent observers barred from entering the territory, enforcing a deliberate blackout on the reality of the region.

Monopoly Over Information

He further stressed that Moroccan state media enjoys full protection and privileges, enabling the imposition of a single official narrative while Sahrawi journalists are prosecuted and imprisoned on political charges. He described this reality as a parallel “media occupation” accompanying military control.

According to Ettanji, Sahrawi journalists remain imprisoned in Moroccan jails under heavy sentences, including life imprisonment, where they face prolonged isolation, ill-treatment, and denial of medical care solely for covering human rights issues in Western Sahara.

Media Siege Comparable to Gaza

Ettanji underscored that the media blockade imposed on Western Sahara mirrors what has occurred in the Gaza Strip, where international coverage is obstructed, censorship enforced, and journalists persecuted to silence a people and conceal realities on the ground despite differing geopolitical contexts.

Autonomy Claims Undermined

He affirmed that continued repression of journalists exposes the emptiness of Morocco’s autonomy proposal, asking how autonomy can exist under military occupation, suppression of fundamental freedoms, and criminalization of journalism.

Ettanji also pointed to the responsibility of international powers such as Spain, France, and the United States, whose silence allows violations to persist and prolong the conflict, leaving Sahrawi journalists confronting repression without international protection.

He concluded that journalism in Western Sahara has become a form of resistance, stressing that documenting violations today constitutes evidence for the judgment of history tomorrow, reflecting the determination of Sahrawi media workers to break the wall of silence imposed on their homeland.