Abdelkarim Mbrikat
Abdelkarim Mbrikat is a journalist and human rights defender from Laayoune, Western Sahara. In 2011, he was elected as the president of the FOS Boucraa Coordination for Victims of the Spanish Withdrawal, an organisation dedicated to protecting the rights of families of workers affected by a trade union and human rights issues dating back to the period of Spanish colonisation and beyond. These workers and their families were denied transitional justice, as Spain abandoned them, and Morocco stripped them of their rights, leading to the displacement and imprisonment of many. This issue remains unresolved to this day.
During his work with the coordination body, he led numerous dialogues with Moroccan authorities in cities such as Laayoune, Rabat, and Casablanca to advocate for workers' demands. During his continuous interactions with media activists, he contributed to improving their work and skills, eventually leading him to enter the field of journalism in 2016. He established the media platform "Sahrawi Platform 12-October for Media and Communication", allowing him to combine his journalistic and trade union activism, which he sees as complementary, especially as violations increased.
Abdelkarim Mbrikat has been subjected to a number of violations as a result of his media and human rights activities, which has led to health damages and economic and social restrictions.
The issue of the status of Western Sahara remains unresolved, despite ongoing negotiations between the Moroccan authorities and the Polisario Front. The UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), established in 1991, has been extended but continues to have no human rights monitoring component. The dispute over self determination created deep political and security related tensions throughout the Sahara area and affects all aspects of life, including the work of human rights defenders.
Sahrawi human rights defenders continued to be subjected to intimidation, harassment, questioning, arrest, incommunicado detention, and unfair trials.
