Condemnation Mounts Against The Makhzen Over Incitement Targeting Sahrawi Activists

Sahrawi media organizations have strongly condemned what they described as a campaign of “defamation and incitement” by the Moroccan occupation authorities against Sahrawi activists and journalists advocating for the Western Sahara people’s right to self-determination across international media platforms. They stressed that the campaign was a “desperate” attempt to silence free voices calling for freedom and independence.

In this context, Équipe Média, which operates in the occupied Sahrawi territories, denounced the “escalating campaign of defamation and incitement” targeting Sahrawi activist and journalist Taleb Alisalem. The campaign, it said, has been fueled by Moroccan occupation mouthpieces, including media outlets and figures affiliated with the Makhzen establishment, in an apparent attempt to target him because of his advocacy for the Sahrawi cause.

In a recent post, Alisalem revealed part of the campaign against him, including the use of images created or manipulated with artificial intelligence in an effort to damage his public image and reputation.

Équipe Media said that personal defamation, incitement and the production of misleading content represented a “dangerous development” that could not be separated from attempts to silence Sahrawi voices, whose presence has been growing across media outlets, digital platforms and international forums.

The organization added that the mobilization of a number of media outlets and public figures to attack a Sahrawi journalist over his views and positions reflected an “inability” to confront his discourse with arguments and evidence. Instead, it said, the campaign had resorted to “smear tactics, incitement and personal targeting.” It warned that the continuation of such campaigns could endanger his personal safety and turn online hate speech into physical attacks or harassment on the ground.
Équipe Media also called on international organizations defending press freedom and freedom of expression, as well as bodies responsible for protecting journalists and human rights defenders, to monitor and document the campaign, particularly the use of misleading content and AI-generated images for purposes of defamation and incitement.

Meanwhile, the Maizerat Media Network, which also operates in the occupied part of Western Sahara, condemned in a statement the continuation of disinformation campaigns and fake news aimed at distorting the narrative surrounding the Sahrawi cause or manipulating public opinion. It likewise denounced the defamation and incitement targeting Sahrawi activist Taleb Alisalem.

The network said such practices would not deter Sahrawi journalists from continuing to expose what they describe as crimes committed under the occupation and from defending the legitimate rights of the Sahrawi people, foremost among them the right to self-determination.

It called for practical measures to counter media disinformation, including monitoring mechanisms capable of identifying fake accounts used to circulate fabricated reports supporting Moroccan occupation propaganda, as well as intensified publication of media content challenging and exposing those narratives.