Manifesto for the Inclusion of Western Sahara in Public Policies on Democratic Memory
The Association of the Families of Sahrawi Prisoners and Disappeared (AFAPREDESA) and the State Coordinator of Solidarity Associations with the Sahara (CEAS-Sahara), with the support of Hegoa (EHU), are promoting a manifesto to request the inclusion of Western Sahara in public policies on democratic memory.
In recent years, Sahrawi associations, academic entities, and memorial organisations have repeatedly demanded the inclusion of Sahrawi victims in policies on democratic memory. These demands have intensified following the entry into force of Law 20/2022 and the recent creation of the Truth Commission announced by the Democratic Memory Council on 25 March 2026.
The signatory entities welcome the establishment of this Commission and consider it a historic opportunity to comprehensively address the human rights violations committed during the Franco regime — including those that occurred in colonial contexts.
However, they denounce that the law perpetuates a significant historical void by not expressly considering repression against the Sahrawi population during the Spanish colonial period and the incomplete decolonisation process initiated in 1975. For this reason, they are making a series of requests to the Spanish Government and the Truth Commission.
Specifically, it is requested that Western Sahara be included as a specific line of work within public policies on democratic memory through:
-
official recognition of the Sahrawi victims;
-
access to historical archives and records;
-
independent investigation of the events that took place under Spanish administration;
-
inclusion of the Sahrawi case in the State Plan for Democratic Memory;
-
direct participation of victims and family members in the processes of truth, justice, and reparation.
Likewise, the signatory entities demand that the Truth Commission specifically investigate the responsibilities of the Spanish State during the incomplete decolonisation of the territory.
More information:
-
Manifesto (summary in Spanish).
Illustration: Alonso Gil. Memorias Nómadas: Dolor y resistencia en el Sahara Occidental (Hegoa, 2013).
Related news
