For 40 years the Sahrawi people have been caught between two harsh realities: life in desert refugee camps and life under Moroccan occupation. These realities go largely unreported, and the voices of those living in Western Sahara go unheard. Moroccan authorities deny entry to foreign journalists and strictly prohibit press freedoms in the territory. Despite the media blackout, courageous Sahrawi media activists document life under occupation. Watching Western Sahara curates and shares videos from Sahrawi media activists. These videos provide a rare window into the day-to-day life of Sahrawi people who take risks to expose human rights abuses in Western Sahara.

Please join us for a viewing of these videos and a panel discussion which will contextualize the footage, providing insights into the realities of the often silenced Sahrawi and the human rights implications in what a UN commission considers the last colony in Africa.

Panelists include:

Amy Goodman
Host of Democracy Now!

Madeleine Bair
Managing Editor, Watching Western Sahara

Sandra Lynn Babcock
Clinical Professor of Law, Cornell University

Mohammed Ali Arkoukoum
President of the Sahrawi Association in New York

Katlyn Thomas
Former Chair of the United Nations Committee of the New York City Bar Association

Moderated by:

Eric Goldstein
Deputy Director, Middle East and North Africa Division, Human Rights Watch

Welcoming remarks by:

Lawrence Moss
Director of the Human Rights Program at Hunter College

Sponsored by the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, the Hunter College Human Rights Program, WITNESS, and the Western Sahara International Film Festival (FiSahara)

Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, February 16, 2017.

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