Student Investigations Lab Project
The Investigations Lab worked with the Washington Post to analyze video footage of a brutal police beating of a media activist Walid Elbata by Moroccan authorities in Western Sahara. Students confirmed the video’s authenticity by comparing landmarks in the video to Google Earth satellite imagery. They also identified clues to indicate the beating was conducted by plainclothes police officers.
Walid Elbata was beaten and then arrested by Moroccan police on June 7, 2019. Moroccan authorities justified the incident by saying the car Elbatal had collided with police. Video, images and eyewitness testimony from that day refute that narrative. This incident illustrates the extent to which the Moroccan government exerts control over its territories and Sahrawis in Western Sahara
The Washington Post‘s fact checking team won a prize in the Global Fact Check Awards from the Poynter Institute as a result of their reporting.
Partners
Washington Post Visual Investigation
Team Acknowledgements
Investigation Leads: Ceren Fitoz, Farah Dewan, Yudi Sabina Nong, and Vyoma Raman
Student Contributors: Michael Elsanadi, John Ortilla, Juan Rivera, Dominique Lewis, Nick Shafer, Jade Wynn, Nika Hajikhodaverdikhan, and Brenna Smith
News
March 12, 2020
Video contradicts Morocco’s justification of a brutal beating in Western Sahara
Investigations Lab in the News — The Washington Post: Video contradicts Morocco’s justification of a brutal beating in Western Sahara, reporting with Investigations Lab research.