Morocco’s Abuses in Western Sahara

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.