Amina Bouayach President of CNDH
Thu, 05/29/2025 –
New York (UN) 29 May 2025 (SPS)- The United Nations has officially awarded the 2025 Nelson Mandela Prize to Brenda Reynolds of Canada and Kennedy Odede of Kenya, following an unexpected and high-profile controversy that led to the elimination of Moroccan nominee Amina Bouayach President of CNDH from the shortlist.
Bouayach’s candidacy sparked a wave of international protest, with letters, petitions, and statements of condemnation sent to the selection committee from both Sahrawi organizations and Moroccan human rights defenders, who denounced the nomination as a betrayal of Mandela’s legacy.
The opposition was led by victims of human rights abuses—Sahrawis, Rifians, journalists, and former political prisoners—who expressed deep outrage that a figure associated with the whitewashing of Morocco’s ongoing violations could be considered for a prestigious prize meant to honor defenders of dignity and freedom.
In a series of forceful statements, the Sahrawi National Council and the Sahrawi Human Rights Commission described Bouayach’s nomination as “an insult” to Mandela and accused her of legitimizing repression in Western Sahara and within Morocco.
Notably, Moroccan activists also voiced rare public criticism, calling the nomination a distortion of both the United Nations’ credibility and Mandela’s ideals.
Amina Bouayach is widely regarded by critics as a staunch apologist and faithful servant of the Moroccan regime, known for her unwavering alignment with state narratives and policies. Rather than holding authorities accountable, she has consistently played a key role in whitewashing the regime’s human rights record, denying the existence of political prisoners, downplaying systematic torture, and justifying the ongoing repression in Western Sahara.
Her leadership at the Moroccan National Human Rights Council has been, and still is marked not by independent advocacy, but by efforts to legitimize state atrocities even as reports of abuses against Sahrawis, Rifians, journalists, and peaceful dissidents have continued to mount. Far from defending human rights, Bouayach has become emblematic of their erosion under the guise of official reform.
According to sources close to the selection process, the committee was “taken aback” by the level and breadth of resistance, especially the coordinated objections from across the political and geographic spectrum. This pressure ultimately led to Bouayach’s exclusion from consideration.
The 2025 prize instead honors Brenda Reynolds, a longtime Indigenous rights advocate in Canada, and Kennedy Odede, a grassroots leader from Kenya—both recognized for work that exemplifies Nelson Mandela’s principles of justice, community empowerment, and resistance to oppression. (SPS)
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