The Spanish Supreme Court has definitively dismissed the lawsuit filed by the Sahrawi Association for the Defense of Human Rights (ASADEH) against several leaders of the Polisario Front, accusing them of committing genocide against Sahrawi refugees in the Tindouf camps. The new ruling, reported by Europa Press, reaffirms the decision made by the Supreme Court a year ago, when it upheld the dismissal of a similar lawsuit targeting Brahim Ghali, the leader of the separatist front. The case was based on the same facts and filed by the same human rights association. The court's decision was based on the same legal grounds as the previous ruling, clarifying that the incidents in question «do not constitute a crime of genocide» and that they have «fallen under the statute of limitations», leading to the final dismissal of the case, both against Ghali and the other individuals named in the investigation. The case began in 2021 when the Spanish National Court decided to dismiss the investigation against Ghali, concluding that the incidents «do not constitute a crime of genocide» and that criminal responsibility had expired due to the passage of time. The accusations date back to the period between 1975 and 1990, but judicial proceedings did not begin until August 16, 2012, more than 20 years after the events in question. The Supreme Court judges noted that the latest appeal filed by ASADEH «came with almost the same legal arguments», prompting them to use the same legal reasoning to reject the appeal and affirm the dismissal. With this ruling, the Spanish Supreme Court definitively closes the case accusing the leaders of the Polisario Front of committing genocide in the Tindouf camps.
