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Morocco uses Torture to Silence Sahrawi Activists
International observers and local NGOs monitoring the hunger strikes in the Moroccan Occupied Territory of Western Sahara, are warning of the risk of an imminent humanitarian tragedy and an urgent need to intervene for the immediate release of the Saharawi prisoners. Fears about their critical medical conditions suggest they are nearing irreversible deterioration that could result in death, exacerbated by chronic illnesses resulting from previous years of incarceration and beatings in these Moroccan prisons.
The thirty-six Saharawi human rights advocates are on hunger strike in protest against Morocco’s illegal invasion and occupation of Western Sahara, as well as grave human rights and judicial violations such as arbitrary arrest, ‘disappearance’, false imprisonment, unfair trials and torture.
Morroccan Police Brutality
These Sahrawi political prisoners of conscious are well-known human rights campaigners, many of whom are recipients of prestigious international peace prizes. Yet they are subjected to various forms of repression by Moroccan authorities such as arbitrary restrictions on the right to travel; denial of the right to peaceful assembly, association, and expression; and detention without trail in Moroccan prisons for many months at a time.
For thirty-five years, Morocco has persistently ignored the International Court of Justice’s 1975 legal opinion, which rejected Morocco’s claims over Western Sahara, and reaffirmed indigenous Sahrawi rights to decolonization and self-determination. 1 Since its 1975 invasion, Morocco has subverted the decolonisation process by moving Moroccan settlers into the Occupied Territory, and defied more than 100 UN resolutions on the Saharawi people’s right to self-determination. Still today, Morocco continues to refuse independence and self-determination to the indigenous Saharawi population despite the fact that a growing group of international campaigners, lawyers, NGO’s and analysts question Morocco’s bending of international rules.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights (RFK Center), Western Sahara Resource Watch, the United Kingdom Parliamentary Human Rights Group on Western Sahara, War on Want, Western Sahara Campaign and Free Western Sahara Network have published statements (some directly to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon), demanding that the United Nations extends a mandate to monitor Morocco’s human rights violations, and halts Morocco’s illegal territorial violations that exploit the Western Sahara’s natural resources.
International pressure is escalating to resolve the crisis and save the lives of the Saharawi human rights advocates by putting pressure on the Moroccan authorities to meet their human rights obligations. In a letter to the Guardian newspaper in December 2009, British filmmakers Paul Laverty and Ken Loach suggested that ‘the king and his government respect international law and join the civilised world’.3 Morocco’s persistent failure to do so generates an ever-increasing groundswell of condemnation by governments, civil society groups and human rights organisations around the world. Campaigners taking these urgent measures to save the lives of the Saharawi human rights advocates state that they are defending freedom, human dignity, and international law.
The Saharawi hunger strikers
Six of the Salé-imprisoned ‘Casablanca 7’ began their hunger strikes from 18 March 2010 in protest of their indefinite imprisonment and lack of clear charges. These are Ali Salem Tamek, Brahim Dahane, Yehdih Ettarrouzi, Ahmed Naciri, Saleh Labaihi and Rachid Sghayer.
The hunger strikers issued this statement on 18 March:
‘Our detention has been condemned by governments and parliaments around the world as well as human rights organisations, trade unions and civil society groups. We are being persecuted for exercising our right to express political opinion and engage in legitimate activities to protect the human the rights of our people. In protest at our detention we are today beginning an open hunger strike in order to expedite our claim to a fair trial and our release without condition. We call on democratic forces in the world to support our fight for our release and that of all Saharawi political prisoners held in Moroccan jails.’
Another 19 hunger strikers are in Tiznit prison and their hungerstrikes started from 20 March. These are Moustapha Abd-Dayem, Hreish Hassan, Mohamed Berkaoui, Bachir Isamïli, Mohamed Taghioullah Fekallah, Brahim Khalil Meghimiah, Khalihenna Abouhassan, Moulay Ali Bouamoud, Fadli Binhau, Mahmud Aboughassem, Sheiahu Hamza, Fathi Sid Ahmed, Daihani Abdallah, Mohamed Salami, Sawakh Djamal, Mahdjub Ailal, Hassan Mohamed Lehassen, Nourdinne Taher, Lehmam Salama.
And there are a further 3 hunger strikers in Boulmharez prison in Marrakech (El Waaban Said, Brahim Bariaz, Ali Salem Ablag), 3 in Layouune prison4 (Bachri Bentaleb, Ameidan Chej and Mohamed Berkan), 2 in Taroudant prison (Louali Amaidan and Jalad Hasan), 2 in Kenitra prison (Laaseiri Salec and Amaidan Saleh) and 1 in Bensliman prison (Hasan Abdelahi).5
Detailed medical information from the hunger strike monitoring groups draw attention to the dangerous symptoms the prisoners are experiencing at this stage of 29 days. These are listed variously among the prisoners as loss of consciousness, fatigue, migraines, asthma, acute cardiac and intestinal pain, asthma, vomiting and diarrhoea. Blood pressure and sugar levels are reported as decreasing alarmingly, with growing kidney, liver and gallbladder complications.6
The Saharawi Lawyers Association has also reported cases of neglect by Moroccan prison administrations, lack of proper medical assistance from prison clinics and staff, and Saharawi prisoner Hassan Abdullah in Bin Sliman is said to have been severely beaten by Moroccan prisoners at the incitement of prison staff.
To join the Urgent Campaign Action worldwide appeal and receive up-to-date and accurate Western Sahara news, please join the following campaign groups for further detailed information:
Free Western Sahara Network
Western Sahara Campaign UK
Western Sahara Resource Watch
Australia Western Sahara Association
Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=27013
Posted by Sherwood Ross on Apr 15 2010, With 0 Reads, Filed under Of Interest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Veterans Today. Veterans Today said: Veterans Today: Morocco uses Torture to Silence Sahrawi Activists http://bit.ly/azuAI2 [...]
Any country around the world including the Unites States of America will defend their sovereignty. Western Sahara is Moroccan and will always remain so. Portraying photos of violence or torture against individuals who work with the enemy or put their country’s freedom and unity at risk is misleading and wrong. Try raising a Mexican flag in Texas and go around screaming you want independence from the US, and watch what happens… given the fact Texas was actually part of Mexico anyway. As for Morocco, it was always Morocco and there was never any government or nation existed in the Moroccan southern provinces in the first place to now ask for independence!!!!!
These thugs stab their country in the back and hide behind human rights associations for protection. They are not victims, they are traitors.
to Adnan
UN is an organisation of interest is a failure organisation
they ve been by petrol-dollars from algeria to create this conflict and make it longuer
1- all leaders of this terroriste groupe poli-algerian are from North of morocco
most of them from tantan ifni akka ….etc away from Moroccan sahara (western sahara)
2- why algeria is interfering on all meeting on western sahara (who give algeria green light ?) is UN
3- UN never interfer in kabylies algeria conflict ? touerg algeria ? and FIS-algeria
every thing is clear UN members get pay from algerian governement .
Ross, I don’t understand why you go around trashing Morocco everywhere with numerous articles. You urge tourists to skip Morocco and now talking about nonsense human right violations against traitors. Do you have something else to do in life besides misleading readers and spreading false information about a developing nation like Morocco!?? I find it hard to believe you don’t get paid for trashing the Morocco government!!!
sahara has never been under the sovernity of moroco, if sahra was morocan, why morocco accept 1975 to divide it with mauritania?, the sahraui we are very proud to be sahrauis cause we dont kiss the hand of human beans, we are free, and you came in 1975 and took our land, no contry recognice the morocan sovernity inthe world on western sahara, but Sahara State is recogniced by 82 contrys, the one who is missliding people is you adnnan because youare payed by the king to defend his tesis of occupation, by the money you still from sahara resorces, thank you very much konstantina for this wonderfull articule who speaks the reality of western sahara population, god bless you
if this sahara belonging to ur terrorist groupe polisario who is controlled by algeria
why algeria and polisario propose to divide sahara between Morocco and polisario = algeria ? and morocco refuse
why algeria interfer every where when there is meeting on western-sahara?
was polisario a state before ?
……………. etc
also there are 11 countries not 82 stop faking stories and these countries because they are so poor. they ve been payed by algerian oil most of them from africa instable countries
Note
any one who wake early in this countries can do coup d’etat and become president :d
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So suprised UN is helping algerian’s groupe polisario a terroriste groupe against Morocco .this groupe is leaded by Moroccan from North of morocco :
mahamed abdelaziz is from TanTan not from Moroccan sahara (western sahara) and also all leadesr.
This groupe does not represent sahroui it does represent half tribe of rguibat (east) even rguibat west is against this group including all sahroui tribes .
algerian gouvernement did kill 500 000 algerians also attacking kabylies who are asking for independance since 1963 (war kablies-algerie 1963)
note: population of kabyle is 15 millions
what about FIS front islamique of salvation who won election 1992 ?
what about Touerg sahroui in south of algeriea who always for independance.?
UN is out of order this is an organisation of interest
UN is a failure organisation looking for oil and petrole of algeria
Game is over
Sherwood Ross hypochrit articles aginst Morocco!
wanna tell you somme thing
Morocco was and still an ally of the west and backing the west against terrorism but as Morocco from the Third world you help terrorism against Morocco
u supporting algeria who terrorise the algerian population 500 000 killed and against kabylies ,touerg and FIS who won election in 1992
Mr Sherwood Ross how much money did you get pay from algeria ?
Dear Hamid, I do not support Algeria and I am not in the pay of Algeria. Why do you raise this question when there is zero evidence to prove your point? If you will make up any lie, I see no point in answering your email. As for Algeria, any crimes the Algerian government has committed should be denounced. However, the International Court made a ruling in 1975 against Morocco concerning its claims to the Sahara and that’s that unless and until Morocco goes back to court to overturn that decision. Or don’t you believe in the rule of law? Apparently, you don’t because you support the West in its attacks on the Middle East! As for Morocco backing the west against terrorism, wouldn’t you include in your definition of terrorism the overthrow of a democratic government in Iran in 1953? That was engineered by the UK and the U.S? Wouldn’t you include the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq? The U.S. has killed more than 1-million innocent people in Iraq: how can you take its side? Even the majority of the American people now regret this unjust war! — Sherwood
Dear Sherwood Ross :
it seem u didn’t understand my point
First when Morocco gain his sahara from spain ,was no country or state governing sahara
Morocco since his independance from france was asking spain to leave his sahara and still until now ask for his 2 cities ceuta and melila which u will never mentionned or even talk about it
algeria ocuupied kabyles land since 1963
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgyMrCZX6p0 Guerre Kabylie VS Algerie (1963)
How can u defend terroriste groupe polisario who is tool used by algeria of population of 20 000 most of these poeple ve stolen from tantan ifni and akka guelmim sahrouis not even from western sahara (north of morocco)
kabyle population about 15 millions and UN watching them killed by algerian governement (doallar-petrole)
what about FIS who won election in 1992 and cancelled by military in algeria ? where is UN ?
finally i did not mention any conflict in middle east !
note: Moroccan poeple feel they ve been betrayed by west and USA
Morocco was backing USA and West and Morocco was the First who recognised USA as state in 1774 – Hamid
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