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Bir Lehlu (liberated territories), 12/12/2006 (SPS) The
President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, also on the UN
Secretary General, Kofi Annan, to "intervene urgently so as to
protect the Saharawis in the occupied territories of the Western
Sahara", which are submitted since last Sunday to a "savage
repression" by the Moroccan authorities after peaceful
demonstrations organised by the Saharawi citizens to commemorate the
58th anniversary of the International Day for Human
Rights.
"These Saharawi citizens, like all the peoples of the world, wanted
to organise a peaceful demonstration in this International day to
ask for the respect of the fundamental right in the Western Sahara
and in the world and to enable the Saharawi people to enjoy their
fundamental right to self-determination, which is a right included
in the International Conventions, resolutions and the UN Charter",
Mr. Abdelaziz underlined in his letter, of which SPS received a
copy.
The Head of the Saharawi State stressed that the Moroccan forces of
occupation had intervened "with an extreme violence" to disperse the
demonstrators, and "savagely made use of violence against women and
men without distinction", causing "serious wounded persons among the
demonstrators".
He gave as an example the case of Mr. Brahim Dahan, President of the
Saharawi Association of the Victims of Flagrant Human Rights
Violations Committed by the Moroccan State (ASVDH), His
Vice-President and ex-victim of forced disappearance, Mrs. Jimi El
Ghalia, the vice-President of the Committee of Support to the
Self-Determination of the Saharawi People, and ex-political
prisoner, Mr. Hmad Hamad, in addition to the Norwegian Rafto Prices
Winner and ex-political prisoner, Mr. Sidi Mohamed Daddach and Saleh
Delil, human rights activist, all of who were wounded after the
Moroccan police attack.
Here is the complete text of the letter translated from Arabic to
English:
Mr. Kofi Annan,
Secretary-General of the United Nations,
New York,
Bir Lehlou, 11 December 2006
In the face of the dangerous developments in the occupied
territories of Western Sahara owing to the brutal repression with
which the Moroccan authorities met Saharawi civilians on 10 December
2006, I am compelled once again to address to you this letter to
draw your attention and that of the international community to the
serious situation prevailing in those territories.
On 10 December 2006, a large group of Saharawi civilians and human
rights activists marched in a peaceful demonstration in La Aiún, the
capital of the occupied Western Sahara, to mark the International
Human Rights Day. The demonstration, which took place in Al Karama
Square in front of Hotel Ingzir, gathered representatives of the
Saharawi Association for the Gross Violations committed by the
Moroccan State, the Association for Defence of Self-determination,
Association of Support for the UN-OAU Settlement Plan and Protection
of Saharawi Natural Resources, a group of victims of forced
disappearances in Moroccan secret detention centres of Magouna, Agdz
and La Aiún, families of disappeared and martyrs who perished in the
secret detention centres, the families of the victims of clandestine
immigration as well as the families of the 15 Saharawi disappeared.
Like all peoples around the world, these people only wanted to
demonstrate peacefully to mark this international event and to
demand the respect for human rights and fundamental liberties in
Western Sahara and over the world, whilst calling for enabling the
Saharawi people to exercise their inalienable right to
self-determination as set out in international conventions and the
UN Charter in particular.
The reports coming from the occupied territories indicate that the
Moroccan occupying authorities intervened, at 16:50 GMT, using
excessive violence to disperse the peaceful demonstrators where
women, children and men were brutalised and severely beaten. This
violent intervention has led to a number of casualties among the
demonstrators (enclosed as annex I is a list of the detainees)
including, for example:
Brahim Dahane, President of the Saharawi Association for
the Gross Violations committed by the Moroccan State, who was
severely beaten, dragged and harassed; he is still suffering from
injuries on his back and thigh.
Ghalia Djimi, Deputy President of the Saharawi Association
for the Gross Violations committed by the Moroccan State, who was
severely beaten resulting in her losing consciousness.
Ahmad Hamad, Deputy President of the Association for
Defence of Self-determination, who was savagely beaten; he is still
unable to move due to his wounds.
Saleh Deilal, human rights activist, who was hit on his
right arm, and is still unable to move due to his wounds.
Sidi Mohamed Daddach, President of the Association for
Defence of Self-determination, who was arrested and put in a vehicle
pertaining to the Moroccan security forces where he was harassed and
offended.
Besides, all streets leading to the demonstration venue were
cordoned off by security forces.
On the same day and on the same occasion, Saharawi civilians in the
occupied town of Smara marched in a peaceful demonstration but were
violently dispersed by Moroccan repressive forces that intervened,
at 11:20 GMT, savagely and arbitrarily beating the demonstrators and
subjecting them to degrading practices that involved even people who
were passing by.
As in the past, the brutality with which the Moroccan security
forces met the Saharawi civilians has led to a number of casualties
including at least two serious cases according to preliminary
reports (enclosed as annex II is the provisional list of the
wounded).
Mr. Secretary-General,
The disregard exhibited by the Moroccan authorities for
international conventions relating to the protection of human rights
and their perpetration of more gross violations on the International
Human Rights Day and in a territory under the direct responsibility
of the United Nations is a horrendous and terrible move that
necessities an urgent and decisive action by the international
community.
Whilst strongly condemning this systematic brutal repression against
Saharawi human rights activists and civilians, we call on the United
Nations, as the direct responsible for Western Sahara, to fully
assume its responsibility in the territory by taking urgent measures
to duly mandate the United Nations Missions for the Referendum in
Western Sahara so that the mission could carry out this urgent task.
We also call on your Excellency and through you on the international
community as a whole to ensure the safety of the Saharawi civilians
in the territories under Moroccan occupation and safeguard their
fundamental freedoms including the freedom of expression, the
freedom of association, the freedom of movement and the freedom of
peaceful demonstration. We moreover call on you to ensure the
release of all Saharawi prisoners of conscience and the accounting
for more than 500 disappeared civilians and 151 POWs held by the
Moroccan authorities, pending the decolonisation of Western Sahara
through enabling the Saharawi people to exercise their inalienable
right to self-determination by means of a free and fair referendum
held under the supervision of the United Nations.
Please accept, Mr. Secretary-General, the assurances of my highest
consideration.
Mohamed Abdelaziz,
Secretary-General of the Frente POLISARIO
Annex I
List of some Saharawi civilians who were arrested by the Moroccan
security forces during the peaceful demonstration to mark the
International Human Rights Day in the occupied town of La Aiún on 10
December 2006
Rahmuni Daha
Mohamed Fadel Heirish
Fadili Abeih
Brahim Labras
Haidar Aziz
Sharif Idrissi
Dafa Dah
Ahmed Babu
Annex II
List of some Saharawi civilians who were wounded due to the Moroccan
repressive intervention during the peaceful demonstration to mark
the International Human Rights Day in the occupied town of Smara on
10 December 2006
Habuha Beibat
Mohamed Salek Bdad
Fatma Saidi Mohmud Bahaba
Fatimetu Said Fadili Abgiga
Dumaha Lehbib Mbarek
Lala Mohamed Lamin Bdad
Zueina Mohamed Lamin Bdad
Sadia Lehssen Azawkani
Bid-Allah Abdallah Atluki
Radwan Mbarek Salem
Hadjeb Khatri Abdsalam
Lagdaf Hamudi Ali
Saleh Mohamed Omar
Hamadi Abdallah Omar
Mariem Abdallah Omar
Mnu Omar Shadad
Khadra Mohamed Bachir
Thawria Omar Taher
Mahmuda Bent Sheick Beti Aram
Ghlana Lamin Barnawi
Mariem Ali Hmeim
Azuna Adi Bachir
Amana Sid-Ahmed Abdallah
". (SPS)
010/090/100 121102 DEC 06 SPS
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