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New York,
27/01/2007 (SPS)
The
American Human Rights Watch (HRW) denounced, in its report 2006, the
arrest of more than one hundred Saharawis and the systematic
violation of the human rights in the Western Sahara perpetrated by
the Moroccan Government, as well as the security black-out imposed
on the territory.
"The authorities arrested more than 100 persons, 21 of them were
condemned to 6 years imprisonment", the organisation indicated,
adding that during demonstrations advocating the independence that
started on May 2005 in El Aaiun and in other Saharawi cities, the
Moroccan forces of security "made excessive use of force to disperse
demonstrators and arrested them".
The report noted that Amnesty international has underlined that
demonstrators were repressed in the very place of the demonstration
because of their political convictions.
According to Reporters without Borders (RSF), HRW’s report notes,
"10 journalists at least, who wanted to cover the demonstrations in
the Western Sahara between April and June 2005, were sealed,
detained or expulsed".
"In June and July the police arrested six Saharawi human rights’
activists accusing them of having incited to violent acts in EL
Aaiun, the report writes, naming among them "Hussein Lidri and
Brahim Noumria, who were tortured during the interrogation".
HRW deplored the fact that "the public statement of the EU on the
human rights situation in Morocco are rare", knowing that Rabat is
"the main beneficiary of the EU’s funds".
The organisation blamed France in particular, "the main commercial
associate of Morocco and the main supplier of investments and aid
for public development", for never having stated "a public
declaration on the human rights in Morocco during 2005". (SPS)
010/090/666/TRD 271336 JAN 06 SPS |
