SAHARA PRESSE SERVICE

Washington, D.C. 01/10/2005 (SPS) Under the sponsorship of the Subcommittee on Africa, Human Rights and International Operations of the U.S. House International Relations Committee, a documentary entitled "Western Sahara: Africa's Last Colony", was shown on Capitol Hill, on Thursday, to Congressional staff members and an important audience, with the presence of JoMarie Fecci, one of the film's producers, reported a press release by US-Western Sahara Foundation.

"Not only was the audience very responsive and moved by the film, but there was a lot of energy from the Congressional staff in support of Saharawi self-determination and the referendum," said Lindsey Plumley of the Subcommittee.

Answering questions of the audience on the documentary after the show, JoMarie Fecci "was asked to consider adding to the film the atrocities Morocco was currently committing against the Saharawi people in the occupied territory", the press release added.

One staffer commented that the "historical record clearly showed that Western Sahara belonged to the Saharawi people, and that Morocco clearly had broken international law", while another added that "international law should be followed", the text stressed.

"This film clearly demonstrates the great nobility and integrity of the Saharawi people and their willingness to struggle for their noble ideal of freedom despite international indifference," said U.S.-Western Sahara Foundation President, Mrs. Suzanne Scholte, firmly adding, "we will fight along with them as long as it takes" to decolonise the Western Sahara.

"Western Sahara: Africa's Last Colony" was produced by filmakers JoMarie Fecci and Shantha Bloemen of Paris Tempo Productions & Grassroots Pictures, it should be recalled. (SPS)

SPS
SADR/MOROCCO/UN

Francisco Bastagli: "Baker Plan remains fundamental for the future of Western Sahara"

Algiers, 01/10/2005 (SPS) The new UN’s Secretary General’s Special Representative for Western Sahara, Francisco Bastagli, affirmed Saturday that "Baker Plan remains the fundamental document for the future of Western Sahara", during his visit to Algiers coming from the Saharawi refugee camps where he met with Saharawi President, Mohamed Abdelaziz, and the political direction of Polisario Front.

"Baker Plan remains the fundamental document for the future of Western Sahara", Mr. Bastagli underlined, indicating that his organisation is very alarmed about the last developments in the occupied zones of Western Sahara, as it was declared last September the 21st by the UN’s spokesperson, Stephan Dujarric, who revealed the UN’s concern about the hardships of the Saharawi political prisoners in Moroccan custody.

On another hand, "Algeria plays a very important role in the region, and I seize my current visit to know better the vision of the Algerian authorities regarding the question of Western Sahara", he said after his meeting with Algerian Minister of State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Mohamed Bedjaoui.

During the meeting, which took place last Thursday between the Saharawi Head of State and Mr. bastagli, the two parties talked about "the necessity of advancing in the process of decolonisation of Western Sahara through the mechanisms already decided, mainly the pace plan unanimously adopted by the UN’s Security Council, and a UN’s mission (Minurso) present on the ground since 1991to enforce it", indicated a Saharawi Governmental source to SPS.

The Saharawi political direction also expressed, Mr. Bastagli its "deep preoccupation about the situation of the Saharawi civil populations in the territories under Moroccan occupation and the need to impose the respect of the fundamental liberties, human rights and to open the territory to the independent foreign observers", stressing on efforts the UN must deploys to "release Sahara political prisoners, the 151 Saharawi prisoners of war and to draw the light on the fate of more than 500 Saharawi 'disappeareds', who are clearly listed by their families since the military invasion of the territory and its annexation in 1975", the same source added.

A special concern was given to the necessity of "restarting the visits between the Saharawi families who are separated for 30 years by a military wall, defended by millions mines and soldiers, a wall, which is a shame for the whole humanity, that parts these families in its two sides", the same source added.

Finally, the conditions of living of the Saharawi refugees, who are living thanks to the humanitarian aid in the land of exile, were also mentioned during this meeting. "The Saharawi political direction underlined that it will be better that the UN’s organisms and agencies in charge for the humanitarian aid fulfil this duty that is necessary for the survival of the refugees". (SPS)

060/090/000 012141 Oct 05 SPS

PS
SSADR/PRISONERS/MOROCCO/HUMAN RIGHTS

DDHP demands an international investigation on Moroccan human rights’ violations in Western Sahara

Chahid El Hafed, 01/10/2005 (SPS) The Department in charge for Human Rights at the Presidency of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (DDHP- in French), asked "the UN and the international community to constitute an international committee of investigation" on the Moroccan violations of human rights in Western Sahara, calling to the judgement of the Moroccan responsibles for crimes against humanity and against human rights in the occupied territories of Western Sahara and in the south of Morocco.

Here is the complete text of the press release publicised Saturday by the Saharawi organisation:

"Press release

Rejoicing about the temporary suspension by the Saharawi political prisoners of their hunger strike that continued for more than 50 days, The Department in charge for Human Rights at the Presidency of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (DDHP- in French), recalls that this suspension answers the requests of the detainees’ families but also the preoccupation widely expressed by the Saharawi and international civil society.

DDHP calls on the international judicial bodies and human rights organisations to intervene and put pressures of Morocco so as to guarantee all the necessary conditions for honest, fair and transparent judgements of the Saharawi political prisoners. This achieved, the presence of the mentioned bodies and organisations is also a guarantee for the respect of the laws and procedures relative to the status of the Saharawi detainees, who are, it should be re-underlined, political prisoners and citizens under occupation.

The UN’s Charter, it should be stressed here, and the Geneva Conventions clearly rule the case of detention of persons because of their political opinions relating to a non-self-governing territory that is subscribed in the list of the UN’s 4th Committee in charge of the decolonisation of Western Sahara.

Thus, the DDHP :

- Calls the UN and the international community to constitute an international committee of investigation on the abuses committed by the Moroccan colonial authorities against the Saharawi population living in the territories of Western Sahara still under illegal occupation as well as those living in the south of Morocco.

- Demands the lift of the media and security blockade the Moroccan coloniser imposes on the occupied territories of Western Sahara.

- Demands that the Moroccan responsible clearly identified be brought before of international justice such as the International Criminal Court, especially those identified in some of the Saharawi political prisoners’ testimonies and those related to the dossiers of hundreds Saharawis who were victim to forced detention since the Moroccan military invasion of the non-self-governing territory in 1975, of which the UN’s Committee for Human Rights (Geneva), Amnesty International and other organisation have copies". (SPS)

060/090/000 012242 Oct 05 SPS