SAHARA PRESSE SERVICE

Geneva, 02/08/2005 (SPS) Amnesty International expressed concern, Monday in a public statement publicised in its web site, about the arrest and detention of "six human rights defenders in Western Sahara". It called Moroccan authorities to investigate on cases of torture against Saharawi activists and to identify and bring to justice any official of the Moroccan colonial State that "have ordered, used or condoned torture".

"Amnesty International fears that the human rights activists have been arrested, tortured and put on trial because of their reporting on recent human rights violations. There had been earlier reports that local human rights defenders and journalists had been assaulted, harassed or intimidated by officials, and in some cases briefly detained", the statement put

The text evokes the cases of Mr. Mohamed El Moutaouakil, Mr. Houssein Lidri, Mr. Brahim Noumria, Mr. Larbi Messaoud, Mr. Ali Salem Tamek and Mrs. Aminatou Haidar, "all six are long-standing human rights defenders who have been instrumental in collecting and disseminating information about human rights violations, including during the policing of a recent wave of pro-independence demonstrations in the territory of Western Sahara", which Moroccan forces of occupation invaded in 1975.

The six activists have been targeted, "because of their human rights work during recent events or their openly held views in favour of independence of Western Sahara", the text added.

According to the organisation two of the activists, put in detention since last July the 20th, were subjected to the worst methods of torture in Moroccan authorities secret centres of torture in El Aaiun.

Mr. Houssein Lidri and Mr. Brahim Noumria "were suspended in contorted positions with their hands tied and their eyes blindfolded, beaten on sensitive parts of the body and that a chemical substance was poured on them and they were burnt with cigarettes and open flames. Although both men informed the judicial authorities on 21 July that they had been subjected to torture, no investigation into these allegations is known to have been opened", Amnesty international deplored.

Worst is the fact that one of the, Houssein Lidri, ex-victim of forced deportation and teacher of philosophy, was "tortured again for several hours on 22 July", despite the fact that he had informed the colonial judicial authorities about the torture he underwent since his arrest two days before and despite that he demanded a medical legal confirmation.

The activist, has in fact succeeded in divulgating, from his cell in the Black Prison in El Aaiun, a striking testimony on the atrocities he underwent since July the 20 and during interrogatories in Moroccan secret centres of torture.

Though the six victims are pursued by Moroccan colonial authorities "for allegedly participating in or promoting an armed gathering", the international organisation affirms that the "arrests of the six human rights defenders took place in the context of repression of politically-charged demonstrations, which began in late May 2005" in the occupied cities of Western Sahara and in the south of Morocco.

Although "most of these demonstrations were peaceful", the NGO underlined, Moroccan forces of security are accused by "independent observers" of "using excessive force" and "torturing and ill-treating protesters they detained".

The organisation finally urged the Moroccan Government to "immediately to investigate the allegations that Houssein Lidri and Brahim Noumria were tortured and ensure they obtain any medical attention they may require, to guarantee the right to a fair trial, including by ensuring that no statements made under duress will be used to obtain convictions, to ensure that any officials found to have ordered, used or condoned torture are identified and promptly brought to justice, to uphold the right of human rights defenders to collect and disseminate information on human rights violations without fear of reprisals". (SPS)

060/090/ALG 021252 Jul 05 SPS

SPS
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/IINTIFADA/UN
An open letter from Saharawi political prisoners to the President of the UN’s Sub-Commission on Human Rights

El Aaiun (occupied territories) 02/08/2005 (SPS) Saharawi political prisoners addressed an open letter to the President of the UN’s Sub-commission on Human rights, in which they denounce systematic human rights violations in Western Sahara and the precarious conditions of detention in the Carcel Negra (Black Prison) in El Aaiun, calling on the UN to quickly react for the organisation of a referendum on self-determination for the Saharawi people.

"It is now certain that the State of Morocco has denied its engagements signed in the Human rights international conventions", said the letter, giving as an example "the abductions, arbitrary arrests, torture in the secret centre of torture PC-CMI", as well as "the suppression adopted as a State’s system against the Saharawi civilians in addition to the closure of the territory to foreign visitors".

For the 24 signatories of the letter, of which SPS received a copy, "the situation in the Saharawi territory since last May the 21st 2005 is another aspect of the terrorism of State". They considered that this attitude requires "an exceptional initiative fro, the international community so as to protect the Saharawi population and urge to the organisation of a self-determination referendum".

Speaking about the conditions of detention the Saharawi political prisoners indicated that the Carcel negra, where they are detained "put one on another like sardines", lack the most rudimentary human conditions (….) where prisoners suffer from diseases in an insane place, without water besides malnutrition and the encouragement of drugs dealing".

The letter also highlighted "the forms of cruel torture" to which they were subjected under Moroccan custody, before been heavily sentenced in iniquitous trials by the Moroccan colonial court.

IN this respect they revealed as an example "the heavy sentences" pronounced against some of them "going between 5 to 20 years imprisonment, especially with the choking case of a 59 years old aged prisoner; father to 10 children, who was condemned to 5 years imprisonment for having participated to a peaceful demonstration". (SPS)

010/090/120/ALG/TRD 021642 Aug SPS

SPS
SADR/MOROCCO/POLITICAL PRISONERS
SADR fears about the physical integrity of 5 Saharawi political prisoners Moroccan authorities abducted

Chahid El Hafed (Saharawi refugees camps), 02/08/2005 (SPS) Saharawi Government " seriously fears about the physical and psychological integrity of the 5 Saharawi political prisoners", who were brutally abducted by Moroccan forces of repression Monday from inside their cells in the Carcel Negra (Black Prison) in El Aaiun and transported without previous warning to their families or lawyers to an unknown destination, declared a Saharawi authorised official source to SPS.

"The Saharawi Government seriously fears about the physical and psychological integrity of the 5 Saharawi political prisoners, who were brutally abducted by Moroccan services of repression from inside their cells in a new act of criminality. The5 victims are still reported missing. Their lawyers and families have no idea on the fate the Moroccan authorities reserved them", the same source underlined to the SPS when asked on the subject of the abduction ; yesterday of Saharawi human rights activists, Mr. Mohamed El Moutawakil, Mr. Houssein Lidri, Mr. Brahim Noumria, Mr. Larbi Messaoud and Mr. Ali Salem Tamek.

On another hand, the official source asserted that the Saharawi party "does not exclude the possibility of an iniquitous execution by the Moroccan authorities of these activists", like it did against Saharawi victims in the 70ies and 80ies, "when it used to throw helpless civilians from helicopters or bury them alive in collective graves", he source warned.

The Government of SADR, the same source added, calls on, the international community and all international organisations and bodies to exercise pressures on Morocco so as to force him draw light on the fate of these new victims of human rights violations in Western Sahara.

"The international community and all human rights organisations and bodies are called, now more than ever, to immediately intervene so as to stop a new tragedy from taking place in Western Sahara. Otherwise, it should be underlined, the victims will be persons whose only crime is to have defended legitimate principles and rights and believed in the international legality", declared the Saharawi official source to SPS.

Asked about information about the transfer of the prisoners to specific prisons in Morocco, the Saharawi official stressed that "non official information can not be taken into consideration. That is to say that, for the Saharawi Government, and according to our information to the families of the victims too, the 5 activists are victims to forced 'disappearance' and will remains considered as such until the official revelation of information on their fate by the Moroccan Government or by the relevant international organisations".

"The arrest and detention of the activists in itself was an illegal act, while their abduction is, beside been illegal, an act of gangsters. It is difficult to imagine how the international would explain its attitude to the families of the victims if it tolerate it", the same source said. (SPS)

060/090/ALG 021619 Aug 05 SPS

SPS
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/INTIFADA/CLQCK PRISON/HUNGER STRIKE
Saharawi political prisoners start a hunger strike in protest against the abduction of 5 of their compatriots

El Aaiun (occupied capital of Western Sahara), 02/08/2005 (SPS) More than 29 Saharawi political prisoners, detained in the Black Prison in El Aaiun, started a hunger strike of unlimited protest against the abduction of 5 of their compatriots by the Moroccan authorities of repression yesterday morning, reported SPS’s correspondent on the ground.

The hunger strike, the same source indicated, intervenes as a first step in the protest against the abduction by the Moroccan authorities of 5 Saharawi human rights activists from their cells in the Black Prison and their ‘disappearance’.

"The strikers demand from the colonial authorities the immediate return of their compatriots, the ending of the abuses and human rights violations in Western Sahara and the ending of the violations of the rights of the Saharawi political prisoners, who suffer not only of the precarious conditions of the Black Prison but also of ill treatment, torture and lack of the most fundamental conditions for fair trials", the same source indicated.

Moroccan colonial authorities abducted 5 Saharawi human rights activists, who were detained without judgment in the Black Prison in El Aaiun since the 18th and 20th of July 2005, from their cells without previous information to their families or lawyers, it was indicated.

"Moroccan services of repression proceeded Monday morning to the abduction of Saharawi human rights activists, Ali Salem Tamek, Mohamed Elmoutawakil, El Houssein Lidri, Brahim Noumria and Laarbi Massoud. They were transferred after that, in very bad conditions, out of the Saharawi territories, according to first information", the same source reported on Monday.

Saharawi human rights activist, Mrs. Aminetou Haidar, declared she will start a limited hunger strike of 48 hours, Monday in the Carcel Negra (Black Prison) in El Aaiun where she is imprisoned without judgement since last June the 17th. She demands a decent treatment and minimal conditions of detention. The activist also declared hr support to the protest o other Saharawi political prisoners. (SPS)

060/090/ALG 021657 Jul 05 SPS