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SPS Reporters Without Borders condemns the censorship by Morocco of Saharawi websites 04.12.05
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Rabat, 04/12/2005 (SPS) Reporters Without Borders (RWB) condemned the
censorship, by Morocco, of Saharawi websites and called on the Moroccan
authorities to stop blocking all the websites dealing with the Saharawi
question, estimating that this decision by Rabat is a major abuse of the freedom
of expression.
"It
should not be possible to take a decision to filter a website without a fair
trial taking place first. Banning an online publication simply on the basis of
an administrative decision is a serious violation of free expression",
the organisation declared in a press release publicised on Friday, calling on
Morocco "to
stop blocking access to sites dealing with Western Sahara".
"Reporters
Without Borders has verified that the arso.org, cahiersdusahara.com,
cahiersdusahara.com, wsahara.net and spsrasd.info websites have all been
rendered inaccessible in Morocco since 21 November",
the organisation said.
"These
sites all criticise Morocco’s control of Western Sahara and encourage protests,
but they do not call for violence",
it further underlined, adding as an example that "ARSO
- the Free and Legitimate Referendum in Western Sahara Support Association -
carried photos on its website in September that showed Saharawi prisoners being
held in extremely harsh condition in the prison in El Aaiun, the territory’s
main city".
Western Sahara is submitted, since its military invasion in
1975, to
a Medias and military blockage and to a permanent State of siege. The only
information that can be received from the colonised territory come from few
Internet surfers or cell phones, which are blocked by he Moroccan colonial
authorities now. "Silence, we kill", an observer ironically commented on the
situation in the occupied territories of
Western Sahara. (SPS)
010/090/666/TRD 041050 dec 05 SPS
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SPS UN and Amnesty international reject the thesis of Morocco on the sovereignty over Western Sahara
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Brussels, 04/12/2005 (SPS) The UN’s Representation to the European Union and Amnesty International-Belgium rejected the thesis of Morocco on the sovereignty over Western Sahara, Thursday in Brussels, based on the international legality and on historical facts, reported Algerian Press Service, APS.
Intervening during a day of information, organised by "Pax Christi Wallonie-Bruxelles", a Belgian catholic organisation concerned with peace in the world and on the political settlement of conflicts, Mr. Jean-Luc Onkelinx, from the UN’s Representation, clearly stated the UN’s point of view on the Western Sahara question, which is according to him related to Saharawi people’s right to self-determination within the framework of the international legality.
Thus, according to e UN’s view, the process of self-determination for the Saharawi people conforming to the UN’s resolution 1514 is the only way towards putting an end to the conflict.
Polisario Front’s Representative to Europe, Mr. Mohammed Sidati, affirmed that responsibilities must be defined. Morocco is the responsible of the blockage, because it denies all its engagements contracted within the framework of the Baker Plan and reject all the UN’s resolutions.
It is the kingdom of Morocco, he said, "which does not want eve to recognise Saharawi people’s right to self-determination, a right that is recognised and reaffirmed by all international bodies, and is engaging a fierce repression against Saharawi populations who claimed for their national rights with peaceful ways".
The Representative of Amnesty international (Francophone Belgium), M. Francis Schwan, denounced these human ghts violations committed against the Saharawi populations in the occupied territories.
He also called Moroccan authorities to release Saharawi political prisoners still in its custody.
Mr. Schwan further rejected the historical argument advanced by the Moroccan authorities, recalling that a Morocco-Spanish treaty back in the end of the 19th century has stressed the borders of the Moroccan territory in a point that does not reach the current borders of Western Sahara.(SPS)
020/090/700/TRD 041115 Dec 05 SPS
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SPS The El Aaiun’s court does not want observers to attend Saharawis’ trials
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Madrid, 04/12/2005 (SPS) Trials of 7 Saharawi human rights defenders was delayed again, last Wednesday by the Moroccan court in El Aaiun (the occupied capital of Western Sahara), which does not want international observers to attend the judgement, reported Spanish newspaper "El Periodico", quoted by Algerian Press Service, APS.
After a long day of waiting, during which about 36 accused of crimes were brought before the Moroccan court in El Aaiun, the court announced again the delay of the trials of 6 Saharawi human rights activists to December the 6th, reported El Periodico’s special envoy, Joseph Sauri, who was not allowed to attend the trial.
''This is an illegal and unfair attitude from the court which aims at discouraging the defence and the families (of the Saharawis) as well as the international observers so as they leave the territory before they attend the trials", underlined Mr. Mohamed Fadel Lili, one of the lawyers of the 6 activists, the newspaper reported.
''During the morning, the defence, the observers dispatched by Spanish lawyers, Amnesty International, the National Council of French Lawyers and the Spanish League for Human Rights, among others, had shockingly attended, the trials of a set of persons accused of common crimes, rapes..", the newspaper wrote.
It was only at about 17.00 GMT that the Saharawi human rights activists were brought to the court. The President of the court tried to appoint new lawyers to the activists, but the 7 Saharawis categorically refused this attempt chanting slogans in favour of Saharawi people’s right to self-determination and of Polisario Front, El Periodico stressed.
Ali Salem Tamek denounced "the manipulation of these political trials", Aminatou Haidar accused the court of ''complicity in masking the truth'' and Hmad Hamad thanked the international observers for their presence so as to see by their own eyes this ''parodies of trials''.
Getting out of the court, after the suspension of the session, Mr. Olivier Guilbaud, Representative of French lawyers declared that ''the Moroccan justice has lost the opportunity it had to show it is serious. Instead it gave a shameful image of itself".
''The international observers had had the impression that Rabat is permanently delaying the trials so as to avoid disturbing witnesses, knowing that the observers can not stay forever in El Aaiun", El Periodico said.
''Did it succeed? , he wandered. This is not sure''. ''They are trying to discourage us, but some of us will be present again on Tuesday'', asserted one of the observers.
The trials were postponed the first time last November the 22. The 7 Saharawi human rights activists presented to the court are Mr. Ali Salem Tamek, Mr. Hmad Hamad, Mr. Brahim Noumria, Mrs. Aminatou Haidar, Mr. Larbi Messaoud, Mr. Hocine Lidri and Mr. Mohamed Moutaouakil. Moroccan authorities consider them as the agitators behind the demonstrations in favour of independence that broke in Western Sahara since last May the 21st 2005. (SPS)
020/090/700/TRD 041205 Dec 05 SPS
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SPS Regional officials denounce the trials started against Saharawi political prisoners
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Roma, 04/12/2005 (SPS) The Regional Council of Emilie Romagna (Toscana- Italy) condemned the trials of Saharawi political prisoners that started last Wednesday in El Aaiun, denouncing the illegality of such procedures and the absence of the defence that shall guarantee the minimum of fairness possible, reported Algerian Press Agency, APS, on Thursday.
IN their letters sent to Italian Ambassador to Rabat and to the Moroccan Ambassador in Roma, the Regional Council, composed of the Representatives of all Italian political parties, expressed its deep concern about the conditions in which the trials of the Saharawi political prisoners are judged, though the trials are based on ''no crime that can justify judicial procedures''.
''It is in fact recognised that the Saharawi prisoners are human rights activists, who were brought before the court after the peaceful demonstrations of May that called for the enforcement of the Plan of self-determination of the Saharawi people'', the signatories underlined, considering that these ''demonstration of opinion'' are not crimes conforming to the UN’s human rights Charter.
''These are activities that do not justify long periods of detention, isolation and all sort of abuses, to which Saharawis are victims, and which were denounced at many times by Amnesty international and other human rights organisations'', the letters further wrote.
''As Italian citizens and as the Regional Council of Emilie-Romagna, and being engaged for the respect of human rights and for the enforcement of the UN’s Security Council’s resolutions on Western Sahara, the elected officials of Emilie Romagna call on the Ambassadors of Italy in Rabat to give a special attention to these trial, by dispatching one of his Representatives", the letter stressed.
The elected firther asked the Moroccan authorities to give sufficient guarantees so as the accused can benifit from their right to defence conforming to the international texts of human rights laws.
In a similar letter sent to the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Gianfranco Fini, the President of the Italian Association of support to the Saharawi people, Mr. Luciano Ardesi, has solicited the presence of an Italian diplomat to the trial so as to guarantee the minimum standards of the rights to defence for the activists and so as to show to the Moroccan authorities the concern of the Italian Government about the respect of human rights.(SPS)
020/090/700/TRD 041140 Dec 05 SPS
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SAHARA
PRESS SERVICE