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SPS French associations demonstrate their support to Saharawi political prisoners in front of the French National Assembly 05.10.05
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Paris, 05/10/2005 (SPS) A demonstration for the release of Saharawi political prisoners and in favour of the self-determination of the Saharawi people was organised Wednesday in Paris in front of the seat of the French National Assembly, reported Algerian Press Agency, APS.
"8 hours of solidarity with the Saharawi people and political prisoners" was the slogan of this demonstration that was organised by the French Committee for the Respect of the Liberties and Human Rights in Western Sahara (CFLSO), which is composed of many associations, especially the French Association of the Friends of SADR (AA-RASD), the French Association of Friendship and Solidarity with the People of Africa (AFASPA) and the Algerian Committee in Europe for the solidarity with the Saharawi people (CAESPS).
"Since last May the 21st 2005, the Saharawi population in the occupied territories and in the south of Morocco claim for their right to self-determination via peaceful demonstrations", the demonstrators recalled, underlining that "the Moroccan forces of occupation answer this peaceful action with a violent repression".
"Arrests, imprisonments, ill-treatments, torture in prisons and show trials with heavy sentences" are the daily fate of the Saharawi demonstrators, emphasised the CFLSO, adding that "foreign journalists and observers, who would like to report on these demonstrations or attend the trial of the arrested persons, are expulsed".
The CFLSO, which is organising its first demonstrations after its constitution last week, stressed that "the hunger strike of 51 days (from August the 8 to September the 29th) undertaken by 37 Saharawi political prisoners benefited from a strong movement of solidarity world wide against human rights violations" in Western Sahara and in favour of Saharawi people’s right to self-determination.
"Saharawis’ demand of peaceful solution to the conflict does not succeed", the association added, denouncing the fact that "the international law, the many UN’s resolutions are stamped over by Morocco who is hindering the decolonisation of Western Sahara".
CFLSO called "humanitarian associations, human rights’ NGOs, political parties, Trade Unions as well as normal citizens to participate" to this movement of solidarity "and to delegations to the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs and to political groups in Parliament so as to demand the release of Saharawi political prisoners and the stopping of repression".
These delegations would also claim for "the freedom of access, circulation and expression for foreign journalists and observers" to the territory, as well as "the respect by Morocco of the international legality and the enforcement of the UN’s peace plan until the holding of the self-determination referendum".
Many French and Saharawi participated to this demonstration, besides the Polisario Front’s activists who distributed placards, chanted slogans about the justice of the Saharawi cause and lifted pictures of the 37 Saharawi political prisoners, who are repressed because of their opinion in favour of their people’s right to self-determination.
"Get them out of this situation", wrote papers distributed by the demonstrators on the French Parliamentarians. (SPS)
060/090/700 051615 Oct 05 SPS
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SPS 45 Saharawi students brutalised by Moroccan police and the administration of the university campus of Casablanca
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Casablanca (Morocco) 04/09/2005 (SPS) Saharawi students in the
university of Casablanca were brutalised Monday evening and their rooms were
ransacked by the Moroccan police beside the employees of the university campus
of Casablanca under the orders of the Director of the Campus, reported
reliable sources.
"45 Saharawi students were brutalised Monday evening at the university campus of Casablanca by the Moroccan police helped by employees of the campus under the direct orders of the Director of the latter, who incited his employees to join the forces of repression in their act of repression against the Saharawi students. The attackers ransacked the students’ rooms and put fire on two rooms at least", one of the sources indicated.
The 45 students, who were arrested and put into custody in the police station of "dar lhamra" of Hay Hassani, spent the night piled into a narrow cell to be released the next day after having been forced to sign "an engagement on the honour to never commit an act of vandalism!'', said one of the released students indignantly.
"They brutalised us, arrested us while we are actually the victims of this violence, piled us in a narrow cell like animals, and the worst was kept for the end when they forced us to sign that 'engagement' in the police station. The entire world was expecting Morocco to correct its behaviour, ask Saharawis pardon for all the abuses and violence it committed against them, but here are the Moroccan authorities commit more violations. New acts of repression against peaceful demonstrators and new victims of repression", H.A added, who was injured during this act.
Reacting to this new Moroccan human rights’ violation against Saharawi students, the Saharawi Ministry of Occupied Territories and Communities publicised a press release, Tuesday, condemning this "irresponsible act".
"We denounce this dangerous act and consider Morocco as responsible of what may happen to these Saharawi students", who are forced to study in Moroccan universities because they do not have any other alternative, the press release added, calling the international community "to the protection of the Saharawi people’ fundamental rights", including their right to self-determination. (SPS)
060/090/051438 Oct 05 SPS
Here is a list of 36 students of the 45 arrested after the violent intervention:
1- Jamal Boulbaz
2- Saaid RGuibi
3- Ajreifin Taher
4- Saaid Rabeh
5- Sailoum Lehbib
6- Ahl Sid Brahim Ahmed
7- Lehbib Amzayed
8- Mohamed Lamine Soufi
9- Lili Mustafa
10- Arkouko Abdelhadi
11- Bouno Manssour
12- Cheij Sid Ahmed
13- Mahjoub Elfilali
14- Abdati Elfakhouri
15- Mahmoud Amkeithir
16- Karrad Mohamed Mbarek
17- Naffaa Mohamed Fadel
18- Ayach Mohamed Salem
19- RGuibi Sidi
20- Abderrahman Azouin
21- Lembarki Mohamed Salem
22- Hartan Sidi
23- Mjabar Salek
24- Bellaoui Mohamed Lamine
25- Bachraia Saaidi
26- Mohamed Ali Bella
27- Ali Azergui
28- Elhaj Khaya
29- Saaid Boussoula
30- Ahmed Fal RGuib
31- Abidin
32- Abdelhay Charqi
33- Balla Musta
34- Salek Oum Elayn
35- Elmarhoum Mohamed
36- Douihi Hamma Lamin
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SPS Ramadan: President Abdelaziz congratulates Saharawis and hails them for their peaceful and civilised struggle against Moroccan colonialism
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Bir Lehlou (Liberated territories), 05/10/2005 (SPS) The President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, addressed on Tuesday a letter of congratulations to the Saharawi people, on the occasion of the sacred month of Ramadan, hailing the peaceful and civilised struggle waged by the Saharawi populations in the occupied territories, in the south of Morocco and in the refugees camps, indicated the letter by the President, of which SPS received a copy in Arabic.
Addressing "Saharawis, women and men, in all places, in the Moroccan cells and prisons, in the occupied territories of Western Sahara and south Morocco, in Moroccan universities, in the camps of dignity and honours and in the liberated territories" of Western Sahara, the Head of the State expressed them his highest congratulations, praying God to have the goodness of accepting their fasting and make them spend this sacred month in prosperity, peacefulness and benediction".
After having lived 30 Ramadans under barbarous occupation we still have "Saharawi political prisoners incarcerated in the cells of the occupier, we count 151 Saharawi prisoners of war and more than 500 ‘disappeareds’, about whom their families have got no information, and all this since the Moroccan military invasion of our territory in October the 31st 1975", the President of the Republic underlined.
The Moroccan Government assumes, alone, the full "responsibility about the disappearance of all these victims, and must account for them", the Head of the State added, recalling that by fasting this Ramadan all the members of the Saharawi people would recall their compatriots victims of the Moroccan repressive apparatus.
While glorifying God almighty during this sacred month of Ramadan, "Saharawi people will remember the sufferings of the prisoners in the Carcel Negra (Black Jail) in El Aaiun, the occupied capital of our country, and in Ait Melloul as well as in the Oukacha prison in Casablanca, in the Moroccan kingdom. These heroes, who resisted this hardship with an incomparable courage, undertaking their hanger strike for 51 days", to defend "the sacred rights of their people to freedom and self-determination", he underlined.
This heroic struggle they waged, despite all the dangers that threatened and threat their physical integrity, "will remain, forever, a medal of honour on their chests", and will represent a glorious period of the peaceful and civilised struggle of the Saharawi people for independence.
President Abdelaziz, who exhorted the Saharawi population to strengthen and reinforce its national unity, called them to make of this month an occasion to reiterate the Saharawi people’s determination to get rid of the Moroccan colonial yoke and to challenge all future hardships.
"We are called, more thane ever, to be more supportive to each others, to back each others and to get together around Saharawi political prisoners, incarcerated in Moroccan cells, around the noble national goal which remains the liberation of the national territory by enforcing the international legality and establishing the Saharawi independent State", he concluded. (SPS)
060/090/100 052143 Oct 05 SPS
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SPS SADR reiterates its support to the UNHCR supervised family visit’s exchange programme
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Bir lahlou (Liberated territories), 05/10/2005 (SPS) The Saharawi Coordinator with the Minurso, Mr. M’hamed Khdad, underlined in a written statement publicised Tuesday that his country has always supported the UNHCR supervised family visit’s exchange programme, undertaken to unify the Saharawi families who were separated since the 70ies because of the Moroccan colonial invasion of the Saharawi territory, considering that Morocco is the only responsible or the stopping of this programme since last years.
Here is the complete text of the statement, of which SPS received a copy:
"Statement,
After having unjustly and unilaterally blocked them for almost a year, Morocco announces his agreement of the re-starting, under the UNHCR’s supervision, of the visits exchange programme between the Saharawi families, who are separated because of the occupation of their country by the Moroccan forces of aggression.
POLISARIO Front doubts about the sincerity of this new Moroccan volte-face because Rabat has always denied the engagements it takes before of the international community and is blocking to this day the enforcement of the latter’s decisions. Polisario question this declaration, in particular, at a moment when the fierce repression that started last May is increasingly striking the Saharawi populations in the occupied territories and in the south of Morocco. The occupied territories are still put, it should be recalled, under Moroccan military forces siege while 37 Saharawi prisoners of opinion, who have just stopped a 51 days hunger strike, are still detained, in inhumane conditions in the cells of the Carcel negra, Oukacha and the local prison of Ait Melloul.
Thus, POLISARIO Front, who gave his acceptance to the UNHCR to keep with the visits programme, is ready, starting from today, for the resume of this operation.
POLISARIO Front recalls, therefore, that the Western Sahara’s conflict is a problem of decolonisation, which political solution consists of the exercise by the Saharawi people of its right to self-determination and calls the UN and the international community to do their best so as to compel Morocco put an end to its intransigence and refusal to subscribe to the enforcement of the Peace Plan for the self*-determination of the people of Western Sahara, unanimously adopted by the UN’s Security Council in 2003, to release Saharawi prisoners of opinion and to stop its savage repression against the helpless Saharawi population.
Bir lahlou, October the 4th 2005". (SPS)
060/090/100 052212 Oct 05 SPS
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SPS Wide participation to a fasting day of solidarity with the Saharawi political prisoners
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Roma, 05/10/2005 (SPS) Parlementarians, local elected officials, representatives of humanitarian organisations as well as associations of solidarity with the Saharawi people participated on Wednesday to the fasting day that was organised in many Italian cities in solidarity with the Saharawi political prisoners detained in Moroccan prisons in the occupied city of El Aaiun (Western Sahar), in Ait Melloul and Casablanca (Morocco).
Many famous Places in Roma, Florence, Genes and Bologne witnessed the presence of hundreds persons who came to demonstrate their solidarity with the Saharawi political pisoners, who has temporarily put an end to their 51 days hunger strike last September the 29th.
This day of solidarity, which was decided to take place during the 31st European Conference of Coordination of the support to Saharawi people (Eucoco), held during the 23, 24 and 25th September in Mol (Belgium), was largely adhrered to by political personalities from many political parties. A large numbeer of persons took part to the fasting at the ''Piazza Venezia'' in Roma to express their support to this initiative of solidarity with the political prisoners and victims ofg the Moroccan repression in the occupied territories of Western Sahara.
Placards calling to the end of the Moroccan repression and to the holdingof referendum on self-determination, exhibition of Saharawi political prisoners’ pictures and statements denouncing the serious human rights abuses and repression in the occupied territories calling for the immediate release of the detainees were part of the activities of these fasting day’s demonstrations.
Giovanni Bellini (Left Democrat- LD), Laura Cima (Greens- G), Olga D'Antona (Socialist Democrat- DS), Alfonso Gianni (Communist Refoundation Party- CRP), Carlo Leoni (DS), Ramon Mantovani (CRP), Raffaella Mariani (DS), Carmen Motta (DS), Silvana Pisa (DS) as well as other Parliamentarians from th Parliamentary intergroup "Peace in Westrn Sahara", attended this action to demand for 'the stopping of the repression'', ''the release of All Saharawi political prisoners, the victims of torture and abuses in Moroccan prisons".
After having recalled the reaction of the Moroccn colonial forces "who repressed, with an incrediblee violence, the peaceful resistence of Saharawis who are struggling for the last 30 years to get their homeland back", and after recalling of the ''systématic human rights’ violations by the Moroccan occupier", the parliamentarians demanded the holding of a self-determination referendum as decided in the UN’s peace plan so as to enable Saharwi peeople to decide over their future.
Italian Communist Party and the CRP also supported Saharawi people’s struggle and support this initiative, reclling the international community "thier determination to help putting an end to the occupation of Westeern Sahara and to enable Saharawi people live in peace in its own territory".
Communist Refoundation Party (CRP) stressed "the blockage" by Rabat of the UN’s peace plan for a self-determination referendum in Western Sahara, and thee "hypocritic indifférence" of the European Union. The Political party recalled on another hand that "Polisrio Front’s cause an Saharawi peiople’s tragedy is a concern to a huge part of our population".
''This popular concern must be concreately translated to action by our diplomacy and the European Union’s, starting from suspending the military accords of collabortion between the EU and Morocco", indicates a press release by the CRP.
''Now; more than ever, we must support the peaceful struggle opf the Saharawi people, who has never used terrorist actions to defnd its cause", underlined the regional Counsselor, Gianluca Borghi (Greens) and Ugo Mazza (DS), on this occasion of the Euroepan day of solidarity with the Saharawi people.
The two persoanlities has animated, Wednesday, a press conference in the region of Emilie-Romagna. They denounced "the dramatic repression perpetrated by the Moroccan authorities against the Saharawi population in the occupied territories", and demanded "the release of all Saharawi political prisoners in Moroccan custody".
The Head of the Italian Communist group in Lombardia, Mr. Bebo Storti, declared his adherence to the fasting day in solidarity with the victims of the Moroccan repression in the occupied territories of Western Sahara. He affirmed that it is "intolerable that today thousands persons are still living in refugee camps in the Sahara, at the borders of Mauritania and Algeria, and that many demonstrators who only claimed for their right to self-detrmination are tortured and imprisoned in the worst conditions".
''It is now time, Bebo Storti affirms, that Saharawi people, like many other ethnic and political minorities, get their independence and autonomy, within the framework of the UN’s peace plan, and live in peace and in justice".
On another hand, motions of support and solidarity were signed by officials o many communiities from the centre and the north of Italia, in particular from the region o Modène and Toscana ''dénouncing the conditios of life of Saharawis living in Western Sahara, still under Moroccan occupation despite of UN’s resolutions that ruled the holding of a self-determination referendum", and expressed their full engagemnt to the Saharawi people’s peaceful struggle, reported Algerian Press Agency, APS. (SPS)
060/090/700 052244 Oct 05 SPS
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SAHARA
PRESS SERVICE