Chahid El Hafed, 07/12/2005 (SPS) The Saharawi Government denounced the successive reports of the trials of 14 Saharawi political prisoners, underlining that the maintaining of these prisoners during all this period in tragic conditions of detention is a "flagrant violation of human rights", according to a press release publicised on Wednesday by the Saharawi Ministry of information.

Since last November, the 22nd, the trials of these political prisoners were postponed three successive times. Planed for last Tuesday, it was postponed to next December the 12th, following the decision of the judge of the court of El Aaiun.

The Saharawi Government energetically condemned these Moroccan machinations that "attempt to give a legitimacy to the laws of the Moroccan illegal occupation in Western Sahara" (...) "refrain international observers from attending the trials" (...) "and sentence peaceful citizens because of false accusations", the press release underlined, in a copy SPS received.

It also called on all human rights defenders, international organisations and independent observers to "resist before Moroccan authorities attempts to dissuade them achieve their humanitarian duties", inviting them "to continue their support of the Saharawi political prisoners and to Saharawi citizens in their struggle to impose the law, justice, democracy and the respect of human rights".

Recalling that the detention of these Saharawi citizens is "illegal", knowing that they did only "claim, peacefully and in a civilised way, for the respect of Saharawi people’s fundamental freedoms and their right to a free, just and transparent self-determination referendum under the auspices of the UN and conforming to the UN’s Security Council’s resolutions and other international accords signed by the two parties to the conflict, Polisario Front and Morocco".

The text also underlines that "the bad behaviour of the Moroccan authorities towards the group of Lawyers of the Saharawi political prisoners is an attempt to facilitate the introduction of false accusations and unjust sentences to push the lawyers, who are in charge o the defence since the beginning, to give up" their duty.

On another hand, the Saharawi Government launched an appeal to the UN so as to "to finish, as soon as possible, the decolonisation of the Western Sahara through the organisation of a self-determination referendum for the Saharawi people and eliminate the Moroccan colonial presence in this territory".

On his part, the international community was asked by the Government to urgently intervene so as to "guarantee the respect of human rights in Western Sahara by helping in the release of all Saharawi political prisoners, putting an end to the assassinations, arbitrary detentions an abductions of Saharawis who demonstrate, peacefully, in favour of claims that are guaranteed by all law on earth and to ensure free access to the territory for the international press and independent observers".

The group o Saharawi political prisoners still kept in custody in the Carcel Negra without judgement are: Aminetou Haidar, Ali Salem Tamek, Hmad Hamad, Mohamed Elmutawkil, Ibrahim Numria, Lidri El Houssein, El Arbi Messoud, Amidan El Ouali, Echtewi El MahJoub, BElla Sidi Mohamed, El Mousawi Sid Ahmed, Lehuedi Mahmoud, Tahlil Mohamed and El Jenhaui Lejlifa.

010/090/100/TRD 071831 dec 05 SPS

up