SAHARA PRESSE SERVICE

Strasbourg, 08/09/2005 (SPS) European Parliament’s intergroup for Western Sahara called on Morocco to immediately release the 37 Saharawi political prisoners who are undertaking an unlimited hunger strike in Moroccan jails for the 30th day so far. It also called on the international community to intervene for the settlement of the conflict in Western Sahara, indicated a press release publicised by the group on Thursday.

"We demand, urgently, the visit of an international and independent medical committee to the prisons (Carcel negra –in El Aaiun the capital of Western Sahara, Oukacha in Casablanca, and the local prison in Ait Melloul in Morocco) to check up the state of health of the Saharawi political prisoners, and the immediate release of the latter", indicated the European parliamentarians in the press release publicised in Strasbourg.

"The situation of the 37 Saharawi political prisoners, who are undertaking a hunger strike since last August the 8, 2005, is serious and alarming, their health is sensitive and is deteriorating day after day, in a serious rhythm because of the inhuman conditions of their imprisonment", the press release added.

The Euro-parliamentarians noted that "the alarming situation" is generated by "the human rights’ violations Saharawi defenceless civil population is subjected to by the Moroccan Kingdom". They added that the situation is characterised by "a general repression, tortures, abductions, and arrests without trials of almost 40 political prisoners incarcerated in different prisons" (…) "to make it difficult for their families and lawyers to visit them".

On another hand, they asked for the "intervention of the international community vis-à-vis the Moroccan Government to show a sincere will to end the conflict that languished for more than 30 years", as well as to compel Morocco "respect his intentional engagements for the establishment of democracy, of a State of Laws and respect the fundamental human rights stipulated in the 2n Article of the Accord of association between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco".

The European Parliamentarians expressed their happiness with Polisario Front’s unilateral release, last August the 18th, of the last group of Moroccan prisoners of warn hoping that Rabat "would account for the 150 Saharawi soldiers" (…) "and more than 500 Saharawi victim of forced ‘disappearance’".

They finally expressed their satisfaction with the nomination of the UN Secretary General’s new Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, to whom they promised "complete support for just and definitive solution that conforms to the resolutions and to UN’s Charter and which guarantee to Saharawi people their right to self-determination". (SPS)

010/090/666/ALG/TRD 081234 sept 05 SPS

SPS
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL/PRISONERS/CAMPAIGN
Amnesty International launches a campaign for the release of Saharawi human rights activists in Moroccan custody

Madrid, 08/09/2005 (SPS) Amnesty International launched a campaign of letters to be sent to the Morocan Ministry o Justice for the release of 7 Saharawi human rights activists, who are detained without judgment in the different Moroccan prisons because of their activities of defence of human rights in the occupied territories o Western Sahara and their open expression in favour o the independence o their country and in favour o the respect o the international legality in the resolution of the conflict that opposes Morocco to Saharawi people since the Moroccan military invasion o the territory in 1975.

In its Spanish version Web Site, the famous human rights organisation called all people concerned with justice world wide to sign and send a letter to the Moroccan Ministry o Justice, to demand the immediate release o Saharawi political prisoners: Mrs. Aminatou Haidar and Misters Ali Salem Tamek, Mohamed El Moutawakil, Houssein Lidri, Brahim Noumria, Larbi Messoud and H'mad Hammad.

The letter, publicised in the Web Site of the organisation condemns the detention o the 7 Saharawi activists "who played a decisive role in the diffusion o information on violations" of human rights in the occupied territories of Western Sahara, and must either be released immediately or "be fairly judged".

Amnesty International expressed concern, in a public statement publicised in its web site last August the 1st, 2005, 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. (SPS)

060/090/000/ALG 081722 sept 05 SPS

SPS
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/PRISONERS/HUNGER STRIKE
Aminatou Haidar lost conscience and refuse any medical care from Morocan doctors

El Aaiun (occupied capital of Western Sahara), 08/09/2005 (SPS) Saharawi human rights activist and political detainee in the Carcel Negra (Black Prison in El Aaiun), Aminatou Haidar, who is undertaking a hunger strike like all other Saharawi political prisoners in the different Moroccan prisons since last August the 8, has "lost consciousness Wednesday". She is suffering from a general deterioration in her health and refuses any medical care from Moroccan doctors "known by their complicity with Moroccan repressive authorities", indicated SPS’s Correspondent on the ground.

"The Saharawi human rights activist suffers from a general weakness and deterioration in her health, already very sensitive because of 4 years forced 'disappearance', from 1987 to 1991, and because she refuses to put an end to her hunger strike like all her 36 compatriots, Saharawi political prisoners in the Carcel Negra (Black Jail in El Aaiun), Oukacha Prison (Casablanca-Morocco) and the Local Prison in the city of Ait Melloul (Agadir- Morocco)".

"The Saharawi political prisoner lost consciousness Wednesday. The penitentiary administration asked for the services of one of the Moroccan doctors who are known by their complicity with Moroccan repressive authorities to give Mrs. Haidar the medical care. But she categorically refused any care from his hands, declaring that she does not trust the Moroccan medical institutions since she was arrested last June the 17th in Bel Mehdi hospital in El Aaiun, where she was supposed to have medical care to the injuries she got because of the torture she was subjected to by Moroccan repressive forces that same day".

"Moroccan authorities assume the complete rsponsibility of the dramatic situation Saharawi political prisoners, in hunger strike since last August the 8 in the different Moroccan prisons, are living, she informed the direction of the prison, according to reliable sources".

The Saharawi Minister of the Occupied Territories and Diaspora, El Khalil Sidi Mhamed, launched an "urgent" appeal to the UN, the UN’s Security Council and the international community so as to intervene in "saving the human lives" of the 37 Saharawi political prisoners in hunger strike in Moroccan prisons, it should be recalled. (SPS)

060/90/000/ALG 081814 sept 05 SPS