SAHARA PRESSE SERVICE

Rabat, 11/09/2005 (SPS) 4 Moroccan human rights organisations: The Moroccan Organisation for Human Rights (OMDH- in French), the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH- in French), the Forum Truth and Justice (FVJ-in French) and the Moroccan Prisons Watch, addressed a joint letter to the Moroccan Minister of Justice asking for permission to visit the 37 Saharawi political prisoners, who are undertaking a hunger strike in Moroccan cells, according to a press release publicised by the organisations in Rabat.

The signatories of the letter indicated that they following with "a great concern" he situation o the Saharawi political prisoners "who are undertaking a hunger strike that was never broken so far", according to "our Associations’ Sections and to the defence of the hunger-strikers" (…) "in complete contradiction with the information, given in the press release, publicised by your ministry".

Some of the 37 Saharawi political prisoners, which were directly named by the associations, "were transferred to hospital because of the deterioration of their states of health", stressed the signatories.

The press release underlined that "in the face of the threat to the prisoners health and to their right to physical integrity", the 4 organisations decided to react through this letter to the Moroccan Ministry of Justice asking for permission to visit the prisoners in the Moroccan prisons of Oukacha in Casablanca and the prisons in Ait Melloul (Morocco) and the Carcel Negra of El Aaiun (Western Sahara), "so as to investigate about the situation and participate to the information of the national and international public opinion".

The Moroccan Association for Human Rights, (AMDH- in French) called on Rabat to the opening of a dialogue with the 37 Saharawi political prisoners, who are undertaking a hunger strike in the Moroccan prisons, to save their lives and to condemn the Moroccan authorities for having forbidden the Association from visiting some of the prisoners in El Aaiun, reported a press release by the AMDH, publicised in August the 24th, it should be recalled.
The Executive Bureau of the Moroccan Forum of Truth and Justice (FMVJ- in French) called on the Moroccan authorities to set, Saharawi political detainee and member to the Bureau, Mohammed El Moutawakil free, with other Saharawi political detainees. It criticised the way they were arrested and denounced the torture their Moroccan torturers subjected them to in Casablanca and in El Aaiun, reported a press release publicised Sunday by the Forum.

Three Moroccan human rights organisation, AMDH, OMDH and FVJ, expressed their preoccupation about the critical states of health of the 37 hunger-striking Saharawi political prisoners. They affirmed that the health of the prisoners began "to worsen seriously, especially that some of them were tortured during their arrests", indicat a press release jointly publicised by the 3 organisations last August the 29^th, it should be recalled. (SPS)

010/090/666/ALG/TRD 110854 sept 05 SPS

SPS
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/PRISONERS/HUNGER STRIKE

Aminatou Haidar lost consciousness for the 2nd time in a week and refuse any medical care from Moroccan doctors

El Aaiun (occupied capital of SADR), 11/09/2005 (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, lost consciousness or the 2^nd time in less than 8 days, reported SPS’s correspondent on the ground.

"Already weakened because of her sensitive state of health, because of more than 33 days hunger strike, the repercussions of the injuries she got during her arrest and during the torture she was subjected to by Moroccan torturers, Ishi Aboulhassan, Rabi and other Moroccan officers, Mrs. Haidar lost consciousness again, in Saturday 10 of September 2005, and is unable to move", the same source indicated.

"The news we got indicate that Ms. Haidar is in the most critical stat of health, to the point that the employees of the prison 'implored' their prisoner to put an end to her hunger strike. But she refused saying that she prefer to die than to be forced to live new humiliations and offences from the colonial forces, or to suffer the violations her country is living under the Moroccan colonial yoke imposed on the territory since the Moroccan military invasion in 1975", the same source added.

Mrs. Haidar "lost consciousness Wednesday" the 07^th of September 2005. 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", it should be recalled.

"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)", knowing that Saharawi prisoners are now in their 33^rd day strike.

"Les autorités marocaines assument la responsabilité totale de la situation dramatique que vivent les prisonniers politiques sahraouis, en grève de la faim depuis le 08 août dernier dans les différentes prisons du Maroc, a déclaré la prisonnière politique adressant la direction de la prison, qui tentait de la contraindre à mettre terme à sa grève sous intimidation.

"Moroccan authorities assume the complete responsibility of the dramatic situation Saharawi political prisoners, in hunger strike since last August the 8 in the different Moroccan prisons, are living", Mrs. Haidar declared to the direction of the Black Prison of El Aaiun, who was trying to force her break the strike via intimidation.

Mrs. Aminetou Haidar, was savagely brutalised by the Moroccan Group of Urban Security last June the 17th in the street before been tortured in the main police station in El Aaiun. She had 14 stitches at the level of her head besides many injuries because of the torture and wasp ut in jail without having medical care she needed, it should be recalled.

After the harassment of her family, her sons and pants were expulsed from their house 2 days after her arrest (19 June 2005). She was presented before the colonial court under high surveillance, iniquitously judged and sentenced to prison.

On another hand, The European Parliament’s intergroup "friendship with Saharawi people" nominated Saharawi human rights activist, Mrs. Aminetou Haidar, anew to the Sajarov Human Rights’ Award.

Bearing the name of the Nobel Price winner of 1975, Andrei Sakharov, the Sakharov Price was adopted by the European Parliament in December 1985 in tribute to the Russian figure.

Many imminent international figures already won this price such as the legendary , Nelson Mandela, the Presidents of East Timor, Xanana Gusmao, and of Kosovo, Ibrahim Rugova, the UN’s Secretary General, Kofi Annan and many other international figures known by their activism and contribution in the defence of human rights.

Two other Saharawi human rights activists, Sidi Mohamed Daddach et Ali Salem Tamek, have before won international human rights’ prices, mainly the Rafto Price for Human Rights 2002 for the first and Juan Antonio Gonzales Carballo’s Price 2005 for Tamek, it should be recalled. (SPS)

060/090/ALG 111555 sept 05 SPS

SPS
SADR/POLITICAL PRISONERS/MOROCCO/UN
Ambassador Beissat: "Morocco and the UN assume full responsibility for the deterioration of the health of the 37 Saharawi hunger striking prisoners"

Algiers, 11/09/2005 (SPS) Saharawi Ambassador to Algiers, Mohamed Yeslem Beissat, considered that "Morocco and the UN assume full responsibility for the deterioration of the health of the 37 Saharawi hunger striking prisoners", calling the international community and public opinion to urgently intervene "so as to save the lives of Saharawi political prisoners, whose hunger strike reached its 34th day so far", declared the Saharawi Ambassador in a press conference he held Sunday at the Saharawi Embassy with the presence of Algerian press.

"Morocco, in the person of its King, Mohamed VIU, and the UN, represented in the territory by its Mission for the organisation of a self-determination referendum, Minurso, assume, alone, the full responsibility for the deterioration of the health of the 37 Saharawi hunger striking prisoners, and assume all the possible repercussions that may result" of the unlimited hunger strike the Saharawi political prisoners are undertaking since last August the 8, he declared.

He also estimated that the international community and public opinion can not remain inert "to see Mrs. Aminatou Haidar, Mr. Ali Salem Tamek and all their comrades die slowly before their eyes without having tried something". He invited everybody to work together "so as to save the lives of Saharawi political prisoners, whose hunger strike reached its 34th day so far, and whose states of health reached a critical stage".

On another hand, Beissat considered that the indifference of the Moroccan authorities in the face of the possible death of these men and women, who only defended their legitimate rights to self-determination and to live in dignity with civilised and peaceful ways, reflects the real colonial face of Morocco and provides an irrefutable proof on Rabat’s intransigence and despise of international legality and human rights.

"While we were expecting Rabat to release our prisoners, Moroccan authorities arrested 3 new young people rising the number of Saharawi political prisoners from 37 to 40. What horizons and which credibility is there anymore left for peaceful methods of struggle after these Moroccan campaigns of repression, arrests, abdications and tortures Saharawi peaceful activists are undergoing every day?", wondered the Saharawi diplomat. He estimated that the Moroccan behaviour would only put "the stability and security of the whole region in danger".

Talking about the recent nomination of the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative and Personal Envoy for the Western Sahara, Mr. Beissat considered that the problem does not lie in this very point. The real problem, he said, lies "in the lack of the political will in Morocco", who refuses, with all impunity, to respect the will of the international community and respect the pertinent UN’s resolutions. (SPS)

060/090/ALG 111922 Sept 05 SPS