SAHARA PRESSE SERVICE

Inzegan (south of Morocco) 14/08/2006 (SPS) The Saharawi political prisoners started a 24 hours hunger strike from Friday to protest against the inhumane treatments they were subjected to by the Moroccan penitentiary administration, indicate a communiqué publicised on Monday, of which SPS received a copy.

The Saharawi political prisoners announced their will to start a 24 hours hunger strike in solidarity with their comrades, Salek Lassiri and Amidan, who are in a hunger strike since July the 26^th in the Moroccan prison of Kenitra.

They also expressed their solidarity with the Saharawi political prisoner, Loumadi Mohamed, in hunger strike since August the 7th in the prison of Kenitra (Morocco), as well as "our families in Smara, El Aaiun (Western Sahara), Tan Tan, Assa, Mhamid El Ghezlan and Sidi Ifni (South of Morocco), who were victims of the serious human rights violations by he Moroccan forces of repression", the text wrote.

On another hand, the Saharawi students in the University of Marrakech "energetically" condemn the interdiction of access to the Western Sahara against the Saharawi human rights activist, Ali Salem Tamek, who was expulsed by the Moroccan services of security from the borders of the Western Sahara, they wrote in their press release.

They finally called on all international human rights organisations to "exercise pressures" on the Moroccan Government to put an end to the human rights violations in the Western Sahara an in the south of Morocco. (SPS)

020/090/110/TRD 141345 Aug 06 SPS

SPS

OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/REPRESSION

Six persons and tortured including a Saharawi human rights activist

El Aaiun (occupied territories), 14/08/2006 (SPS) Six persons at least were arrested and tortured by the Moroccan forces of repression during demonstrations on Saturday in the occupied city of El Aaiun, to advocate the Saharawi people’s right to self-determination and to the respect of the human rights in the occupied territories of the Western Sahara and in the south of Morocco, eyewitnesses reported.

The Moroccan services of intelligence arrested the Saharawi human rights activist, El Wali Amidan, on Saturday evening, in company of the young Saharawi, Jamal El Housseini, and transported them to the borders of Saguiya el Hamra few kilometres from the occupied city of El Aaiun.

The two victims was "cruelly" tortured by the Moroccan torturers, Moustapha, Aziz (touhima) and Abdel Ilah, who "threatened El Wali Amidan, after having poured gas on his body, that they will set him on fire if he try to return to El Aaiun", the same sources underlined.

The Saharawi human rights activist answered that "he will return to the occupied capital of the Western Sahara, El Aaiun, and will keep up with his activities in the defence of the human rights which are systematically violated by the Moroccan State".

Four other Saharawi citizens were also arrested and tortured the same day in the summer campus "Nil", which is situated in the El Aaiun beach. The citizens are: El Khair Mboirik, Boulsan Mboirik, Sbai Ahmed Salek and Boulsan Moustapha.

On another hand, the two Saharawi political prisoners, Salek Lassiri and Amidan continue with their hunger strike that they started since July the 26th in the Moroccan prison of Kenitra, to denounce the hard conditions of detention and ill-treatment they are subjected to by the Moroccan forces of occupation. (SPS)

020/090/000/TRD 141300 Aug 06 SPS