SAHARA PRESSE SERVICE

Stockholm, 16/09/2005 (SPS) Parliamentarians from the different Swedish political parties and Representatives of the civil society stressed on the necessity of the quick decolonisation of Western Sahara and urged Morocco to release all Saharawi political prisoners on hunger strike since last August the 8, in a demonstration organised Wednesday in front of Moroccan embassy in Stockholm with the participation of representatives of the Swedish student organization, NGOs and journalists, reported a press release by Saharawi representation in the Scandinavian countries.

During the demonstration, which was organised by 2 Swedish associations of solidarity with the Saharawi people (the “Foreningen Vastsahara” and “Kommitten for vastsaharas Kvinnor”), many parliamentarians and representatives of Swedish civil society gave speeches to express their solidarity with the Saharawi people, support to the Saharawi people’s right to self-determination and condemnation of the Moroccan illegal occupation of Western Sahara.

In this respect, Jan Strömdahl, Chairman of Foreningen Vastsahara requested more “support to the Saharawi people in Western Sahara under Moroccan occupation, who are now subjected to terror and torture".

Mrs. Veronica Palm, Parliamentarian of the Swedish Social Democrat, deplored the hard situation in which Saharawi people are living, in the refugee camps because of the harshness of the nature and lack of humanitarian aid, and in the occupied territories because of the Moroccan continuous repression and rejection of the international legality.

"We demand from Morocco to stop the occupation of the Western Sahara, to release the Saharawi Political Detainees immediately and to respect Saharawi people’s right to self-determination, freedom and independence", Mrs. Palm said.

Mrs. Lotta Edström, Parliamentarian of the Green Party, called her Government to firmly support "the international legality and the UN resolutions" so as to positively contribute to the decolonisation of "the last colony in Africa".

Left Party Parliamentarian, Mrs. Alice Åström, deplored the fact that "the initiative undertaken by the Polisario in releasing the Moroccan Prisoners of War was faced by the increase of the number of Saharawis prisoners in Moroccan jails".

"The International Community must be firmer and put pressure on Morocco to comply with its international engagements", stressed the Left Party’s Parliamentarian, considering that Sweden "must act within the EU to stop the Fishing Agreement with Morocco and increase the Humanitarian aid to the Saharawi people". She further estimated that the That Morocco must absolutely “withdraw from Western Sahara and respect the UN’s resolutions".

The Representative of the Swedish Liberal Youth, Mr. Fredrik Malm, regretted the fact that "attention is more paid to violent struggles everywhere (Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan) on the detriment of the peaceful struggle of the people of Western Sahara".

He criticised the Spanish Government’s official attitude regarding the Moroccan violation of human rights in the occupied territories of Western Sahara and concerning the decolonisation of a non-self-governing territory that used to be a Spanish colony 30 years ago.

"Spain dishonoured its engagements towards the Western Sahara for the sake of fishing agreements", he regretted calling his country to "play a vital role in the EU to make a change" in the European Union’s policy regarding the Saharawi people’s rights and the plundering of their natural resources.

Pointing a picture of Saharawi political prisoner, Aminetou Haidar, in a very bad situation after she was tortured last June the 17th in El Aaiun by Moroccan agents of the Group of Urban Security, Mrs. Birgitta Ohlsson, Member of Parliament from the Liberal Party, said addressing the demonstrators "this is a picture of the real Morocco".

She called her compatriots and Swedish media to draw the attention of the national and international public opinion "to the Saharawi people peaceful struggle", emphasising that all Swedish Political Parties participated to this demonstration of solidarity with the Saharawi people because they "all agree on the justice of the Saharawi cause".

Mrs. Sonia Gardefjurd, representing the ‘Kommitten for vastsaharas Kvinnor’, called for the immediate release of all Saharawi political prisoners, in particular Mrs. Aminatou Haidar.

In his intervention, Mr Yahyawi Lamine Baali, Polisario Front’s Representative for the Nordic Countries, informed the demonstrators about the latest development of the conflict of Western Sahara, drawing their attention on the explosive situation in the occupied territories of Western Sahara, stressing on the bad situation of the Saharawi political prisoners on hunger strike since last August the 8 in the different Moroccan prisons.

At the end of the demonstrations, a written statement, including a short historical background, Curriculum vitae of Aminetou Haidar, was delivered to the Moroccan Embassy.

The Statement called Morocco to immediately "release Mrs. Haidar and all political prisoners and prisoners of war, account for more than 500 Saharawi 'disappeareds', open the Saharawi occupied territories to international observers and Independent media and respect the International Law, Saharawi people’s right to self-determination and independence", the same source added. (SPS)

SPS
USA/OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/MOROCCO
Congress member declares her full subscription to the Amnesty’s campaign for the support of Saharawi political prisoners

Washington DC, 16/09/2005 (SPS) US Congress Member, Mrs. Cynthia McKinney, member of the US Congress Committee on the Budget, Committee on Armed Services and Subcommittee on Terrorism, declared to "fully subscribe" to the Amnesty’s international campaign for the support of Saharawi political prisoners, expressing her concern regarding the detainment, torture and the state of health of the hunger-striking prisoners.

In a letter she sent, Thursday 15 th September, to Moroccan Prime Minister, Driss Jettou, Cynthia McKinney expressed her "concern regarding reports of ongoing detainment, mistreatment and torture of Saharawi protestors in Western Sahara", declaring that she "fully subscribe to the international campaign undertaken by Amnesty International in support of the Saharwian prisoners of conscience including: Aminatou Haidar, Ali salem Tamek and others".

Stressing that "freedom of expression and peaceful demonstration should be a right for the Saharwi people", Mrs. McKenney considered that "the political prisoners, in hunger strike for over a month should be released without delay".

8 USA Congressmen and a Senator sent a letter, last Monday 12 september, to Moroccan Prime Minister expressing their preoccupation about the Moroccan continuous violations of human rights in occupied territories of Western Sahara, and exhorting Rabat to fairly judge the persons accountable for such human rights abuses, it should be recalled.

"We write to express our concern regarding reports of the ongoing detainment, and in some cases, allegations of mistreatment and torture, of Sahrawi protestors in Western Sahara. We request that your government allow a full and impartial investigation of the allegations, and conduct fair trials for all of those accused", wrote the letter, which was signed by Congressmen, Christopher H. Smith, Betty McCollum, Ted Poe, Joseph Pitts, Raul Grijalva, Zach Wamp, Trent Franks, Jim McDermott and US Senator, James M. Inhofe. (SPS)

060/090/ALG 161818 sept 05 SPS

SPS
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/MOROCCO/PRISONERS/AMDH
AMDH describes Moroccan management of Human rights in Western Sahara as "irresponsible and mistaken"

Rabat, 16/09/2005 (SPS) The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) described the Moroccan management of Human rights in Western Sahara as "irresponsible and mistaken", asking for permission to international organisations and Medias’ visits to the 37 Saharawi political prisoners in hunger strike, reported a press release publicised Thursday by the Association in Rabat.

"We reaffirm, anew, the continuity of the hunger strike and the serious situation of the hunger-strikers that may cause a tragedy because of the negative and inhuman handling by some Moroccan officials, especially the Moroccan Minister of Justice who does not stop spreading false information", indicated the text in response to a press release by the Minister denying the existence of Saharawi hunger-strikers.

The AMDH also expressed its "deep deception about the manner with which the Moroccan Minister for Justice is handling the hunger strike". An attitude that lacks "the minimum of responsibility and credibility", the organisation underlined, asking the Moroccan Government to allow international human rights organisations and press to visit the Black Jail in El Aaiun, the local prison of Ait Melloul in Agadir and Oukacha Prison in Casablanca, to "investigate on the press release of the Moroccan Minister of justice".

Reporting about the health of the 37 Saharawi political prisoners in hunger strike since last August the 8, the AMDH affirms that they are in a very critical stage and that "they all lost half their normal weights".

It also affirmed that Mr. Toubali El Hafed and Baba El Arbi, who were transferred from El Aaiun’s prison to Ait Melloul’s prison in Morocco are "in a serious state in the hospital of Inzegane" (Morocco). It added that the family of Mr. Lehssen Zreignat, whose son was brought before the court of El Aaiun, "carried by criminals", fears that the temporal release of their son is no more than an attempt of the authorities to get rid of their responsibilities "if his state of health is considered".

25 Saharawi political prisoners, at least, went through hospitals in coma or after they lost consciousness during these last 5 weeks of the hunger strike, while one of the prisoners had had a chirurgical operation in his stomach and his family was denied the right to visit him, the association added, deploring that the Moroccan attorney general has tried many time to force the prisoners break their strike, in vain.

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, recently 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.

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", indicated a press release jointly publicised by the 3 organisations last August the 29th, it should be recalled (SPS)

010/090/666/ALG/TRD 161459 sept 05 SPS