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SPS 19.06.05
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Berlin, 19/06/2005 (SPS) "Critical Ecology" and the German Committee of
the friends of the Saharawi people deplored the silence regarding the
desertification of Western Sahara, calling to the adherence of this
country to the UN’s convention for the struggle against desertification
of 1996 (UNCAD).
In a joint press releases issued on the occasion of the international
day of the struggle against desertification, the two German
associations noted that "the negative role of Morocco in the
environmental destruction is still occulted", estimating that "the
implantation by new settlers of modern agricultural exploitations
damage the precious phreatic groundwater, destroy the indigenous nomad
agriculture and opens the path to desertification".
Morocco is leading a systematic plundering of the Western Sahara
offshore, and will possibly provoke a real ecological disaster. The
sand of dunes, which represents the beauty of the Saharawi beaches all
along 1500 km, is exported in thousands tons to Moroccan tourist’s
centres and abroad.
The over exploitation of fishing resources of the non-self-governing
territory makes some species of fishes threatened of extinction because
of the disrespect of the biological rest and the utilisations of
forbidden means of fishing, it should be recalled.
Many species, such as gazelles, bustards, fennecs and reptiles almost
disappeared been the main source of meat for the 200.000 Moroccan
soldiers positioned in the Moroccan wall of shame, which is more than
2000 km long and which divides the Saharawi territory in two parts.
The few trees of acacias in the few Saharawi oasis were cut to serve as
support to barbed wires that protect the Moroccan military wall, while
the few wells here and there were either destroyed or poisoned by the
Moroccan forces who adopts for years the policy of the scorched earth.
(SPS)
010/090/666/TRD 190908 June 05 SPS
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SPS
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El Aaiun (occupied territories),
19/06/2005 (SPS) Moroccan authorities expulsed this Sunday another
Spanish political delegation from Asturias. The delegation was planning
to visit the occupied capital of Western Sahara to investigate on the
situation of the Saharawi population, which is submitted by Moroccan
forces to fiercest repression since the 21st of May.
Composed of 14 persons, the delegation was received by police agents
who stopped the members of the delegation from getting out of the
plane. Meanwhile a false demonstration was organised in the airport by
Moroccan authorities and composed of "agents, wearing Saharawi
traditional clothes, who tried to attack the plane, pretending to be
protesting against the Spanish presence", indicated SPS’s correspondent
on the ground.
In this respect, the President of the Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, has
unveiled information affirming that "Moroccan authorities purchased
thousands of Saharawi traditional clothes, for men and women, to
distribute them on their administration and military agents so as to
organise pro-Moroccan demonstrations".
This is the third delegation Moroccan authorities expels from El Aaiun
Airport in less than fifteen days. "It seems that they have something
to hide", a local official from Madrid said, who was one of the members
of the delegation.
A second delegation composed of Catalonian Parliament members basically
was expelled to Canary Islands last June the 8, the members of the
delegation were not allowed to get off their plane.
Since the 21st of May, violent confrontations between Moroccan forces
of repression and Saharawi people, who were claiming for the respect of
human rights and their rights to self-determination and independence.
The confrontations resulted in dozens injured people, prisoners and
disappeared in El Aaiun, Smara, Boujador, Dajla (Western Sahara) or in
Rabat, Marrakech, Agadir, Casablanca (Morocco), it should be
recalled. (SPS)
060/090/000 192117 June 05 SPS
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SPS
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El
Aaiun (occupied capital), 19/06/2005 (SPS) Moroccan authorities
proceeded Sunday morning to the expulsion of the family of Saharawi
political prisoner, Mrs. Aminatu Haidar, out of their familial house,
reported SPS’s correspondent on the ground.
"Following orders of the bloodthirsty torturer, Ichi Abouhassan, agents
of Moroccan police forced the mother and two kids of the political
prisoner to leave their house. The pretext advanced was that possible
demonstration may be organised in front of the house by sympathisers",
with the prisoner, indicated the same source.
"Ichi Abouhassan, it should be recalled, is the torturer accountable
for many crimes of human rights violations in Western Sahara. He has
personally beaten Mrs. Aminatu Haidar and other Saharawi human rights
activists", he underlines.
Saharawi political prisoner and human rights activist, Mrs. Aminatu
Haidar, was arrested last Friday in the hospital Hassan Bel Mehdi in El
Aaiun, after having been brutally beaten in the same afternoon by the
Moroccan authorities during a peaceful demonstration in the Avenue of
Smara, around 17.00 GMT.
"Seriously injured, the victim was transported to hospital. Forbidden
from the visit of her family or activists, she had 14 stitches in her
head and many other wounds", indicated the same source, adding that she
also "underwent interrogatory in a critical state of health, and was
deprived of taking a bath or food for more than 24 hours, to daunt
her", he said. (SPS)
060/090/000 192310 June 05 SPS
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SPS
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El Aaiun (occupied capital),
19/06/2005 (SPS) Moroccan authorities proceeded to a set of harassment
and flagrant violations against Saharawi human rights activists in an
attempt top intimidate them, indicated SPS’s correspondent in the
occupied city of El Aaiun.
Saharawi political prisoner and human rights activist, Mrs. Aminatu
Haidar, was arrested last Friday in the hospital Hassan Bel Mehdi in El
Aaiun, after having been brutally beaten in the same afternoon by the
Moroccan authorities during a peaceful demonstration in the Avenue of
Smara, around 17.00 GMT.
The same evening to the early Saturdy morning, 4 other Saharawi
activists were completely stamped over by agents. The victims are: Mr.
Lidri Elhoussine, Mrs. Fatma Ayach, Mr. Hmad Hammad and Mr. El Hussein
Mouthiq, while two other citizens, Mrs. El Ghalia Sbaai and Mr. Nah
Tarek were brutally tortured in the open by agents of the Group of
Urban Security (GUS).
Next day, Saturday 18 June, Moroccan colonial forces arrested Saharawi
human rights activists, Mr. Abderrahman Bougarfa, 53 years, as well as
two members of the Committee for the Protection of the prisoners of the
Carcel Negra, Moussamih Baba and Karroum Hamdi.
On another hand, the President of the same Committee, Mr. Bazeid Salek,
as well as the activists: Hmad Hammad, Moussaoui Ahmed and Sbaai Ahmed,
were victims to an attempt of illegal arrest Their families had had the
right to impressive visits by Moroccan agents, who insulted and
intimidated them.
On another hand, the seat of the Saharawi Association of the Victims of
the serious human rights violations committed by the Moroccan (ASVDH)
was attacked by Moroccan agents. They confiscated the archive of the
association, the same source reported.
The houses of the activists are all under close surveillance. Each
house has got the right to a GUS car full of agents. A new act of
intimidation or an introduction to new arrests to happen this night? We
are not impressed by this or that", declared a Saharawi human rights
activist last Friday to SPS. (SPS)
060/090/000 192330 June 05 SPS
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SAHARA
PRESS SERVICE