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SPS "It is impossible to speak about the development of Africa while a member State of its Union is under colonisation" (South African Ambassador) 19.06.05
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(Special envoy)
Pretoria (South Africa), 19/06/2006 (SPS) The South African Foreign Affairs Ministry Director of the North Africa Department, AMB Delarey Van Tonder, adeclared on Sunday evening that "it is impossible to speak about the development of Africa while a member State of its Union is under colonisation", reported SPS Special Envoy to Pretoria.
Offering a dinner in Sheraton Hotel in Pretoria on the honour of Mrs. Aminatou Haidar, Saharawi human rights activist who is undertaking, starting from Sunday, an official visit of mobilisation on the Moroccan human rights violations in the occupied territories of the Western Sahara, the South African Ambassador also reaffirmed, in a toast, that "his country is firm in its support to Saharawi people’s right to self-determination".
"Neither the African Union, within the framework of the NIPAD, nor anyone in Africa can speak about a programme of development in Africa as long as there is a member State in the African Union still under occupation", he said during his discussion with Mrs. Haidar.
On her side, Mrs. Haiodar put the Ambassadeur in the picture of the last development of the situation in the Western Sahara and denounced the degrading situation of the Saharawi people, who are daily living human rights violations in the occupied terrirtoriees of the Western Sahara.
The Saharawi activist, who had lately undertaken a visit to many countries in Europe, including Sweden, Spain, Belgium and Italy, will meet many South African leaders and civil society components within the framework of a campaign of mobilisation and contacts.
Famous human rights ctivist, Mrs. Haidar was tiortured and put in secret detntion camp by the Moroccan authorities in 1987 for 3 years and 7 months for having advocated her people’s right to self-determination and independence, it should be recalled.
She was also arrested last June 2005, tortured in the middle of the street after having participated to a demonstration of protest against the human rights violations in the occupied territories of the Western Sahara, and she was imprisoned for 7 months in the Black Jail of El Aaiun. (SPS)
060/PRT/000/TRD 191638 Jun 06 SPS
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SPS The African National Congress: "We are fully engaged to defend our position in favour of your right to liberation"
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(Special Envoy)
Pretoria (South Africa), 19/06/2006 (SPS) The Head of the South African National Congress Department of International Affairs, Mrs. Mavivi Myakayaka-Mannzini, affirmed the complete engagement of her party "to defend its position in favour of the Saharawi people’s right to liberation", she said on Monday morning during a meeting she had with the Saharawi human rights activist, Mrs, Mme. Aminatou Haidar, at the seat of the Party in Johannesburg,
Adressing Mrs. Haidar, who is undertaking an official visit to South African since Sunday, the South African official underlined that her party "is engaged in defending its principled position in favour of your legitimate right to liberation and independence, especially that we underwent, as you do, the horors of segregation and repression under Apartheid".
On her side Mrs. Aminatou presented to her South African interlocutor her own painful experience under the Moroccan occupation, condemning the systematic violations of all sorts of human rights committed by the Moroccan State.
On another hand, she called the South-African Government to redouble efforts to participate, been an influent country in Africa, so as to protect the Saharawi population, especially the human rights defenders who are subjected to tindimidation, and all sorts of repression committed by Morocco. (SPS)
060/PRT/000 191802 Juin 06 SPS
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SPS Aminatou Haidar received at the South African Foreign Affairs Ministry
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(Special Envoy)
Pretoria (South Africa), 19/06/2006 (SPS) The Saharawi human rights activist and ex-political prisoner, Mrs. Aminatou Haidar, was received on Monday morning at the Union Building (seat of FAM and of the Presidency), by the South African Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Sue Van Der Merwe, within the framework of a campaign of mobilisation and of contacts with South African officials and civil society.
The South African official, who received the Saharawi activist in her bureau after having presented her to South African Medias, reiterated "the principled position of South Africa concerning the Saharawi question, and the Saharawi people’ right to self-determination".
During the meeting between the two parties, Mrs. Haidar exposed her personal experience in the Moroccan secreta detention camps and on the human rights violations she was subjected to.
She also called the South African Government to put pressures on Morocco conform to the UN resolutions and the international legality.
On another hand, the Saharwi activist drew the attention of her interlocutor to the systematic human rights violations committed by the Moroccan State in the occupied territories of the Western Sahara. She exhorted South Africa to pay more efforts for the protection of the Saharawi population against this abuses.
"South Africa can play a key role in the mobilisation of the international public opinion on te question of the suffering of the Saharawi people", Mrs. Haidar affirmed to the Deputy Minister. (SPS)
060/PRT/000 191902 Jun 06 SPS
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SPS The mothers of 15 Saharawi victims of disappearance ask for the truth about their sons
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El Aaiun (occupied territories), 19/06/2006 (SPS) Mothers of 15 young Saharawi reported for more than one year so far, asked the Moroccan authorities, on Saturday in a press release, to reveal all information about their sons, asserting that the latter are in Moroccan custody.
"We call on all international human rights organisation to support us putting pressures on Morocco so as it releases our sons", the text indicated.
The procurer of El Aaiun has recently invited some Saharawi families to compare and identify a dead body that is supposed to be the body of one of the reported missing.
To the Saharawi families, their sons are imprisoned somewhere in Moroccan secret prisons and the colonial authorities, who pretended long ago that the reported missing, were drowned in the sea while they were trying to make it to Spain through the sea. The families consider that Morocco is accountable of anything that may happen to these victims. (SPS)
010/090/110 191751 jun 06 SPS
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SPS ASVVGDHEM Denounces the arrest of Saharawi human rights activists
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El Aaiun (occupied territories), 19/06/2006 (SPS) The Saharawi Association of the victims of the serious human rights committed by the Moroccan State (ASVVGDHEM), denounced on Sunday the arrest of our Saharawi human rights activists, including the Secretary General of the Association, Mr. Brahim Sabbar.
Mr. Sabbar, was arrested on Saturday in El Aaiun by the Moroccan colonial authorities in company of three of his compatriots, Haddi Ahmed Mahmoud, alias: Elkainan, Sbai Ahmed, and Haddi Salah, while they were driving back from the occupied city of Bojador, where they supervised the creation of a new section of the ASVVGDHEM.
Haddi Sidi Mohamed Mahmoud is in a critical state of health, as well as Sbai Ahmed, who was interned in hospital, in coma, because of chronic heart attack, the same press release, publicised by the association on Sunday, of which SPS received a copy.
The four Saharawi activists were ill-treated by the Moroccan forces of repression who are still putting them in custody only because: "their activities in the defence of the human rights in the Western Sahara", the same text added.
The Association also affirmed that this "illegal detention" is another violation of the human rights that are still committed in the occupied territories of the Western Sahara last May 2005, which are added to the "repressive measures" that the Moroccan State keeps adopting against this association.
Another Saharawi was arrested in El Aaiun, mainly Laaroussi Yahdih, who was accompanying the four Saharawi activists, and was released on Saturday morning after having been brutally tortured.
The two others, Hmoudi Hamad and the ex-Saharawi political detainee, Toubali Elhafed, were arrested before in the Boukraa Street, and led to a secret centre of torture, PC CMI, according to the families.
Mr. Brahim Sabbar, had vividly denounced on Friday "the systematic and continuous violations of human rights" perpetrated by the Moroccan Government against the Saharawi civilians, warning about the dangers of a possible "radicalisation" of the Intifada if Rabat persists in its repression.
He was victim to many intimidations and provocations because of these political opinions in favour of the Saharawi people’s right to self-determination. These opinions were publicised last Saturday, in the Moroccan newspaper, "El Bidaoui", affirming that the Moroccan Government is undertaking a real genocide against the Saharawi people since the military invasion of the territory in 1975.
On another hand, the Saharawi political prisoners: Hassan Abdallah in the prison of Ait Melloul (South of Morocco), Dedi Hmada and El Moussaoui Ahmed, in hunger strike, are still suffering from the degradation of their health, according to their families. (SPS)
020/090/110/TRD 191030 Jun 06 SPS
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