SAHARA PRESSE SERVICE

Algiers, 19/09/2005, (SPS) The authorities of the Municipalities of Algiers, represented by its President, Tayeb Zituni, and representatives of Algerian NGOs, expressed their solidarity with the Saharawi people and their support to their cause, during a ceremony of delivery of aid to Saharawi refugee children of the Wilaya of El Aaiun (refugee camp), with the presence of SADR’s Ambassador in Algiers, Yeslem Beissat, and the President of the Algerian Committee of support to Saharawi people (CNASPS), Mehrez El Aamari.

Held Sunday in the "Cité des sciences" (Théâtre de verdure- Algiers), the ceremony, which intervenes within the framework of the twinning between the Municipality of Algiers with El Aaiun’s (SADR), was also an opportunity for the Mayor of Algiers and the President of the CNASPS, to express their solidarity, and Algerian civil society’s support to Saharawi people, especially to "Saharawi political prisoners in hunger strike for the 40th day so far", Mr. Zeituni underlined.

After having thanked "the Algerian people, civil society and authorities for the indefectible support to Saharawi people and Saharawi fair cause", Saharawi Ambassador informed the Algerian public opinion on the seriousness of the stat of health of the Saharawi political prisoners in hunger strike since last August the 8. He said that the Moroccan authorities, and the King of Morocco in person, assume the total responsibility about what my happen to the prisoners in hunger strike.

Mr. El Ammari, on his side, expressed his condemnation to the attitude of Morocco, declaring that the Intifada of the Saharawi population in the occupied territories of Western Sahara unveiled the real colonial face of Morocco.

An exhibition of pictures of the victims of the Moroccan authorities and photos of Saharawi peceful demonstrators besides pictures of the prisoners in the Carcel Negra (Blak Jail) in El Aaiun was organised on the margin of the ceremony. (SPS)

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SADR/ALGERIA/PRISONERS/CONFERENCE
Saharawi Ambassador to Algiers: "Mohamed VI assumes the responsibility of Saharawi political prisoners’ situation"

Algiers, 19/09/2005, (SPS) Saharawi Ambassador to Algiers, Mohamed Yeslem Beissat, said that the "king of Morocco, Mohamed VI, his Government and some international powers that support him", assume full responsibility about the death that threatens Saharawi political prisoners, in hunger strike since last August the 8, and about the deadlock in the peace process, declared Mr. Beissat during a press conference he held Monday in Saharawi Embassy in Algiers.

Held on the occasion of the 40th day of the hunger strike of Saharawi political prisoners, the conference "intervenes to recall the international community that the Saharawi party assumed its responsibility as usual and is informing the whole world about the seriousness of the situation", Mr. Yeslem Beissat indicated. He "sends an alert signal anew", declaring that the king of Morocco "the main responsible of all the possible repercussions and consequences that may result from this situation.

"We informed the UN, represented in the person of its Secretary General, more than 5 times. We warned international organisations, the supreme authorities of the main powers, heads of States, Parliaments an the international public opinion so as all of them assume their responsibilities and so as nobody would pretend in the future of not having being informed about the crimes perpetrated by Morocco against the Saharawi people and against their most fundamental rights", he underlined.

Moroccan intransigence, "is not new", the Saharawi diplomat deplored, underlining that the Moroccan refusal to respect its international engagements in the peace process for the decolonisation of Western Sahara, and its current refusal to respect the human rights of the Saharawi population in the occupied territories should in no case benefit of international impunity and compassion of some international powers.

"Morocco does not want peace. It rejected all peaceful solutions to resolve the problem. It violated all imaginable rights of Saharawi people, it imprisons peaceful demonstrators without judgement and even without relevant accusations. Saharawi human rights activist, Aminatou Haidar, for instance was arrested for having participated in a peaceful demonstration. She was tortured and put in prison since last June without a judgment and without any accusation. Thus, how long will the international community tolerate these crimes", he wondered. (SPS)

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Saharawi Ambassador to Algiers criticises the UN’s silence in front of Moroccan human rights’ violations in Western Sahara

Alger, 19/09/2005, (SPS) Saharawi Ambassador to Algiers, Mohamed Yeslem Beissat, called the international community, Monday, "to assume its responsibilities in the decolonisation of Western Sahara", criticising the passivity of the UN in front of Moroccan human rights’ violations in "a non-self-governing territory that is under the international organisation’s authority".

"The international community, all Governments and the international public opinion can not, and should not, remain inert" in front of this will to destroy peace in the region, he said during a press conference he held Monday in Saharawi Embassy in Algiers.

"The intransigence of Morocco and its refusal to respect international legality and cooperate with the international community for the decolonisation of the territory does not only affect Saharawi people. It destroys the peoples of the Maghreb’s dream of building their union. It destroys the European countries’ need of a partnership with a strong and stable region. And worst, it affects the credibility of the UN", declared Mr. Beissat.

In this respect, Beissat criticised the passivity and "complicity in a certain point" of the UN’s mission on the ground, "which remains inert in front of flagrant violations, perpetrated before its eyes by Moroccan authorities in the occupied territories of Western Sahara against a peaceful population", the Saharawi Ambassador deplored.

"The occupied territories of Western Sahara are under the effective authorities of the UN, he recalled. For this, we can not understand how the UN can tolerate such human rights violations without any reaction. After all, we did absolutely not heard about any reaction from Mr. Kofi Annan, or any other UN’s official", Mr. Beissat said. (SPS)

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A demonstration suppressed and new Saharawi human rights activists arrested in the occupied city of Dakhla

Dakhla (Rio de Oro- occupied territories), 19/09/2005 (SPS) 3 Saharawi human rights activists abducted, 4 arrested and persecuted before being released and others still by the police, according to the last news from the occupied city of Dakhla, which was the theatre on Monday to confrontations between Saharawi peaceful demonstrators and Moroccan colonial forces who intervened brutally to stop them from gathering in a sit-in of solidarity with the Saharawi political prisoners, indicated eye witnesses.

"The 3 activists were abducted by the Moroccan forces of repression are, Oulad Cheij El Mahjoub Abaid, Ahl Takrour Mustafa and Ahmed Zein Meska, while El Wali Hassana, Bahi Ahmed, El Khatat Ahmed and Machnan Mohamed were arrested, brutalised by the forces of repression under the orders of the police officer and famous torturer, Hreiz El Aarbi, before being released", indicated one of the sources.

Other Saharawi activists are still pursued by Moroccan authorities, who are "apparently looking for them because of their activities in favour of the defence of human rights in the occupied territories of Western Sahara", it was indicated.

The Saharawi demonstrators in the city of Dakhla were programming this sit-in to protest against the indifference of the Moroccan authority in front of the tragedy lived by Saharawi human rights activists, in hunger strike since last August the 8, and to express their indignations and chock after the publication of "unspeakable pictures that shows, with no needs of comments, the cruelty of the Moroccan colonial system and the inhuman conditions in which Saharawi prisoners are living in the Carcel Negra (Black jail) in El Aaiun", the same source added. (SPS)

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A Saharawi demonstration in the south of Morocco to claim for the release of Saharawi political prisoners

Fask (Goulmine- south Morocco), 19/09/2005 (SPS) Saharawi citizens in Fask organised, Monday from 09.00 to 11.00 GMT, a peaceful demonstration of solidarity with the Saharawi political prisoners, in hunger strike in Moroccan prisons for more than 40 days so far, claiming for their immediate and unconditional release, reported concordant sources.

Demonstrators gathered in front of the seat of the community of Fask, raising placards calling for the release of Saharawi political prisoners, especially Mrs. Aminatou Haidar and Ali Salem Tamek.

Chanting slogans calling against the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara such as: "the only alternative is self-determination" and calling for the independence of Western Sahara, the demonstrators improvised then a sit-in, in which some demonstrators gave speeches to condemn the state of siege that is imposed on their compatriots in the occupied cities of Western Sahara, it was indicated.

After the community of Asrir (15 km south Goulmine), the community of Fask, in which a wide Saharawi society is living, joins that way the wide movement of solidarity with the Saharawi prisoners and the Intifada of independence. (SPS)

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