SPS
OCCUPIED
TERRITORIES/INTIFADA/TRIALS
Confirmation of the 5 years imprisonment to Mr. Bougarfa and
postponement of the judgment of his compatriots
22.07.05
El Aaiun (occupied territories),
22/07/2005 (SPS) Moroccan colonial court in El Aaiun confirmed the
sentence of 5 years imprisonment against Mr. Abdarrahmane Bougarfa and
postponed to next July the 28 the appeal of the other 4 Saharawis: Mr.
Hama Chrayeh, Mr. Chiyahou Brahim condemned to 3 years imprisonment
last June the 23, and Mr. Azli Abdarrahmane and Mr. Mohamed Salem
Salami sentenced 2 years during the same trial last June. The political
detainees’ only crime is having participated to peaceful demonstrations
during the uprising of the Saharawi population (Intifada of
Independence) last May the 21st.
A French journalist, "Charlie Hebdo" magazine, was forbidden by the
Attorney General of the King from attending the trials, which took
place without the presence of the families of the victims under a wide
deployment of security forces, reported observers.
The popular neighbourhoods of El Aaiun such as ‘Mattalla’, are still
completely sealed by the police, gendarmerie, auxiliary forces and the
Group of Urban Security (GUS), who installed posts of surveillance in
front of the houses of Saharawi activist. Military and police patrol in
the city, especially in the neighbourhoods of Zemla and other popular
neighbourhoods forbidding to the people even to walk in groups of more
than 3 persons.
On another hand, more GUS agents were dispatched to Western Sahara’s
capital twice. The first in buses and the second, last July the 18, in
20 military vehicles, which patrolled in the city weapons in hands and
making big noise with their cars, to intimidate the population, eye
witnesses indicated. (SPS)
SPS
OCCUPIED
TERRITORIES/SPIN/PARLIAMENT’S VISIT
The Unified Left will boycott the Moroccan supervised visit to the
occupied territories (Llamazares)
Madrid, 22/07/2005 (SPS) The Unified
Left (Izquierda Unida- IU- in Spanish) will boycott a Moroccan
supervised visit to the occupied territories to Western Sahara, that
the Spanish Parliament tries to organise since more than a month to
investigate on the human rights’ situation in Western Sahara after the
confrontations that occurred since last May the 21st, between Saharawis
and Moroccan colonial forces.
In a statement reported by Spanish press agency, Europa Press, the
general Coordinator of the IU, President of the parliamentary group of
the IU-ICV, Gaspar Llamazares, indicated, according to information he
said he has, that Moroccan Government "does not accept the conditions
presented by the Committee for Foreign Affairs of the (Spanish)
Congress so as a delegation from this chamber undertakes a visit to
Western Sahara".
In the absence of these conditions (contacts with Saharawis’
representatives, with the UN’s Mission in the territory "MINURSO", as
well as NGOs and human rights’ activists), Mr .Llamazares declared that
his party "will not participate to this visit if it is to happen at
all".
Last Tuesday, the bureau and the spokespersons of the Committee for
Foreign Affairs of the (Spanish) Congress demanded that the delegation
has complete "freedom of movement" in the territory as well as
guarantees that it can decide on its own agenda and interlocutors.
Mr. Llamazares denounced the attitude of the Moroccan authorities who
are blocking the organisation by the Spanish Congress of a "balanced"
delegation that would enable the contact with all the parties, the same
source added.
"Morocco does not authorise the Parliamentarians to visit the Black
Jail of El Aaiun (Carcel Negra) or to meet with representatives of the
Saharawi people, estimating that the authorities of occupation want to
organise a visit in which only the Moroccan point of view is to be
listened too", he regretted.(SPS)
SPS
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/INTIFADA
Demonstrations in El Aaiun again
El Aaiun (occupied territories)
,22/07/2005 (SPS) A peaceful demonstration took place, Thursday evening
at 19:30 GMT, in front of the station of the Moroccan colonial police
in ‘Kharatoria’ neighbourhood, where three Saharawi activists, Noumria
Brahim, Laarbi Massoud and Lidri Houcine, are detained, reported SPS’s
correspondent on the ground.
The demonstrations claimed for the immediate and unconditional release
the detained Saharawi activists and others detained in the Carcel Negra
such as Aminetou Haidar, Ali Salem Tamek and other of their compatriots.
Demonstrators chanted slogans calling for the respect of human rights
in Western Sahara and the organisation of a self-determination
referendum.
Few time later, the demonstrators were dispersed violently by Moroccan
police of intervention, the same source added.
More than 300 soldiers of the Group of Urban Security (GUS) are
patrolling the city in cars and organising marches in the avenue of
Smara, the main street of the El Aaiun, to intimidate the population,
the same source said. (SPS)
SAHARA
PRESS SERVICE