SAHARA PRESSE SERVICE

Brussels, 22/09/2005 (SPS) Two Belgian youth organisations “Animo” the Social Progressive Alternative’s youth organisation (SPA) and the Socialists movement’s Youth (MJS) called on Belgian Government to intervene vis-à-vis Moroccan authority for the release of the 37 Saharawi prisoners of opinion, who are in hunger strike for more than 40 days in Moroccan jails, reported a joint press release the two organisations published in Wednesday at Brussels.

“Belgium and Morocco have strong relations. Thus, the two socialist youth organisations demand of our country to pressure Rabat so as to find a way out to this impasse in the actual process ”(…) “ Belgian authority should adopt a clear position regarding human rights respect in the region, and Morocco should release all the Saharawi prisoners of opinion", the press release underlined .

In a letter addressed to the European Union, the two organisations asked for more firmness and to put the respect of human rights as a condition on the European aid to Morocco.

"European union should be more firm. In November, the Union has to evaluate the "Barcelona process", which plans for partnership with 10 Mediterranean countries, including Morocco. Human rights constitute one of the pillars of this collaboration, besides economical and political aspects".

"To Animo and MJS, it is necessary that the European Union (EU) abandons its actual indifference vis-à-vis this situation. Because it is unacceptable that the EU only cares for its economical gain from this partnership and closes the eyes before human rights violations", the text stressed.

On another hand, they recalled that "37 prisoners have started a hunger strike to denounce their detention’s conditions" and that "some of them were transferred for they needed medical care". They underlined that last June; information had already spread regarding "ill-treatment inflicted by Moroccan authorities to demonstrators arrested during riots in Western Sahara and south Morocco".

"These demonstrators claimed for the enforcement of the UN’s resolutions that should normally put an end to a conflict that languished for more than 30 years between Morocco and the original inhabitants of the region", the press release adds.

To the two organisations "Western Sahara, the former Spanish colony, was in fact annexed by Morocco in 1975 in opposition with the International Court of Justice’s verdict that recommended a process of decolonisation based on Saharawi people right to self-determination". (SPS)

SPS
SADR/MOROCCO/OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/PRISONERS

Moroccan Minister of Justice "promotes confusion", according to Mr. Khalil

Chahid El Hafed, 22/09/2005 (SPS) Moroccan Minister of Justice, Mohamed Bouzoubaa, "promotes confusion" regarding the 37 Saharawi political prisoners in hunger strike for more than 40 days so far, declared, Thursday, the Saharawi Minister of the Occupied territories and Diaspora, Khalil Sidi M’Hamed, in his reaction to Mr. Bouzoubaa statements recently publicised by Moroccan newspaper, "Aujourd’hui e Maroc".

"It is obvious that the Moroccan Minister of Justice is promoting confusion, contradicts himself and gives very strange and contradicting statements, aiming at rejecting any possibility of dialogue with the Saharawi political detainees who claim for the end of the Moroccan military and medias siege imposed on the Saharawi territory", Mr. Khalil said.

"Confused within his counter-truths and contradictions, the Moroccan Minister of Justice, Mohamed Bouzoubàa, declared last September the 13th, 2005, that the claims of the Saharawi political prisoners have a political nature before he changes his mind and affirms that they are not detainees of opinion nor political prisoners", the Saharawi diplomat added.

He highlighted the contradictions between the Moroccan Minister of Justice and his Attorney general on the hunger-strikers situation. The two Moroccan officials contradict each other, recognising that Saharawi prisoners are in hunger strike once to deny it the next time. They also contradict the statements made by Moroccan human rights organisations, Amnesty International or the World Organisation Against Torture (WOAT).

"After the clear and unequivocal denial" of the Minister’s "allegations", the Moroccan Organisation for Human Rights confirmed last September the 13th, 2005, "that the political detainee Ali Salem Tamek, like the other Saharawi political detainees, are undertaking a hunger strike under close surveillance. They are deprived of their most fundamental rights. We were surprised by the lies spread by the Moroccan Minister of Justice, publicised in September the 20 in Moroccan newspaper, "Aujourd’hui le Maroc", he added.

To Mr. Khalil, the Moroccan Minister of Justice "goes deep in his lies and tries to make diversion" by asserting that Saharawi political detainee, Ali Salem Tamek, who was in fact abducted last August the 1st in the early morning from the Carcel Negra in El Aaiun, was transferred following "his own desire to the city of Agadir", while the detainee himself, his lawyers, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights and the WOAT say he was transferred against his will.

The Saharawi Minister underlined that the main objective of the Moroccan official is to "make out of abduction and illegal transfer of Saharawi political prisoners, which was brutally organised by Moroccan forces of security, a simple operation of routine undertaken following the political detainees’ request".

Moreover, the Moroccan attempts aiming at accusing Saharawi political detainees of violation of public order "has no basis", taking into consideration that the 37 Saharawi political prisoners in unlimited hunger strike since last August the 8 are imprisoned "because of peaceful demonstrations organised since last May the 21st by the Saharawi population in the main cities of Western Sahara and in the south of Morocco as well", he put.

"Everybody also knows that the slogans chanted during the peaceful demonstrations are of a political nature and claimed for the organisation of a free and democratic referendum for the Saharawi people, the respect of the fundamental freedoms in Western Sahara and the immediate release of the Saharawi political detainees", Mr. Khalil added.

"The arbitrary detention of the Saharawi political detainees, whose only crime is having claimed what the international law and legality guarantee them, obviously is a matter of a clear will and well known political aims and considerations", Khalili said.

He recalled that some Saharawi political detainees "were absent during the peaceful demonstrations of May the 21st, 2005", such as Ali Salem Tamek, who was then in Europe and Mohamed El Moutawakil, who was abducted from his house in Casablanca.

"It is then legitimate to wonder why did the Moroccan Minister of Justice declare that the transfer of the 4 political detainees, who are incarcerated without judgment in the Oukacha Prison, was aimed at enabling them to receive their families’ visits, while the families are living some 1000 km far", he wondered.

According to Mr. Khalil, when the Moroccan Minister of Justice declares that his country does not interfere in decision of other countries’ courts, "that should not authorise his country to perpetrate its numerous crimes against the Saharawi civil population in the occupied territories and in the south of Morocco".

The Moroccan Minister of Justice, who keeps refereeing to law and to fundamental rights, should first of all "urgently enforce these laws in the case of the Saharawi political prisoners who are undertaking an unlimited hunger strike for more than 40 days so far", by releasing them and satisfying their legitimate claims", he concluded. (SPS)

010/090/100/ALG/TRD 221703 sept 05 SPS

SPS
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/INTIFADA/PRISONERS

3 hunger-strikers lose consciousness and 2 new persons abducted by Moroccan authorities in El Aaiun

El Aaiun (occupied territories), 22/09/2005 (SPS) 3 Saharawi political prisoners, in hunger strike, Mrs. Aminetou Haidar, Mr. Hmad Hammad and Mr. Jenhaoui Lekhlifa, lost consciousness for many hours in the Carcel negra (Black Jail in El Aaiun) as a result of the hunger strike that was undertaken by the prisoners more than 40 days ago for claims related to the conditions of their detention and to demand Saharawi people’s right to self-determination.

In September the 20, 2005, at 07.30 GMT, Saharawi human rights activist, Aminetou Haidar, collapsed in "deep coma for over 2 hours because of the terrible conditions of detention and because of the continuous deterioration of her health. She was then transferred to the BelMehdi hospital in El Aaiun", her relatives indicated.

The first medical care she received confirmed "she has serious cardiac problems" that need the intervention of a specialist, the same sources added, stressing that she was returned to her cell in the Carcel negra at about 22.30 GMT, where she is daily submitted "to different kinds of harassment to push her put an end to fasting".

In the same prison, Mr. Hmad Hammad, lost his abilities to move or speak an dis in a serious state of health, "suffering repeated heart crisis that may cause him to death at any moment", according to his family.

On another hand, "serious inflammations in the stomach" were detected in the medical diagnostic of Saharawi political prisoner, Mr. Jenhaoui Lekhlifa, after he was urgently transferred to BelMehdi hospital because he collapsed in coma, in September the 19^th, his family indicated.

"The Penitentiary officials and the doctors tried their best to push him stop his hunger strike in vain, because he maintained demanding the same claims as the other Saharawi political detainees", it was indicated.

On another hand, 2 Saharawis, Mr. Tourki Melainine and his brother-in-law, Zreignat Mohamed Salem, were abducted by a group of Moroccan policemen from the house of the latter in El Aaiun, in Rass El Khaima street, in in the late evening of the 20 of September. The kidnappers ransacked the house and terrorised the wife of Zreignat and his children, it was stressed.

Mr. Melainine, who was forcibly enrolled in the Moroccan army, is a former political prisoner, who was arrested in 2003 after an attempt to join the Polisario Front. He was imprisoned in 4 different prisons, in Morocco, mainly in Sale, Ait Melloul, Souira and Tiznit. He is arrested now because of his participation in the peaceful Saharawi demonstrations that burst since last May the 21st, his family said. (SPS)

010/090/000/ALG/TRD 221620 sept 05 SPS