SAHARA PRESSE SERVICE

Tan Tan, 25/09/04 (SPS) Mrs. M'hayjeba Aaleoua, the wife of the Saharawi citizen, Yahya Mohamed El Hafed, alias AZZA, launched an urgent appeal to Amnesty International, calling it to intervene near Moroccan authorities to release her husband who was recently imprisoned without trial in Galat ben Sergaw (Agadir), indicated a communiqué she addressed Thursday to the international organisation.

After giving a brief summary about the circumstances of the illegal arrest of her husband, Mrs. M'hayjeba, mother to two children living in Tan Tan, called Amnesty International to "intervene near Moroccan authorities so as they give information about the fate of my husband and release him without restrictions or conditions".

On its part, the family of the victim had sent many appeals and protests "concerning the illegal arrest perpetrated by the Moroccan Royal gendarmerie, in September the 16, against Mr. Yahya Mohamed El Hafed".

Saharawi activists, on another hand, "had started an international campaign to counter the increase and degeneration of human rights' violations perpetrated against Saharawi citizens by Moroccan authorities in occupied territories and in south Morocco", indicated a close source to the Ministry of Occupied Territories and Communities.

Born in 1965 in Tan Tan, married and father to two children, the victim was recruited against his will by Moroccan armed forces in 1987 before been demobilised two years ago, it was indicated.

The kidnappers had arrested the victim and confiscated his vehicle leaving his blind and handicapped father to his fate in Agadir, without any apparent chance to get back to his house in Tan Tan or to provide himself with the natural needs for two days. (SPS)

060/090/000 250820 SEPT 04 SPS

SPS
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/HUMAN RIGHTS
The BIRDHSO calls to the protection of Human Rights’ activists in Western Sahara

Geneva, 25/09/2004 (SPS) The International Bureau for the Respect of Human Rights in Western Sahara (BIRDHSO) called human rights' defenders world wide to intervene near the Special Representative for the defence of Human Rights Activists, in order to compel Moroccan authorities put an end to human rights violations in occupied territories in Western Sahara.

In a communiqué recently publicised SPS received, the BIRDHSO also called all persons concerned with democracy and freedom to back this initiative aiming at "putting an end to all the intimidations, harassments, arbitrary deportations and illegal dismissing" perpetrated against Saharawi human rights activists.

On another hand, the international Bureau asked Moroccan authorities of occupation to "guarantee the freedom of movement to all Saharawi human rights' activists by giving them their confiscated passports back immediately and giving new passports to those whop do not have one", especially "Ali Salem Tamek, the political prisoner, who was released last January and whose state of health (affected by the numerous hunger strikes he undertook) needs medical care abroad", underlined the text.

The BIRDHSO, whose seat in Geneva, demanded from Moroccan authorities "to authorise without restriction human rights' organisations to visit the zone and meet with the Saharawi activists", and to see the humanitarian situation of the Saharawi population in occupied territories of Western Sahara on the ground, added the communiqué.

Further the text called the UN's Special Representative for the defence of Human Rights Activists, Mrs. Halima Jilani, to personally visit the occupied zones of Western Sahara to investigate on "the worrying information talking about Human Rights violations perpetrated by Moroccan authorities against the population of the territory". (SPS)

020/090/000/TRD 251255 SEPT 04 SPS

SPS
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES/INTIFADA/ANNIVERSARY
Commemoration of the Intifadha of September in Assa

Assa (south Morocco), 25/09/2004 (SPS) An important demonstration took place Friday afternoon in Assa to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the Intifadha of "D'Cheira Place", which was bloodily oppressed by Moroccan authorities in September 1999 in the main Saharawi cities and in South Morocco where the majority of the population are Saharawis, indicated SPS correspondent on the ground.

Estimated to 3000 person by the organisers, the demonstrators chanted slogans against the colonial occupation to their country demanding from Moroccan authorities of occupation to release Saharawi political detainees and to account for the disappeared, while Moroccan military and paramilitary forces were their ready to oppress them again.

It should be recalled that during the intifadha of September 1999, hundreds of sahrawis, mainly composed of students, unemployed graduates, workers, women, and of handicapped people, had organised a sit-in gathering in six tents they built up in front of the seat of the Moroccan administration and opposite "Negjir Hotel", the residence of the members of the MINURSO in El Aaiun, located in the avenue of Mecque, to protest against Moroccan policy of obstruction to the UN settlement plan for Western Sahara and against colonial repressive policies Rabat is adopting against the Saharawi population.

This peaceful demonstration was repressed in blood, in September the 23rd, 1999, by the Royal Gendarmerie, the police forces and the auxiliary mobile forces, under the direct commandment of the negatively famous Moroccan ex-minister of Interior Driss Basri, Rabat sent at haste to control the situation. (SPS)

010/090/100/TRD 251840 SEPT 04 SPS