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SPS Saharawi human rights activists ask for the protection of the Saharawi political prisoners 27.01.06
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El Aaiun (occupied capital of the Saharawi Republic), 27/01/2006 (SPS) Saharawi human rights activists, in the occupied territories of Western Sahara, called on the international community to protect the Saharawi political prisoners from the torture and harassment they are subjected to in Moroccan prisons as well as in the occupied cities of Western Sahara and south o Morocco, indicated a press release publicised by the activists on Thursday.
"The Saharawi political prisoners are submitted to daily harassment and violations of their rights committed by the Moroccan occupation’s administration, which aim at intimidating them and dissuading them from continuing their peaceful struggle for their legitimate and just rights", mainly Saharawi people’s right to freedom and to independence, the press release stressed.
Saharawi activists have, in fact, called on the international community, international organisations and bodies to put pressures on Rabat so as to compel it respect "the human rights in the Western Sahara". They further encourage them "undertaking free and impartial investigations on the flagrant violations of human rights", committed by the Moroccan colonial authorities in the non-self-governing territory since its military invasion by Morocco in 1975.
The text also underlined, as examples, cases of torture, abusive transfer without former notification of prisoners to other prisons and intimidations against Saharawi political prisoners, mainly "Haddi Sid Ahmed El Keinan, Ali El Gaadadi, Sid Ahmed Aalouat", in addition to Mrs. Aminatou Haidar, the emblematic Saharawi human rights activist.
Concerning Mrs. Aminatou, for instance, the text affirmed that she "is subjected to intimidations and harassment against her person, but also against her children, Hayat and Mohamed, who were submitted to interrogatories by the Moroccan police, in flagrant violation of the rights of childhood".
On another hand, the text stressed that the 14 Saharawi political prisoners, who were judged by the Moroccan colonial court in January the 24th 2005, in El Aaiun, "were subjected to acts of vendetta for the courageous political statement they declared to the Moroccan colonial court during the trial".
The colonial authorities had, in fact, proceeded to "the torturing of Saharawi political prisoners Amaidan El Wali and Sid Ahmed El Moussaoui", during their transport from the colonial court of El Aaiun to the Carcel Negra (black Jail) in a police car, the text affirms.
The Saharawi human rights activists, finally, called on the international community to compel Morocco "raise the state of siege imposed on the territory", and "implement the international legality, supporting Saharawi people’s right to self-determination in Western Sahara", describing the situation that prevails in the territory as "dangerous". (SPS)
060/090/000 271303 Jan 06 SPS
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SPS The President of the Republic starts his official visit to Galicia
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Vigo (Galicia), 27/01/2006 (SPS) The President of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, Mr. Mohamed Abelaziz, started a 3 days official visit to Galicia "aimed at strengthening the political and human relations with this North-Eastern region of Spain", indicated on Tuesday a close source from the Saharawi representation in Madrid.
Upon his arrival to Vigo, the President of the Republic was received by the Saharawi community in Galicia, chaired by Polisario Front’s Representative, Fatma Mohamed, as well as the Head of the Galician Protocol in addition to many local political personalities.
The Head of the State was then receive by the Mayor of Vigo, Mrs. Corina Porro, and the representatives of the organisations of solidarity with the Saharawi people in the region, before whom he estimated that "Western Sahara did not recover the full sovereignty over its territory because of a historical error in which Spain participated", which must assume its "historical and moral responsibilities" in this conflict that is still ongoing for more than 30 years, he added.
He underlined that the finishing of "the decolonisation process passes, inevitably, by the organisation of a self-determination referendum for the Saharawi people", conforming to the international legality and to the UN’s Security Council’s pertinent resolutions, he stressed.
This Friday, the Head of the State was received by the President of the Government of the region of Galicia, the socialist Emilio Perez Tourinio, the vice-President, Anxo Quintana, from the Galician Nationalist bloc in addition to the President of the Parliament, Dolores Villarino, with whom he had meetings discussing the last developments of the political and humanitarian situation in Western Sahara, it was added.
In this respect, the President of the Republic recalled that Morocco, which occupies the Western Sahara, illegally, since 1975, "violate the international opposing thus the holding of a self-determination referendum, planed in all UN’s resolutions", what constitutes a real danger for the whole region of the great Maghreb.
On another hand, he denounced the "brutal repression that prevails in the occupied territories, the blockage imposed by Morocco on the territories, into which the access is denied to international press and observers", calling on the Galician civil society to contribute by all means in its disposition to break this blockage.
On his part, Mr. Quintana declared, after the meeting, that the Saharawi people "do only claim their right to self-determination, to the existence as a country and to live in peace", adding that Western Sahara is "a pending question in the Spanish foreign policy" that "can not, he affirmed, escape its responsibilities".
President Abdelaziz will continue his visit on Saturday and Sunday in Galicia by meetings with the local leaders of the local Popular Party and the Unified Left (Isquierda Unida), as well as representatives of trade unions and of the University of Compostella, indicated an official Saharawi source. (SPS)
060/090/000 272340 Jan 06 SPS
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SAHARA
PRESS SERVICE