SAHARA PRESS SERVICE

Aaiun, 28/02/2004 (SPS) The General Union of the Workers of Saguiya El Hamra y Rio de Oro (UGTSARIO- in Spanish), denounced the decision recently adopted by the Moroccan Confederation of Work (CDT) against Saharawi human rights activist, Ali Salem Tamek, considering that this ''racial'' act encourages Moroccan government "to adopt more serious positions that can represent a threat to this Saharawi activist own life''.

In a communiqué published on Friday, the UGTSARIO expressed its preoccupation about the "wide and irresponsible campaign led by Moroccan institutions and mass media", and denounced this "irresponsible and arbitrary" position of the Moroccan main syndical organisation.

It also called all syndical organisations around the world to intervene near human rights' international organisations so as to protect human rights activists in Western Sahara, especially Ali Salem Tamek who is "objected to a wide antidemocratic and racial campaign" in order to "guarantee, him, his human, personal and syndical rights, conforming to the relevant international conventions ".

It should be recalled that Mr. Tamek had been condemned to two years imprisonment and 10.000 dirham, last August 2002 by Agadir's court. The Forum Truth and Justice's activist was accused then of membership to Polisario.

Ali Salem Tamek was released last January the 7th from Agadir's prison as a result to a wide international campaign, and after having spent a year and six months under detention. (SPS)

020/090/300/TRD 281233 Feb 04 SPS

SPS
SADR/SWITZERLAND
Mr. Khalil denounces violations of human rights in Western Sahara to UN's officials

Geneva, 28/02/2004 (SPS) Occupied Territories' Minister, Khalil Sidi M'Hamed, denounced human rights violations in Western Sahara in Geneva, calling human rights' organisations to manage to allow human rights' activists, in occupied territories, to leave the territory to testify before of UN Commission's 60th session for Human Rights.
 
In this respect, the minister met, last Thursday, with Mr. Eric Sottas, Directeur Of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), Mr. Hediger, Mayor of Geneva, Mr. Jacob Kellenberger, President of the ICRC and Sweden ambassador to the UN's office in Geneva, Mr. Joaquim Perez-Villanueva Jovar, ambassador and Spanish permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, and Norway's ambassador who invited him to a work lunch.

The main subjects of these meetings were the peace plan by the light of the current developments, especially Moroccan obstacles in front of its implementation and the continuance of human rights violations in occupied territories.

The minister handed over an open letter, to his interlocutors, tackling the restrictions imposed on Saharawi human rights activists, who were deprived, by Moroccan authorities, from participating to the last session of the Commission for human rights as well as the current session which will take place few days after.

The minister's interlocutors promised to hand these complaints over to their governments and to pay all possible efforts to allow the 13 members of Saharawi prisoners and disappeareds' families -denied the right to travel outside Moroccan territory since 2003- to testify in front of the 60th session of the Commission for Human Rights.

On another hand, the minister chaired a reception, on Friday in Geneva, on the occasion of the commemorating ceremony of the 28th anniversary of the proclamation of the SADR, to which some accredited ambassador to Geneva, the representative of the African Union, many NGOs and journalists took part. (SPS)

010/SRT/000/TRD 281140 Feb 04 SPS