Nuevas detenciones, torturas y bloqueo policial en el Sáhara Occidental ocupado

LA OPINIÓN | SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE Nuevas detenciones, torturas y bloqueo policial marroquí en la zona próxima al barrio de Maatala, en la capital del Sáhara, El Aaiún, desde el pasado viernes, cuando se produjo una importante concentración popular para recibir al activista de Derechos Humanos y vicepresidente del Comité de Defensa del Derecho a la Autodeterminación del Pueblo del Sáhara Occidental (Codapso), H´mad Hammad, declaró el propio Comité al Servicio de Comunicación Saharaui en Canarias (SCSC). El activista regresaba un año y medio después de abandonar el territorio y tras recuperarse de una operación en la columna vertebral para curar las secuelas de la tortura sufrida a lo largo de su actividad.
Hammad, que llegó al aeropuerto de El Aaiún algo más tarde de las 10:00 de la mañana del viernes, se trasladó desde el aeródromo a casa de sus padres, cerca de Maatala. "Durante el trayecto fuimos seguidos por vehículos policiales camuflados y cuando llegamos al barrio encontramos todas las calles tomadas por policías marroquíes, tanto de uniforme como de paisano", relató el activista. Acompañaban al vicepresidente de Codapso varios observadores españoles, entre los que estaba el presidente del Observatorio de los Derechos Humanos del Colegio de Abogados de Badajoz, José Manuel de la Fuente.
Una vez llegados a casa de los padres de H´mad, numerosos ciudadanos saharauis se congregaban "ondeando banderas de la República Árabe Saharaui Democrática y coreando eslóganes favorables a la independencia" del territorio. Cientos de ellos más "eran bloqueados por los controles policiales marroquíes, muchos detenidos, maltratados y algunos permanecen en paradero desconocido", indican los testigos. Además, "todo el que entra o sale de casa de la familia del activista es detenido e interrogado", denuncian.
Por otro lado, los dos representantes del Comité Contra la Tortura de Dajla que tenían previsto reunirse en la tarde de mañana con la delegación del Parlamento Europeo de visita los territorios ocupados por Marruecos en el Sáhara Occidental, Rachid Sghyar y Hamia Ahmed Musa, "fueron liberados tras sufrir duros interrogatorios y brutalidad" por parte de la policía marroquí.

Fuente:http://www.laopinion.es/secciones/noticia.jsp?pRef=2009020200_7_197371__Internacional-Nuevas-detenciones-torturas-bloqueo-policial-Sahara-Occidental-ocupado

Norwegian Student’s Peace Prize 2009 goes to Rabab Amidane

The Student Peace Prize 2009 is awarded the human rights activist Elkouria “Rabab” Amidane from Western Sahara. Amidane is awarded the Prize for her work for human rights, students’ rights and peace in Western Sahara. Amidane is contributing to inform the world about the discrimination and the violence that the Saharawis are exposed to by the Moroccan government. Even though Amidane uses peaceful means in her fight for human rights, she has been exposed to torture and arrested by the Moroccan police several times. Documenting violation of human rights An important part of Amidane’s work is to document the situation in Western Sahara by taking photos and writing reports for the Saharawi human rights organization CODESA. Amidane publishes a lot of the material on the Internet, such as videos of students being attacked by the police. Publishing the videos have led to anonymous threats towards the Peace Prize laureate. Travelling abroad Amidane travels abroad to tell the rest of the world about the conditions of the Saharawis in Western Sahara. When she visited Norway in 2007, Amidane met the Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, and she asked the Norwegian state to support Western Sahara’s demands for independence. By meeting political leaders and people with a lot of resources, Amidane could make the world recognize the conflict in Western Sahara. In cooperation with Norwegian youth’s political parties and the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara, Amidane has been able to make the present conflict in Western Sahara relevant in Norway. A Contribution to Peace “By giving the Student Peace Prize to Rabab Amidane the conflict is becoming more visible, which is an important contribution to peace in Western Sahara,” claims the member of the Student Peace Prize Committee and former leader of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Ole Danbolt Mjøs. The conflict in Western Sahara has been going on for more than thirty years, but only a few people know about the violation of human rights committed by the Moroccan government. A referendum about Western Sahara’s right of autonomy should have been carried through a long time ago, but nothing has happened yet. “The Student Peace Prize can contribute to carry through the referendum, and to a just peace in Western Sahara,” continues Mjøs. The fight for students’ rights and human rights in general is an important part of the fight for peace. That is why it is important to give the Student Peace Prize to a human rights activist like Rabab Amidane. “There will be no just peace without respect for the human rights”, claims Mjøs. Students are important resources in the fight for a better society and a just world. “With her peaceful methods Rabab is doing a wonderful job for Western Sahara. The Student Peace Prize is going to be an encouragement for Rabab and her future work with human rights and the struggle for a peaceful solution in Western Sahara,” finishes Mjøs. Image: The Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara Siri Mette Fridén sirimef@isfit.org http://www.studentpeaceprize.org/news/article/show/7 Articls on the subject on Norwegian websites : http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/nrk_trondelag/1.6463851 http://www.dagbladet.no/2009/02/04/nyheter/innenriks/vest-sahara/4687169/

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SJJA concerned about the health of Mustapha Abd Diem and supports the campaign for his release

Sahara Japan Journalists’ Association (SJJA) expressed concerns about the health of Mustapha Abd Daiem, Saharawi journalist, human rights activists and prisoner of conscience, and asked for his immediate release. UPES received a letter from the Japanese Association on the subject. Here is the complete text of the letter: --------------------------- 04 February 2009 Mr. Malainin Lakhal Secretary General of the Saharawi Journalists and Writers Union (UPES) Saharawi refugee camps SJJA concerned about the health of Mustapha Abd Diem and supports the campaign for his release Dear Mr. Malainin Lakhal It is with deep concern that Sahara Japan Journalist Association (SJJA) address you this letter to express its anxiousness about the health of Mr. Mustapha Abd Daiem, Saharawi short-stories writer, human rights activist and member of UPES, imprisoned in the Moroccan prison of Ait Melloul. SJJA also assure you of its support to the campaign UPES is undertaking for the release of the imprisoned writer. Mustapha Abd Diaem was arrested last October 2008, in the city of Assa, because he openly supported his compatriots after many Saharawis were oppressed by police in a demonstration, and many houses ransacked and demonstrators beaten and dispersed. He appeared in November the 4th before the Moroccan court in the city of Gulmim, and we understand that he completely and clearly rejected the police report on the basis of which he was incriminated, asserting that it was falsified and changed by police. Incomprehensively, the Moroccan court didn’t take note of his petition and he was sentenced on the basis of these false "evidences", to 3 years imprisonment, about 6200 US dollars and 10 years ban from public employment. SJJA, joins Amnesty International in questioning the fairness of his trial. On their side, the Saharawi journalist and his family undertook a 14 days hunger strike to protest against the injustice Mustapha was victim to. Members of the family, especially his sister Khadija, his nephew and his father lost consciousness many times and all their supporters feared for their lives. UPES, and many Saharawi organisations called on the family to stop the hunger strike so as to enable UPES to campaign for the release of the prisoner without pressures. SJJA highly appreciate the family’s positive response to this call, and would like to assure all the members of Abd Daiem’s family, UPES and Saharawis, its commitment to continue the fight to raise awareness about the issue of all Saharawi prisoners of conscience, about the plight of the Saharawi people and their inalienable rights to self-determination and independence. SJJA, would like to recall that Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa, is on the UN’s list of Non-Self-Governing Territories and that the Saharawi people must be given a chance to freely decide on the future of their territory in accordance with the UN doctrine on decolonization. It is unacceptable to tolerate Morocco’s violations of human rights, widely condemned by international organisations such as AI and Human Rights Watch, and it is time to work together for the implementation of the international law in this part of the world. Yours, Faithfully ITSUKO Hirata SJJA (Sahara-Japan Journalist’s Association

M. Ross entamera prochainement une tournée dans la région, a déclaré Brahim Ghali

Chahid El Hafed, L’ambassadeur de la RASD auprès de l’Algérie, Brahim Ghali a indiqué lundi que le nouvel envoyé personnel du SG de l’ONU au Sahara Occidental, l’ambassadeur américain, Christopher Ross entamera une tournée dans la région la fin de cette semaine, dans une déclaration au quotidien algérien, Sawt al Ahrar, publié sur son site internet.

Le diplomate sahraoui a estimé que "la date et le lieu pour la tenue d’un cinquième round des pourparlers entre le Front Polisario et le Maroc seront définis après les résultats de la tournée de M. Ross".

M. Ghali a affirmé que la direction du Front Polisario n’a pas été informé de la date de la visite du nouvel envoyé personnel du SG de l’ONU au Sahara Occidental dans la région, ajoutant que cette visite "aura lieu en fin de cette semaine ou le début de la semaine prochaine".

Le secrétaire général des Nations unies, M. Ban Ki-Moon avait annoncé, lundi au XIIème sommet de l’Union africaine à Addis-Abeba, que de nouvelles négociations seront relancées "bientôt" entre le Maroc et le Front Polisario.

La nomination de l’ambassadeur américain à ce poste intervient à la suite de l’échec de la tentative marocaine de faire avaliser sa proposition d’autonomie par les Nations unies et du départ de M. Peter Van Walsum dont l’approche a été rejetée par le Secrétaire général de l’ONU et par le Conseil de sécurité, rappelle-t-on.