Trial of the Sahrawi students in Marrakech postponed

02/08/2007 | Newsletter

El-Ayoune – Western Sahara

The Court of Appeal in Marrakech deferred the trial of the Sahrawi students to August 9, 2007. The Sahrawi students, arrestd on May 9, 2007, at the university campus of Marrakech and imprisoned in the local prison of the same city, had been condemned, on Friday May 25, 2007, by the court of first authority. The latter pronounced heavy and unjust sentences against these students. Thus, the court decided to condemn:

Miss. Sultana KHAYA (picture), pupil at the American arts centre, on conditional release with serious eye injury: eight months prison
Mr. Abdelfatah ELYADASSIA, studying in 2nd year social sciences, Case N° 88351: one year prison
Mr. Embeirik DAH, pupil in 6th year sciences, Case N° 88355: one year prison
Mr. Mohamed ELARBAWI, Case N° 88353: one year prison
Mr. Hassan FATEH, studying in 1st year Law, Case N° 88356
Mr. Rachid BENOU, studying in 1st year Law, Case N° 88354: one year prison
Mr. Mahmoud ELQUEITI, students in 1st year Law, Case N° 88352: one year prison

These students rejected all the charges and confirmed that they were arrested at the time of a peaceful sit-in which they had organized to support the Sahrawi students in Agadir who had been savagely repressed by the Moroccan security forces. They also reiterated their unconditional support for the inalienable right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination.

We point out that the Lawyer Said OULZAZ and the Italian Judge Nicola QUATRANO attended this trial just as Sidi Mohamed DADACH, president of the Sahrawi Committee for the Support for Self-determination in the Western Sahara, Brahim DAHANE, president of ASVDH, and Sid Ahmed LEMJEYID, president of the Sahrawi Committee for the Support for the U.N. Plan of Resolution and for Protection of the Natural Resources in Western Sahara.