Morocco hands down outrageous sentences against Sahrawi activists

11/10/2008 | Political Prisoners

Today the Moroccan first degree court of appeal in Agadir condemned Mr. Yahya Mohamed Elhafed IAAZA to fifteen years of imprisonment and Mr. Omar Lefki to one year suspended.

Mr. Mohamed Salmi, Mr. Elmojahi Mayara, Mr. Mahmoud Elberkawi, Mr. Lehsen Lefkir, Mr. Najem Bouba et Mr. Salama Charafi were sentenced to four years in prison.

We recall that these eight political prisoners were arrested on the basis of events that took place in Tan-Tan (southern Morocco). All eight political prisoners have claim they were tortured during interrogation and some of them have claimed to be victims of sexual abuse.

Additionally, four Sahrawi political prisoners in the black prison in El-Ayoune announced today their decision to begin an unlimited hunger strike to claim their legitimate rights, including the right to visit and medical care, and also to denounce the inhuman conditions of their detention. This hunger strike starts today and the four political prisoners strikers are: Mr. Bachri Ben Taleb, Mr. Lehbib Elgasmi, Mr. Ahmeidat Ahmed Salem et Mr. Deida Abdessalam.