International Jurists for East Timor admonish Morocco for recent repression of Western Saharan activists
14/11/2009 | Solidarity-Support
The International Platform of Jurists for East Timor (IPJET) wishes to convey its concern about the very critical situation taking place in the territory of Western Sahara, object of a conflict that shares remarkable similarities with that of East Timor, now an independent state. For more than 34 years the government of Morocco has denied the Sahrawis their right to self-determination. Now it is clear that Rabat is losing its infamous war. Similarly to many colonialist regimes the Moroccan authorities are aware of their defeat and intensify the repression in the occupied territory. We urge the United Nations to intervene actively to stop that repression.
The Moroccan regime is losing the war on many fronts. Rabat planned to win the hearts and minds of the new generation of Sahrawis, those who did not witness the invasion and the subsequent massacres. This proved to be wrong. The Sahrawi intifada in the occupied territory and the demonstrations of Sahrawi students in Marrakech, Agadir and other places show that the Sahrawi youth is willing to fight for freedom. They refuse to be Moroccan, including those who are being educated in Morocco. The Moroccan colonialists did not learn the lessons of Ho Chi Minh, Amílcar Cabral or Agostinho Neto. But the young Sahrawis did, and that is why they will win in the end.
The Moroccan regime is also losing the war on Western Sahara at home. For years, due to the censorship of the media, king Hassan II managed to keep its own citizens ignorant about the real situation in the occupied territory. The tables turned after Mohammed VI, Hassan’s successor, pretended to distance himself from his father’s oppressive rule. Moroccan journalists (like Ali Lmrabet, Aboubakr Jamai and Fahd al-Iraqi) and organizations (like the political party Via Democratica) started publicly questioning the occupation of Western Sahara. Again, a new wave of repression was the government’s reaction: journalists are being hit with lawsuits, high fines and jail sentences, newspapers were shut down.
Finally, the Moroccan dictatorship is also losing the war on the diplomatic front. That was already clear in Africa and Latin America, but now it is also happening in the United States and in Europe. Diplomatic sources in the United States confirmed that the Barack Obama administration no longer supported the Moroccan autonomy plan. A few days ago, the Swedish Social Democratic Party demanded recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. In these last months several important prizes were awarded to Saharawi human rights defenders by American and European institutions: the Civil Courage Prize 2009 and the 2008 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award to Aminatou Haidar, the Norwegian 2009 Student Peace Prize to Rabab Amidane, the Swedish Government’s Per Anger 2009 award to Brahim Dahane. The Moroccan administration realizes its failure, and thus increases the repression against the Sahrawis. In recent months, detentions, savage beatings, torture and unfair trials have occurred in Western Sahara and in Morocco.
IPJET is now much concerned with the fate of seven Sahrawi human rights activists who were arrested on 8 October at the Mohamed V airport in Casablanca upon their return from a visit to the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria:
L to R: Brahim Dahanne, Dagje Lachgar, Ali Salem Tamek, Ahmed Nassiri, Saleh Labihi, Rachid Sghaer, Yahdih Ettarouzi
Ali Salem Tamek, vice president of the Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA);
Brahim Dahane, president of the Sahrawi Association of Victims of Serious Violations Committed by Morocco (ASVDH), just awarded with the Per Anger Prize;
Dagja Lachgar, member of the executive office of ASVDH;
Ahmad Anasiri, general secretary of the Sahrawi Committee for the Defence of Human Rights in Smara and president of AMDH Smara Chapter;
Yahdih Ettarrouzi, member of AMDH;
Saleh Lebayhi, president of the Forum for Protection of Sahrawi Children;
Rachid Sghayar, member of Committee Action against Torture.
They were first taken to an unknown location. In contravention of their own law, the Moroccan authorities only informed the families of the detainees about the arrest four days later. Also in contravention of Moroccan law, they were denied legal assistance for many days. The seven activists are apparently accused of threatening national security and of making hostile statements against the Moroccan government. Last but not the least, they will face, not a civil, but a military court, which can impose harsh sentences on them, including the death penalty.
We appeal to the UN Secretary-General, the US Government and the EU States to intervene and exercise their influence in order to obtain the immediate and unconditional release of these seven human rights defenders.
Shambhu Chopra, President of IPJET, Allahabad, India
Pedro Pinto Leite, Secretary-general, Leiden, the Netherlands
The International Platform of Jurists for East Timor (IPJET) wishes to convey its concern about the very critical situation taking place in the territory of Western Sahara, object of a conflict that shares remarkable similarities with that of East Timor, now an independent state. For more than 34 years the government of Morocco has denied the Sahrawis their right to self-determination. Now it is clear that Rabat is losing its infamous war. Similarly to many colonialist regimes the Moroccan authorities are aware of their defeat and intensify the repression in the occupied territory. We urge the United Nations to intervene actively to stop that repression.
The Moroccan regime is losing the war on many fronts. Rabat planned to win the hearts and minds of the new generation of Sahrawis, those who did not witness the invasion and the subsequent massacres. This proved to be wrong. The Sahrawi intifada in the occupied territory and the demonstrations of Sahrawi students in Marrakech, Agadir and other places show that the Sahrawi youth is willing to fight for freedom. They refuse to be Moroccan, including those who are being educated in Morocco. The Moroccan colonialists did not learn the lessons of Ho Chi Minh, Amílcar Cabral or Agostinho Neto. But the young Sahrawis did, and that is why they will win in the end.
The Moroccan regime is also losing the war on Western Sahara at home. For years, due to the censorship of the media, king Hassan II managed to keep its own citizens ignorant about the real situation in the occupied territory. The tables turned after Mohammed VI, Hassan’s successor, pretended to distance himself from his father’s oppressive rule. Moroccan journalists (like Ali Lmrabet, Aboubakr Jamai and Fahd al-Iraqi) and organizations (like the political party Via Democratica) started publicly questioning the occupation of Western Sahara. Again, a new wave of repression was the government’s reaction: journalists are being hit with lawsuits, high fines and jail sentences, newspapers were shut down.
Finally, the Moroccan dictatorship is also losing the war on the diplomatic front. That was already clear in Africa and Latin America, but now it is also happening in the United States and in Europe. Diplomatic sources in the United States confirmed that the Barack Obama administration no longer supported the Moroccan autonomy plan. A few days ago, the Swedish Social Democratic Party demanded recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. In these last months several important prizes were awarded to Saharawi human rights defenders by American and European institutions: the Civil Courage Prize 2009 and the 2008 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award to Aminatou Haidar, the Norwegian 2009 Student Peace Prize to Rabab Amidane, the Swedish Government’s Per Anger 2009 award to Brahim Dahane. The Moroccan administration realizes its failure, and thus increases the repression against the Sahrawis. In recent months, detentions, savage beatings, torture and unfair trials have occurred in Western Sahara and in Morocco.
IPJET is now much concerned with the fate of seven Sahrawi human rights activists who were arrested on 8 October at the Mohamed V airport in Casablanca upon their return from a visit to the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria:
Ali Salem Tamek, vice president of the Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA);
Brahim Dahane, president of the Sahrawi Association of Victims of Serious Violations Committed by Morocco (ASVDH), just awarded with the Per Anger Prize;
Dagja Lachgar, member of the executive office of ASVDH;
Ahmad Anasiri, general secretary of the Sahrawi Committee for the Defence of Human Rights in Smara and president of AMDH Smara Chapter;
Yahdih Ettarrouzi, member of AMDH;
Saleh Lebayhi, president of the Forum for Protection of Sahrawi Children;
Rachid Sghayar, member of Committee Action against Torture.
They were first taken to an unknown location. In contravention of their own law, the Moroccan authorities only informed the families of the detainees about the arrest four days later. Also in contravention of Moroccan law, they were denied legal assistance for many days. The seven activists are apparently accused of threatening national security and of making hostile statements against the Moroccan government. Last but not the least, they will face, not a civil, but a military court, which can impose harsh sentences on them, including the death penalty.
We appeal to the UN Secretary-General, the US Government and the EU States to intervene and exercise their influence in order to obtain the immediate and unconditional release of these seven human rights defenders.
Shambhu Chopra, President of IPJET, Allahabad, India
Pedro Pinto Leite, Secretary-general, Leiden, the Netherlands
