Testimony of Mohamed Manolo, recent victim of Moroccan state brutality

21/07/2010 | Testimony

Mohamed Manolo

Testimony
Name : Manolo Mohamed
Date and place of birth : 1970 Bir Nzaran
N. ID : OD 12481
Marital status : married father of 4 children
Profession: none
Address: Dakhla Western Sahara

I arrived with my colleagues at the airport of El-Aaiun, Saturday, July 18, 2010 around 20.00 o’clock.

Things did not go as usual. Intelligence officers were deployed in the airport while authorities are delaying the luggage delivery procedures.

We were isolated in a separate room. We felt that as a provocation.

They extended the inspection procedures. There were many officers. We were searched thoroughly and even our shoes.

They released us an hour and a half later.

The French citizen Mr Mahmoud Masoudi remained at the airport even longer.

When we left the airport we found the human rights activist secretary general of the ASVDH Brahim Sabbar, Hassana Alouate and Mohamed Rachid N’dour. They took us with their cars to reception area. The ceremony was planned in the family home of Othman N’dour, a member of the delegation. There were many policemen in the streets along the route. They were even more outside the home of receipt.

We got out of car making the sign of victory. Orders were given to the police in civilian clothes approached us and then attacked the group. They hit hardest Mr. Hasan Dah and Mrs. Khadjatou Lma’adal, who was hit on the head and fainted.

I quickly brought Ms. Khaddjto Lmaadal in the house and tried to heal her. As Miss Mary Salek Boudjemaa was also injured, I tried to help her too.

The police constantly threw stones at the house. They came with a car full of stones as we saw before the house. They always do like this. There were very many.

Stones have crossed the living room window, one hit me in the mouth and made me fall down.
I lost consciousness for several minutes. It was a big stone.

When I woke up among the people of the house, I saw they used wooden tables to cover the windows.
I could not help them because I was bleeding a lot. One of my classmates gave me a turban to stop the bleeding.

He told me to relax and he brought me ice.

Then I went on the roof of the house where the reception was held. The activists of human rights took the floor in turn.

My friends asked me to speak, and the militant Sidi Med Dadach told me to come down and that is what I did.

At dinner, I could not eat. We have heard several times people screaming outside, but we do not know reasons.

We felt a great psychological pressure because of that. There were more rumors circulating in the house and claimed that a policeman was stabbed by one of those who were present. For that reason Moroccan authorities were going to storm the house to arrest the offender.

Then I decided to go out with Hassan Dah, Khada Bashir and Mohamed Ali Sidzine and leave the house.

Once we’re out, they detained, insulted and beat us.

The police took Mr Hassan Dah in one of the police cars.

During an hour and a half we were interrogated and beaten with slaps, kicks before we were released.

ASVDH
El Aaiun
July 21, 2010