The trial of Western Saharan political detainees postponed in Agadir, Morocco
05 Sep 2008 | Political Prisoners
The Court of Appeal in Agadir (Morocco), postponed today, Thursday, September 4, 2008, the trial of eight Sahrawi political prisoners until October 9 2008, because of the absence of prosecution witnesses since five policemen didn’t attend while only four have attended. The eight accused didn’t appear before the court. Those eight Sahrawi political prisoners are:
- Mr. Yahya Mohammad Elhafed Iaazza
Mr. Mohamed Salmi
Mr. Lehcen Lefkir
Mr. Mahmoud Elbarkawi
Mr. Najem Bouba
Mr. Elmojahid Mayara
Mr. Charafi Salama
Mr. Omar Lefkir.
We recall that these Sahrawi political detainees had been arrested in Tan-Tan (southern Morocco) following demonstrations which stroke in the city.
The trial was attended by the observers, Spanish lawyer from for the General Council of Spanish law, Inés Miranda and her colleague Lula Travieso. Also, Mr. Brahim Dahane, president of the ASVDH, and Mr. Ahmed SBAI, member for the Association of Sahrawi prisoners for human rights protection, have attended this trial, in addition to intensive presence of the families of detainees.
On the other hand, the Sahrawi human rights activist and president of the Sahrawi Committee for the Defence of Human Rights in Smara (Western Sahara), Mr. Lebeihi Fekkou, was abducted yesterday, Wednesday, September 3, 2008, at three o’clock afternoon by two agents of the General intelligence in Samara, and was taken directly to the judicial police headquarters where he was subjected to questioning, which lasted about an hour, during which he was insulted. Mr. Lebeihi Fekkou was accused to deal with a group of young children and provide them with flags and slogans in addition to a series of other accusations. The questioning was supervised by both, the Chairman of regional security and General intelligence chief.
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Worst of the Worst: The World’s Most Repressive Societies 2008
Western Sahara
Population: 500,000
Political Rights: 7
Civil Liberties: 6
Status: Not Free
Overview:
The pro-independence Polisario Front and the Moroccan government in 2007 held two rounds of direct talks in the United States about Western Sahara’s fate. The Moroccan government also proposed a plan for Sahrawi autonomy but remained steadfast in its refusal to entertain the idea of independence. The two U.S. meetings did not produce any concrete results, and additional talks were planned for early 2008. Meanwhile, the situation on the ground for Sahrawis remained largely unchanged.
Western Sahara was ruled by Spain for nearly a century until Spanish troops withdrew in 1976, following a bloody guerrilla conflict with the pro-independence Polisario Front. Mauritania and Morocco both ignored the Polisario’s aspirations and claimed the resource-rich region for themselves, agreeing to a partition in which Morocco received the northern two-thirds. However, Polisario proclaimed an independent Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and continued its guerrilla campaign. Mauritania renounced its claim to the region in 1979, and Morocco filled the vacuum by annexing the entire territory.
New Report
World Report 2008
Morocco and Western Sahara
Restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly continued, and criticism of the monarchy and other issues considered politically sensitive was penalized by the authorities. Human rights activists, journalists, members of the unauthorized political group Al-Adl wal-Ihsan, and Sahrawi opponents of continuing Moroccan rule in Western Sahara were arrested and prosecuted, and more than 100 Islamists were detained on suspicion of planning or participating in terrorism. Arrests and collective expulsions of migrants continued. Death sentences were passed but the government maintained a de facto moratorium on executions. Violence against women continued, although the authorities launched a campaign to combat it, and men were imprisoned for “homosexual conduct”.
Background
In June and August, UN-mediated talks on the Western Sahara were held between the Moroccan government and the Polisario Front, which calls for an independent state in Western Sahara and runs a self-proclaimed government-in-exile in refugee camps in south-western Algeria. Morocco proposed an autonomy plan for the territory it annexed in 1975, while the Polisario Front maintained that a referendum on self-determination should be held, as agreed in previous UN resolutions.
Several suicide attacks resulted in the killing of one police officer and several injuries, and the government raised the terrorist alert level.
(Warning: Grafic) video of abuses by Moroccan security forces
22 Aug 2008 | Images and Video
Video from 18 August 2008 in Sidi Ifni, Morocco: