Sahrawi political prisoners receive heavy sentences

07 Mar 2007 | Information/Update, Political Prisoners

The Moroccan court of second degree in El-Ayoune pronounced yesterday, 6 March 2007, new, heavy and unjust sentences against several Sahrawi political prisoners and human rights defenders. The Secretary-General of ASVDH, Mr. Brahim SABBAR, and the member of ASVDH’s council of coordination, Mr. Ahmed SBAI, were condemned to one year of prison. Moreover, the three other Sahrawi political prisoners, Mr. Elhafed TOUBALI, Mr. Mohamed Lehbib ELGASMI and Mr. Ahmed Salem AHMEIDAT, were condemned to three years of prison. At the same time, the court decided to defer the judgement of the Sahrawi political prisoner, Mr. Abdessalam LOUMADI, to 25 March 2007. We note that Mr. Sabbar, whom Amnesty International considers a potential Prisoner of Conscience, has already been condemned to two years of prison in a first judgement, along with the Sahrawi political prisoner Mr. Ahmed Mahmoud HADDI, who was condemned to three years of prison.

Update

The Sahrawi political prisoner, Mr. Lamine BADA, was also condemned, today, Wednesday, 7 March 2007, by the court of first authority in El-Ayoune, to one and a half years in prison. Mr. BADA was previously condemned to a year by the same court for having chanted slogans before the court.

Correction

The judgement of the Sahrawi political prisoner, Abdessalam LOUMADI, was deferred to 20 March 2007, not to March 25 as was indicated above.