Head of ASVDH Boujdour branch detained, tortured

18 Apr 2007 | Information/Update

Mr. Mohamed TAHLIL, President of Local Committee of the section of ASVDH Boujdour, was the victim of savage torture, yesterday, Tuesday 17 April 2007, around 9h00 in the morning, in El-Ayoune, Western Sahara. Mr. TAHLIL — who planned to attend the trial of the Sahrawi political prisoners, which took place yesterday — was detained at a check-point into El-Ayoune by a group of Moroccan policeman, among them, a Mr. AZIZ (called Touhima, a senior police officer) and Mr. ELKAMOURI (another senior police officer).

Mr. TAHLIL was taken to the judicial police station on Avenue 24 February, where he was held until 20h00 of the same day. He was led then taken to an unknown destination because Mr. TAHLIL had his eyes covered; there he underwent horrible forms of torture. Mr. TAHLIL, who had his eyes blindfolded and his hands tied, was undressed and subjected to savage beating on all the parts of his body. Then his torturers poured cold water on him before they starting beating him again.

Towards 23h00 of the same day, Mr. TAHLIL was taken by his torturers back to the Erraha district, in the east of El-Ayoune, where he was abandoned in his deplorable state. Mr. TAHLIL is currently in a poor condition, suffering acute pains on all the parts of his body and he has difficulties to walking.

Mr. TAHLIL also confirmed to be threatened of torture at the time of his arrest by the two policemen officers mentioned above, just as he was, later, subjected to several intimidations during his displacements. Those police officers took the three mobile phones on his person.

We point out that Mr. TAHLIL was also arrested on 13 August 2005, condemned to 3 years of prison. This sentence was confirmed in appeal on 25 January 2006; he was released on 22 April 2006. He was again arrested, tortured and abandoned in the desert, 50 kms far from the town of Boujdour, on 30 April 2006. On 11 August 2006, the Moroccan authorities in Boujdoour had refused to grant him his passport. On 11 October 2006, Mr. TAHLIL was arrested and questioned for 4 hours at the Mauritanian border at the time of his return from Nouadhibou; he was then arrested a second time at 40 km far from Dakhla. He was detained in the station police for 24 hours, and was insulted and beaten. His personal effects included a mobile phone and 2000 dirhams, which were confiscated.