Sahrawi human rights defenders Brahim SABBAR and Ahmed SBAI in court on appeal

24 Apr 2007 | Political Prisoners

Two Sahrawi human rights defenders and ASVHD members, Mr. Brahim SABBAR, secretary general, and Mr. Ahmed SBAI, member of ASVDH’s council of coordination, appeared today, Tuesday, 24 April 2007, before the Court of Appeal in El-Ayoune (Moroccan occupied Western Sahara). The two Sahrawi human rights defenders, currently held in the ‘black prison’ (Civil Prison of El-Ayoune), were recently condemned to one year of prison on 6 March 2007. Today the court decided to defer hearings to 22 May 2007. Mr. Sabbar and Mr. Sbai entered the courtroom voicing condemnation for their iniquitous punishment that they suffer and claiming their right to free expression of their opinions.

Mr. Sabbar is a survivor of the secret Moroccan jail of Kalaat M’Gouna, where he had spent ten years of forced ‘disappearance’. Moroccan courts condemned him, in the first authority court, on 27 June 2006, and in appeal on 20 July 2007, to two years of firm prison. He was sentenced along with the Sahrawi political prisoner, Mr. Ahmed Mahmoud HADDI ELKAINAN, who received three years of firm prison, and his brother, Mr. Mohamed Lamine HADDI, who was condemned to one year. We also point out that Mr. SABBAR, who has been harassed on many occasions and had been deprived of visitation rights, continuous to be subjected to ill treatment.

Three other Sahrawi political prisoners also appeared before the Court of Appeal of El Ayoune today, Tuesday, 24 April 2007. Mr. Elhafed TOUBALI, Ahmed Salem AHMEIDAT and Mohamed Lahbib ELGASMI. These three Sahrawi political prisoners had been originally condemned to three years of firm prison on 6 March 2007. Furthermore, the Court of Appeal decided to defer their appeal to 22 May 2007. These three Sahrawi political prisoners were expelled from the courtroom when they starting singing the national hymn of Western Sahara.

In context of the judgments of the Sahrawi political prisoners, the Court of Appeal of El Ayoune confirmed today the sentence pronounced against the Sahrawi political prisoner Mr. Lansen AZRIGUINAT. This political prisoner had been condemned to a fine of 500 dhs. At the same time, two Sahrawi political prisoners, Mr. Hmada Mahmoud DADI and Ahmed Sidi Elmoussaoui, released on 8 December 2006, after having completed a sentence of six months, appeared before the Court of Appeal today but their case was not treated.