Sahrawi political prisoners’ sentences reduced; ex-political prisoner Mr. Abderrahman BOUGARFA abducted
14 May 2007 | Information/Update, Political Prisoners
Five Sahrawi political prisoners, in the civil prison of Inezgane, south of Morocco, appeared today, Monday May 14, 2007, before the Court of Appeal of Agadir. The Court decided to reduce their sentences to two years of firm prison.
The five Sahrawi political prisoners had been condemned by the court of first authority of the same city to sentences going from one year to four years.
It is about: Mr. Mohamed TAMEK, arrestd on April 15 with Assa, prisoner in Inzegane, condemned to 4 years by the court of first authority of Agadir
Mr. Brahim KAJOUT, arrested on April 15 in Assa, prisoner in Inzegane, condemned to 3 years by the court of first authority of Agadir
Mr. Driss MANSOURI, arrested on April 15 in Assa, prisoner in Inzegane, condemned to 3 years by the court of first authority of Agadir
Mr. Bachir NAJIAA, arrested on April 15 in Assa, prisoner in Inezgane, condemned to 4 years by the court of first authority of Agadir.
The judgement of these Sahrawi political prisoners was assisted by Spanish observers and also by the president of the asvdh. The latter have noticed that these lawsuits are far from being equitable and that the witnesses affirmed not to have seen any of these prisoners what must, normally, discharge them.
In addition, and in El-Ayoune, the Sahrawi ex-political prisoner, Mr. Abderrahmane BOUGARFA and his son were kidnapped from their house early this morning, around 4 in the morning by Moroccan police. The family of Mr. BOUGARFA, in his contact with the asvdh, says not to know any of the reasons for which its two members were kidnapped. The family also contacted the persons in charge for the judicial police who refused to answer them on the fate of both disappeared. In the same way, the asvdh noticed that the Moroccan authorities have make return to the practices of the seventies and eighties. The asvdh was informed, in addition to the case of Mr. BOUGARFA and his son, that some policemen came, today at four o’clock in the morning, at the house of the Sahrawi family, AHL ESSID, which refused to open the door. The policemen remained in front of the door of the house during several hours before leaving.
These two cases mark a return towards the forced disappearance of which were victims more than 500 Sahrawi citizens, whose fate is always unknown. This is why the asvdh launch a very pressing call in all NGOs of the human rights and to UNO to act as soon as possible to oblige the Moroccan State to respect the rights and freedoms in the Western Sahara. We also point out that these two cases mark the obvious violation of the convention related to forced disappearance that Morocco had signed and ratified.