Young Sahrawi arrested in El-Ayoune

20 Aug 2007 | Information/Update

El-Ayoune – Western Sahara

The Moroccan police force arrested, the day before yesterday, Saturday August 18, 2007, the young Sahrawi, Mr. Mohamed HALI, at a check point at the southern exit of El-Ayoune. The security officers haven’t recognized the arrest of this young Sahrawi until yesterday Sunday August 19, 2007 and refuse to hid family to visit him. And until this moment the family of this young Sahrawi do not know charges drawn up against their son.

We point out that Mr. Mohamed HALI, studying at the University of Marrakech, is known for his militancy and his participation in the manifestations of the Sahrawi students.

In addition, the Moroccan police forces continue to monitor the house of human rights defender and president of the Sahrawi Committee for the Support of the UN Plan and Protection of the Natural Resources in Western Sahara, Mr. Sid Ahmed LEMJEYID, since Thursday August 16, 2007. We point out that a group of police, under command of the officer Aboulhassan ICHI, had come, last Thursday, at the house of the family of Mr. Sid Ahmed LEMJEYID, with an aim of arresting him without any order of arrest. When these agents could not arrest him, they then subjected the house to a monitoring on standby of an occasion to arrest this human rights defender. We also point out that Mr. LEMJEYID had been subjected to savage aggression and intimidation on several occasions by the officer Aboulhassan ICHI and a number of Moroccan policeman.