AMINETOU HAIDAR´S HOME IS SORROUNDED BY THE MOROCCAN OCCUPIDER´S ARMY

The saharawi women express their condemnation to the repression of the moroccan army in the occupaded cities of Western Sahara.

Since that the famous saharawi human rights activist, Aminetou Haidar, returned to her home in the capital of Western Sahara, El- Aaiún, two weeks ago, she has declared several times to the international media that she has been like been in a prison due to the great deployment of the moroccan occupider army in every street.
Mrs. Haidar has made very recently the following interview via telephone:
Q: would you please describe the situation around you?

A: The Moroccan troops are still holding sway on the streets and other paths that lead to my house and stiffened security all around impeaching my neighbors to come to see me. They are forced to show their identity cards to prove that they live nearby my house.

Q: What about media, did they succeed to approach you?

A: Journalists are not allowed to talk to me except those who were present on my arrival Friday early morning, but when declarations, concerning my denial of the allegations that I have officially apologized to the king and that I recognized my Moroccan nationality leaked, the Moroccan authorities ordered their security forces to tighten the rope. Journalist couldn’t get in touch with me except through phone calls.

Q: What’s the link between your return to Al Ayoun and the apology to the Moroccan King?

A: I have denied these allegations; I didn’t accept any conditions since there aren’t any and no apology to any party whatsoever.

Q: Did you think of death while going on hunger strike?

A: we are doomed to die one day or another, but one cannot live without dignity. I have given my youth and life to my people and this part of my struggle.

Q: Is it true that the French president Nicholas Sarkozy was behind your return?

A: I cannot assert that Sarkozy’s intervention weighed in the balance, but what is certain is that the American and European pressure on Morocco and even France has forced the Moroccan side to yield and accept my return.

AMINETOU HAIDAR RETURNED TO HER HOME

The saharawi women would like to express their joy for the Aminatou Haidar´s return to her house in the occupied El-Aaiun, capital of Western sahara. The famous saharawi human rights activist is today with her children thanks to her strong determination in defending the dignity and the freedom of the saharawi people. She has spent thirty two days on hunger strike due to her forced depportation by the moroccan occupiders authorities on november 14th.

Mrs. Haidar´s return to her home is a triumph of justice and the respect of human rights´s principles and the a victory of the saharawi cause.
The govenment of the United States, France and UN and EU put pressure on the moroccan government to return the saharawi R.F. Kennedy awarded.
Mr.Jeremy Corbyn, British Labour Party Member of Parliament and Vice Chair of the Parliamentary Human Rights Group and Mr.Stefan Simanowitz, journalist and Chair of the Free Western Sahara Network have written the following:
Yesterday human rights activist Aminatou Haidar called off her 32 day hunger strike and was allowed to fly home to Western Sahara without making any concessions to the Moroccan authorities who had deported her to Lanzarote. Her homecoming represents a significant victory for the Saharawi people whose last taste of real political success came over three decades ago when the Spanish colonizers agreed to leave Western Sahara. That victory proved to be hollow when, in 1976, the Moroccan’s unlawfully occupied most of the territory.

The month-long standoff that had been playing out on the volcanic Canarian Island of Lanzarote between the Moroccan government and Haidar, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, reached its dramatic denouement late on Thursday night. A day that had started with Haidar’s hospitalisation ended with the 42-year old mother of two being flown home on a special Spanish military plane equipped with medical equipment. Her return followed intense diplomatic pressure involving the UN and the governments of several nations including Spain, France and the US. It also represents a significant victory for the Saharawi people whose last taste of real political success came over three decades ago when the Spanish colonizers agreed to leave Western Sahara. That victory proved to be hollow when, in 1976, the Moroccan’s unlawfully occupied most of the territory.

Aminatou Haidar has been campaigning for Western Saharan self-determination for over two decades. Her hunger-strike had been staged very publicly in Lanzarote airport terminal in protest at her unlawful deportation by Moroccan authorities after she had refused to write her nationality as Moroccan on a landing card when returning from a trip abroad. The Moroccans were insisting that before she could be readmitted, Haidar recognise the sovereignty of Morocco and apologise for having questioned it. This she refused to do.

In the early hours of Thursday morning Haidar had asked to go to the hospital following a bout of severe abdominal pain and vomiting blood. Doctors who examined her said she was severely dehydrated and expressed fears that she could be nearing an irreversible deterioration that could result in her death even if she were to abandon the hunger strike. However, as the day progressed, concerns about her health turned to excitement as whispers about a resolution to the crisis began to circulate.

At around 10pm local time, Haidar was stretched to a waiting ambulance and driven from the hospital to the airport. She boarded the aircraft with her sister, Laila Haidar, and doctor Domingo de Guzman Perez Hernandez, director of Lanzarote Hospital who has been caring for her from the start. The aircraft took off at 10.30pm and landed at Hassan I airport in Laayoune, Western Sahara’s largest town, just after midnight. Her passport was returned to her by a customs officer and according to a Moroccan Interior Ministry statement, Haidar completed the usual customs and police formalities.

At the airport she was met by relatives including her children and was driven with them back to her home where Haidar, who had continued to fast on the the plane, tasted her first food for over a month. Dozens of her supporters congregated around the house until the early hours of the morning. An earlier larger gathering was dispersed by Moroccan police.

With international concern for Haidar building the Moroccan’s had been under increasing pressure to readmit Ms Haidar. Over the past week alone, statements were made by UN General Secretary Ban ki Moon, and on Monday Hilary Clinton flew to Madrid to discuss the matter with the Spanish Foreign Minster, Miguel Ángel Moratinos. Ironically it was Clinton’s visit to Morocco in November during which she appeared to implicitly endorse Morocco’s “autonomy” proposal that might have encouraged the Moroccans to crack down on Saharawi activists including Haidar. After her visit, the King Mohammed VI gave a speech in which he branded as "traitors" anyone who questioned Moroccan sovereignty over her "Saharan provinces" and days later Haidar was deported. The quiet diplomacy by the Obama administration to resolve the crisis might well be a way of avoiding what might otherwise have been seen as a foreign policy embarrassment.

Ultimately a combination of diplomatic pressure, mass mobilisation of civil society groups around the world and negative coverage in the media would appear to have persuaded the Moroccan’s to allow Haidar to return home without having to any concessions. "She is returning without conditions having been placed and without apologising," said Carmelo Ramirez, president of FEDISSAH a Spanish Western Saharan solidarity organisation.

Whilst Haidar’s return is a significant victory, the dust will have to settle before independence campaigners can assess whether this debacle has taken them any closer to the long-awaited referendum for self-determination in Western Sahara. Whilst the level of international awareness of the situation will undoubtedly push the matter up the international agenda, the bitterness of the dispute will not have done anything to create the atmosphere of trust and mutual respect that UN Special Envoy to Western Sahara, Christopher Ross, had hoped to foster when he met the parties for talks about talks in August.

In addition the personal safety of Aminatou Haidar is far from guaranteed. As well as concern about any permanent damage inflicted to her health by the hunger strike there are also fears that the Moroccan authorities might mete out some form of punishment now that Haidar is back under their control. Haidar has endured over four years of imprisonment and torture in the past and her situation and that of other human rights defenders such as the seven awaiting trial by military tribunal in Rabat, remains precarious. Haidar however was upbeat as she boarded the plane in Lanzarote. "This is a triumph, a victory for international rights, for human rights and for international justice" she said, her face breaking into a smile for the first time in many weeks.

The Moroccan decision to let her return to her family owes a great deal both to international diplomacy, particularly that of the Obama administration, and to the mass mobilisation of civil society groups around the world that made politicians sit up and take notice. It is now incumbent on politicians and civil society to use the momentum generated over the past weeks to ensure that Western Sahara is granted the referendum on self-determination that has been unlawfully obstructed for so long.

CONMEMORATION OF UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

On the occasion of the conmemoration of another anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, December 10th, the saharawi women would like to launch an urgent appeal to all the peace-loving people to continue to support the saharawi human rights activist, Aminatou Haidar, who is on a hunger strike since she was depported for more than three weeks ago by the moroccan occupiders authorities and also for condemning this unhuman and unjust situation that is suffering the Saharawi Gandhi, as she is world-known due to her peaceful struggle for justice and respect of human rights in her country: Western Sahara.

On this accasion, the R.F. Kennedy 2008 Human Rights Award, Aminatou Haidar, has published the following letter:
Today is the 10th of December, International Day of Human Rights. During this day, when such a sacred day for Humanity is commemorated, a day for ideals and principles which guarantee basic rights; I, who have always been a human rights defender, am on the 25th day of my hunger strike because of injustice and lack of respect for Human Rights.

Today, after being thrown out illegally from my country by the Moroccan Authorities, after being illegally retained at this airport in Lanzarote by the Spanish Government and being separated from my children against my will, I feel more than ever the pain of those Saharawi families separated for more than 35 years by a wall more than 2.600km long.

Today, as each day, I suffer thinking about my colleagues in jail, I suffer thinking about those seven human rights activists that are going to be judged by a military court and who are threatened by death penalty because of an arbitrary decision by the Moroccan Government. I think about the Sahrawi people, oppressed daily by the Moroccan police in the Western Sahara. And I think about their future.

On this International Human Rights Day I congratulate all those free people around the world who defend basic rights, and who sacrifice themselves to achieve peace around the world, and at the same time I make them an urgent call to protect the rights of my people, the Saharawi people. Today is also an important day for hope, and I want to take advantage of this to ask the whole world and especially all the mothers around the world to support my reclaim, which is to return to the Western Sahara.My wish is to hug my children, to live with them and with my mother, but to live in dignity.

Today I want to thank the civil society for its solidarity and its continuous defence of the legitimate rights of the Saharawi people, and also its solidarity with me during these difficult days.

Aminatou Haidar, Lanzarote Airport, December 10th, 2009

A BRAVE SAHARAWI WOMAN: SYMBOL OF A PEACEFUL PEOPLE

Voices from all over the world are expressing their worry about the health of The Saharawi Human Rights activist, Aminatou Haidar, who is on hunger strike for three weeks because was expelled by the moroccan occupider authorities after a trip to New York where was awarded by the 2009 Courage Prize given by the Train Foundation. From the highest international organizations to the regionals and national ones and also some of the european political parties expressed their concerns about the unhuman situation of the " Saharawi Gandhi" as Mrs. Haidar is internationally known.

For example, United Nations Secretary General Office said in a statement:

United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, remains concerned about the condition of Western Sahara activist Aminarou Haidar who has been on a three-week-old hunger strike at a Spanish airport, his spokesman said Monday.

The secretary general reiterated the appeal made last week by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for Spain and Morocco "to consider any measure that could facilitate a resolution of the issue and end the current impasse," spokesman Martin Nesirky told a press briefing.

"The UN is looking for ways it can help to resolve Ms. Haidar's situation," he added.

Haidar has been consuming only sugared water since November 16, days after Moroccan authorities denied her entry to her native Western Sahara, a disputed territory annexed by Morocco in 1975, allegedly confiscated her passport, and sent her back to Spain's Canary Islands.

"I will continue with my hunger strike until there is a solution," the award-winning activist, who campaigns for the Western Sahara's independence from Morocco, told AFP in an interview at the airport on the Spanish Canary island of Lanzarote.

Spain had offered to give the 42-year-old mother-of-two refugee status or Spanish citizenship so she could be allowed to return home but she rejected both options on the grounds that she did not want to become "a foreigner in her own home."

Morocco annexed the Western Sahara following the withdrawal of colonial power Spain, sparking a war with the Polisario Front independence movement. The two sides agreed a ceasefire in 1991, but UN-sponsored talks on its future have since made no headway

AMINATOU HAIDAR: SYMBOL OF THE SAHARAWI PEOPLE´S DIGNITY

The women from the Africa´s last colony, Western Sahara, express once again their unconditional support and solidarity with the Saharawi Human Rights activist, Aminatou Haidar, who is today on her twenty-first day of hunger strike.
Mrs. Haidar, is still undertaking an unlimited hunger strike in Lanzarote airport, defending her legitimate right to go back to her town city: the occupaied El Aaiún where she lives with her family.

Last Friday the Spanish government put under her disposition a special plane that was supposed to take her back to the capital of Western Sahara, El Aaiun, accompanied by officials from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign affairs.

In the last minute, the flight was canceled. Morocco says his authorities never agreed to give the permission to the flight, while the Spanish officials said they received Rabat’s agreement on Friday before it was canceled again.

This misunderstanding, between the two governments, according to many observers may be the prelude to a new crisis between Madrid and Rabat, especially that all Spanish political parties are now criticizing the Spanish government’s weak attitude before the humiliations inflicted to Spain by Morocco.

In fact, many voices raised asking the Spanish government to put pressures on Morocco to resolve Aminatou Haidar’s issue before it is too late, knowing that her doctors have openly declared that her physical conditions entered a very crucial state.

In her 21 day of hunger strike, the activist suffers from many diseases, doctors in Lanzarote airport said. She is weak, she can hardly speak, she fainted many times since last Wednesday, but they also said she is completely determined to continue the protest.

International organizations joined the campaign of support to Aminatou. the UN high commission for human rights, the UN commission for Refugees, the African Union Commission, the UN Secretary General, and many others expressed concerns about her state, and called on Spain and Morocco to find a quick solution to this embarrassing case.

The issue, is getting bigger than just a case of an activist who is fighting for her legitimate rights. For many medias and organizations, it became an opportunity to raise the question of human rights in the whole territory of Western Sahara, and most of them start asking the UN to deploy additional efforts to resolve the problem of the last colony in Africa, and to monitor human rights situation in the region.

In her latest reaction to her failed return to Western Sahara, Aminatou Haidar said yesterday in a press release, that Spain and Morocco are both responsible of any tragic outcome of her hunger strike.

She said that she is not negotiating with Morocco or Spain on her situation, she is rather just fighting for a basic right, the right to travel freely to and from her occupied country. This determination owes her an international respect, recognition and solidarity. And everyone hopes this situation be resolved before a tragedy happens, because the activist said she is willing to die struggling for her dignity and freedom and will never give up or compromise.

GREAT SUPPORT AND SOLIDARITY WITH AMINETOU HAIDAR

The women from Western Sahara reaffirm their thanks to all persons and organzations from all over the world who have expressed their support and solidarity with the saharawi human rights activist, Aminatou Haidar, who is today in her 13th day on hunger strike due that was expelled by the moroccan occupied authorities on november 14th when was trying to return to her homeland from a tryp to the USA where she was awared in New York city another Prize in recognition of her peaceful struggle for defending human rights and justice in the occupied Western Sahara.

The Saharawi Activist has received a lot of support from all the corners of the world, demonstrations, musical concerts, and also campaigns for her return to El-Aaiún with her children among them the the RF Kennedy- Center For Justice and Human Rights who have released this communique:

Aminatou Haidar, the RFK Center's 2008 Human Rights Laureate, has begun a hunger strike following her forced removal from her homeland of Western Sahara.

Upon her arrival at the Laayoune airport in Western Sahara, she declared Western Sahara -- not Morocco -- as her homeland on her immigration entry form. Moroccan authorities then confiscated her passport, interrogated her overnight, declared that she had renounced her citizenship, and put her on a plane to the Canary Islands.

Join us today and call on United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay to immediately conduct an investigation into the circumstances of Aminatou's forced removal from Western Sahara and to establish a mechanism for the protection of human rights of the Saharawi people.

To: United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay
Aminatou Haidar, known as the "Saharawi Ghandi" of Western Sahara for her peaceful resistance to violence, and the 2008 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Laureate, went on hunger strike November 16th in protest of her forced removal from Western Sahara. Ms. Haidar's health is in a precarious condition, bringing an added urgency to this situation. Her removal from Western Sahara also raises concerns about her being stateless.

Ms. Haidar was put on board a plane destined for Lanzarote in the Canary Islands against her will by Moroccan authorities on November 14th, 2009, after she attempted to return to Western Sahara on November 13th 2009, following her visit to the U.S.

Ms. Haidar, who is fighting for the right to self-determination for the Saharawi people of Western Sahara, declared Western Sahara and not Morocco as her country on the immigration entry form she completed prior to disembarkation at the airport in Laayoune, as she had done in the past. Moroccan authorities confiscated her Moroccan passport and kept her overnight at the airport where they interrogated her. According to Moroccan authorities, Haidar renounced her Moroccan citizenship at the airport in Laayoune. Ms. Haidar has remained in the Canary Islands and cannot leave as Spanish authorities have prevented her from leaving without a passport or travel documents.

Since the eruption of the Western Sahara conflict in 1975, when Morocco first asserted its sovereignty over the territory, there have been consistent reports of human rights violations by Morocco against the Saharawi people of Western Sahara.

In 2006, your office identified the human rights situation in the region as a "serious concern" and called for the creation of a mechanism for ensuring adequate and continuous monitoring in both occupied territories and in refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria. Ms. Haidar's situation highlights the importance and the urgent need for establishing such a human rights monitoring system in the region.

We urge you to immediately conduct an investigation into the circumstances of Ms. Haidar's forced removal from Western Sahara and to establish a mechanism for the protection of the human rights of the Saharawi people in Western Sahara.

IMPORTANT LETTER ON MRS. HAIDAR´S CASE

The Saharawi Women highly appreciate the important letter that the President of the New York Association, Mrs. Patricia M. Hynes, has sent these days to leaders in Spain, Morocco, Uropean Union and Amnesty International among others. She says:

I write on behalf of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York (“the Association”) to express our concern about the situation of Ms. Aminatou Haidar, Chairwoman of the Collectif des Défenseurs Sahraouis des Droits de l’Homme – CODESA (Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders) and a prominent human rights defender in Western Sahara. The Association is concerned about her safety and about the legality of her expulsion to Lanzarote (Spain). Given the serious nature of this matter, the Association respectfully urges you to take all necessary measures to ensure that Ms. Haidar can promptly return to Laayoune (Western Sahara) and rejoin her family.

The Association is an independent non-governmental organization with more than 23,000 members in over 50 countries. Founded in 1870, the Association has a long history of dedication to human rights, notably through its Committee on International Human Rights, which investigates and reports on human rights conditions around the world. The Association also follows legal and policy developments in Africa through its Committee on African Affairs. Similarly, the Association’s United Nations Committee follows key international developments throughout the world. All three of these Committees have identified Ms. Haidar’s situation as an urgent matter.

Since the eruption of the Western Sahara conflict in 1975, when Morocco first asserted its sovereignty over the territory, there have been consistent reports of human rights violations by Morocco against the Saharawi people of Western Sahara. In 2006, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights identified the human rights situation in the region as a « serious concern » and called for the creation of a mechanism for ensuring adequate and continuous monitoring in both occupied territories and in refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria. While the Association is not taking a position on the issue of Western Sahara’s sovereignty, the Association does feel strongly that human rights in the region be respected.

Ms. Haidar is a prominent human rights defender in Western Sahara. She was awarded the 2006 Juan Maria Bandres Human Rights Award (Spain), the 2007 Silver Rose Award (Austria), the 2008 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, and the aforementioned 2009 Civil Courage Prize. She was also nominated for the European Parliament Sakharov Prize in 2005, for the Amnesty International USA’s Ginetta Sagan Fund Award, and for the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize. The Association is concerned that Ms. Haidar was detained, expelled, and denied return to Western Sahara for her human rights work in Western Sahara.

According to news reports, Ms. Haidar was arrested on November 13, 2009 by Moroccan authorities upon her arrival at the airport of Laayoune (Western Sahara) together with two Spanish journalists, Mr. Pedro Barbadillo and Mr. Pedro Guillén. The company was travelling through Las Palmas from the United States, where Ms. Haidar recently was awarded the Civil Courage Prize by the Train Foundation for her peaceful advocacy for human rights of the Sahrawi people. It was further reported that, while the two Spanish journalists were released after several hours, Ms. Haidar was expelled from the country to Lanzarote (Spain) after her passport was confiscated by the Moroccan authorities. According to reports, Ms. Haidar declared Western Sahara and not Morocco as her country on the immigration entry form she completed prior to disembarkation at the airport in Laayoune, which she had done in the past, and the Moroccan authorities deemed it a renunciation of her Moroccan citizenship. Ms. Haidar started a hunger strike at the airport of Lanzarote after Spanish authorities refused to allow her return to Laayoune because she was unable to produce her passport. It is further reported that Spanish authorities forcefully intervened to end her hunger strike because of serious concerns about her health.

The Association is concerned that the forced expulsion of Ms. Haidar by the Moroccan authorities was illegal. According to Article 12 (4) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (“ICCPR”), which Morocco ratified on May 3, 1979, no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of the right to enter his own country. The confiscation of Ms. Haidar’s passport constitutes a clear and severe restriction on her ability to leave Spain and to return to her country of citizenship, and consequently amounts to a breach of Morocco’s international law obligations.

With regard to Spain, we are concerned that the denial by the Spanish authorities of Ms. Haidar’s return to Western Sahara is illegal. Article 12 (2) of the ICCPR, which Spain ratified on April 27, 1977, stipulates that everyone shall be free to leave any country. Spain’s obstruction to let Ms. Haidar leave Lanzarote therefore constitutes a breach of this provision. In addition, Spain seems to have violated its own Spanish law on Foreigners (Ley Orgánica 4/2000 of January 11, 2000, also known as Ley de Extranjería de España (“Law”)). According to Article 25 (1) of the Law, foreigners need a valid passport or travel document to be able to enter the country. At the time Ms. Haidar arrived at Lanzarote, her passport had already been confiscated and thus she was no longer in possession of a valid travel document. Nevertheless, as news reports state, Spain let her enter its territory because Ms. Haidar has a resident’s permit to obtain medical treatment there. If this document was sufficient for the Spanish authorities to allow Ms. Haidar to enter Spanish territory, it can be argued that this document should equally be sufficient to leave the territory in order for her to return to Western Sahara. In addition, Article 28 (2) of the Law states that only in exceptional circumstances of national security or public health can the Minister of Interior Affairs prohibit the departure of a foreigner out of Spanish territory. To the Association’s knowledge, no official reason has been given to prohibit Ms. Haidar’s departure out of Spain, therefore making the prohibition of Ms. Haidar’s departure from Spain illegal.

We believe that Ms. Haidar’s expulsion and denial to return to Western Sahara violates international and national law. Accordingly, we respectfully request that Your Excellencies take all necessary measures to ensure the immediate return of Ms. Haidar to Laayoune.

Respectfully submitted,
Patricia M. Hynes

THE INTERNACIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINS WOMEN

The Women from the last Africa´s colony, Western sahara, conmemorated today, november 25th, the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. In this important date for all the world women´s movement, the saharawi women would like to express their total solidarity with all the women from all over the world who are victims of violence and condemn all kind of acts capable of causing physical, sexual orpsyshological harm, whether in public or private life.

In our society, we do not have such a shameful problem, we have never heared about that a saharawi man has or had assassinated his wife or his girl-friend, but the great problem that the Saharawi Women face in the foreing occupation due the invasion and occupation of the moroccan army since 34 years ago.

The Saharawi Women still suffering the violations of the most basic and fundamental rights in the occupated cities of Western Sahara, such El-Aaiún, Dakhla, Smara, Boudjdour etc. We demand the international community to implement the UN resolution and to solve this problem of decolonization,

We also want to express our total solidarity with the saharawi human rights activist, Aminetu Haidar, who is waging a hunger strike since ten days ago because she has been expelled by the occupider moroccan authorities on november 14th when she tried to return to her country and she was deported to canary island agains her will. We invite our friend to sign the petition in the international campaign launched by several organization for the releasse of the the saharawi human rights activists who are in moroccan prisons only because they peacefully fight for peace and justice in Western Sahara.

AMINATOU HAIDAR ON HER 8TH DAY OF HUNGER STRIKE IN CANARY ISLAND

The saharawi women express their total support and solidarity with the one of the most internationally recognized saharawi human rights activist, Aminatou Haidar, who is today in her eight day of hunger strike due to the moroccan occupied authorities didn´t permit her to enter the capital of Western Sahara, El-Aaiún, where she lives with her children.

The Awarded Saharawi human rights defender, Aminatou Haidar (recipient of the 2008 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Prize and the 2009 Train Foundation Civil Courage Prize, among others), was arrested following her arrival on 13 November at La’ayoune airport, Western Sahara. Ms. Haidar’s passport was confiscated, and she was subsequently expelled to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. She has not yet been allowed to return to her home and family in Western Sahara and decided to go on hunger strike.

These developments represent a serious intensification of systemic human rights abuses perpetrated by Moroccan authorities against the Saharawi civilian population in Western Sahara, which constitute a blatant violation of international human rights norms.

Moreover, these actions appear to be part of a coordinated effort to undermine any possibility of political progress in the negotiations over Western Sahara. In a speech on 6 November 2009, King Mohammed VI of Morocco foreshadowed a crackdown on those speaking out in favour of a process of self-determination in Western Sahara.

The King called on government authorities to “deal vigorously with any infringement of the nation’s sovereignty, security, stability and public order”, and once again sought to limit Morocco’s engagement in the UN-led process to negotiations “on the basis of the autonomy proposal, and within the framework of the Kingdom’s sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity.” These words are completely inconsistent with the call by the Security Council to the parties to engage in negotiations without preconditions and in good faith. Says a letter to the UN Secretary general, Ban Ki Moon, signed by the Saharawi Permanent representative at the United Nations.

YOUNG SAHARAWI SINGER NOMINATED FOR 2009 FREEDOM TO CREATE PRIZE

The saharawi Women feel very happy and would like to invite every person from all over the world to vote and support the nomination of the young saharawi singer, Aaziza Brahim, for winning the 2009 Freedom to Create Prize.

Western Saharan singer and musician, Aaziza Brahim, who recently performed al WOMEX in the Dutch capiatal, Copenhagen and this year´s Lovebook Weekender in United Kingdom, is shortlisted for the 2009 Freedom to Create Prize, in the Main Prize category.

The young saharawi artist will perform at the awards ceremony at the Victoria & Albert Museum in the british capital on wednesday 25 november 2009, when the winners for the Main, Youth and Imprisoned Artist Prize categories will be unveilled.

Freedom to Create is an iniciative that seeks to improve lives by addressing society´s ability to support and sustain creativity. The iniciativefocuses on those societies in greatest need.

Aziza Brahim, whose songs evoke justice, the right for freedom, exile, and the respect of human rights of her people in the occupied cities of Western sahara, was in exile before she was even born, when her her heavily pregnant mother fled her homeland due to the moroccan military invasion and lived in the saharawi refugee camps in 1976.

Nominated for her album, Mi Canto, Aziza Brahim mixes saharawi music with rock, blues and African percussion, renovating the saharawi rhythms to make saharawi muc¡sic accessible to the whole world.

MRS. HAIDAR SAYS: "THE EUROPEAN UNION´S FISHERIES IN WESTERN SAHARA MUST BE STOPPED"

Western Sahara Human Rights Activist, Aminetou Haidar, has made today important staments at the occassion of the international campaign for stopping the European Fisheries in the occupied cities of Western Sahara by Morocco.

The Sahrawi people does not benefit from this agreement, signed between Morocco and the European Union. Regrettably, the agreement instead intensifies the Moroccan repression against the Sahrawi people”, Aminatou Haidar told Western Sahara Resource Watch in an interview.

The EU has since 2006 been paying Morocco to fish offshore Western Sahara. The territory of Western Sahara, which is treated as a colony by the UN, has been under Moroccan occupation since 1975. Simultaneously Morocco is profiting from their control over the territory by selling fishing licences to the EU.

Haidar stated that the Sahrawi living in the occupied territories have never been consulted as to whether they would like such an agreement, and that the EU-Moroccan partnership therefore must be in violation of international law.

She praised Sweden for taking the position that the EU fisheries is illegal, and commended the international solidarity movement for campaigning the issue of the international plunder of the natural resources of the territory.

“Your campaign against the plundering of natural resources is very important. You should accelerate the campaign so that it contributes to stop the EU fisheries agreement”, Haidar commented to WSRW.

The statements were given as she visited the US recently, upon receiving the Civil Courage Prize by the Train Foundation. Haidar was last year also awarded with the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award.

You can support the Sahrawi’s call to stop the EU plundering of Western Sahara by signing a protest letter to the European Commission.

Sign the protest letter on the pages of the FishElsewhere campaign.

Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) is behind the campaign to stop the fisheries agreement between the EU and Morocco. WSRW is a network organisation represented in 35 countries internationally.

THE SWEDISH SOCIALIST PARTY RECOGNIZE THE SAHARAWI REPUBLIC

The Saharawi Women express their joys for the decison taken by the Swedish Social-Democratic Party at the end of its Congress demanding their government to stablish diplomatic relations with the Saharawi Republic, which is a state member of the continental organization: the African Union.
This is not new for us because the swedish women´s organizations have always supported the jst struggle of the saharawi people and also had strenghthen the relationship and the ties with the women of Western Sahara whom are, as they say, an example of emancipation in the arab and muslim world.
At the Party Congress of the Social Democratic Party in Sweden, there were a number of motions pleading for strong Party action to support the struggle for self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.
The party ended up demanding a Swedish recognition of Western Sahara shoud the party win the coming 2010 elections.The Party Executive had recommended Congress accept some of the demands for stronger actions, including an extended mandate for MINURSO to monitor the human rights situation in the territory, but was hesitant to exclude Western Sahara from all EU-Morocco agreements, and said no to demands for recognition.After a tough debate late Thursday 29th, however, the Congress accepted most demands in the motions, including that the Party, if they are elected to Government, will recognize the SADR, and work for a recognition within the EU.- Today's decision is historic, said Jytte Guteland, chairperson of SSU, the Youth League of the Social Democratic Party. It is a first step towards a Swedish recognition of Western Sahara, which for long has been an issue between us and the Party.- This is something we have worked for within all sections of the Party, said Johan Buser, International Leader of the SSU. Now we have to win the elections. If so,Sweden will be the first member state of the EU to recognize Western Sahara. It shows that SSU's commitment to an issue can be decisiveSSU is one of 26 member organisations of the Swedish Western Sahara Action.

SAHARAWI WOMEN CONDEMN THE MOROCCAN HYSTERIA AGAINS THE HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS

The Saharawi Women express their strongest condemnation to the daily flagrant violations of human rights in the moroccan occupied cities of Western Sahara and specially these days when the moroccan colonial authorities have detained and jailed a lot of the main saharawi human rights activists.

The International ONG,Front Line, published very recently a communique where they condemn these violations of human rights and said it is "gravely concerned" about the arrest on Thursday in Casablanca of seven Sahrawi human rights defenders and called for their "unconditional release", said a release of organization on Friday.

The international organization, based in Dublin, launched an urgent appeal for their "immediate and unconditional release" and asked to open an immediate investigation on their case.

It also noted that the defenders of human rights in the occupied territories of Western Sahara "can not carry out their legitimate human rights activism without fear of reprisal," and "are not free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.Front Line was founded in Dublin in 2001 with the aim of protecting human rights defenders at risk, that is to say, people who act in a non violent way to be respected as one or several rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as it is defined on its website.

Another flagrant example has been the detention of Soultana Kheya. The Moroccan colonial authorities prevented the Saharawi human rights activist, Sultana Khaya, Friday at the airport of El Aaiun, from travelling to Spain. The Saharawi activist was going to the European country to have some medical examinations. She was arrested at the airport, ill-treated by police during three hours interrogation by police and held on the spot held five hours in police custody before she was released very late at 01 o’clock a.m.Moroccan police agents and secret service ( DST) asked the young Saharawi activist about her relations and contacts with other Saharawi human rights defenders, about her political opinion and position on the question of Western Sahara and her relationship with the Group of the Seven activists of Human Rights abducted last Thursday in Casablanca (Morocco).Sultana Khaya, a student at the University of Marrakech was bashed by police during a peaceful demonstration in the university on May 2007, the young lady lost her right eye, and was further beaten in the ambulance that was taking her to hospital. Moroccan colonial authorities started lately a new campaign of arrest, harassment and intimidation against Saharawi human rights activists. 7 activists were detained upon their return from a visit to the Saharawi refugee camps.

AMINATOU HAIDAR IS IN A WORKING VISIT IN NIGERIA

The Saharawi Human Rights Activists, Aminatou Haidar is these days in a working visit in the sister Federal Republic of Nigeria. "The Saharawi Ghandi" as is internationally called, and and also 2009 FK Kenedy Human Rights Award is having a lot of meetings and talks with several offitial institutions and also NGO in the capital of Nigeria, Abuja and in Lagos for informing them about the warning situation in the occupied cities of Western Sahara.

The President of the Saharawi Collective of Human Rights Defenders (CODESA), Ms. Aminatou Haidar, met on Saturday morning with the President of the Nigerian movement of solidarity with the Saharawi people, Ms. Lady Ilia, in the Saharawi Embassy in Abuja. The meeting discussed the program of the week of solidarity with the Saharawi people that will be organised this week in Abuja, and which will be marked by the constitution of the first Nigerian movement of solidarity with the Saharawi people. During the meeting, Ms. Lady Ili, who is also the Deputy President of the Nigerian Labour Council (NLC/ the Nigerian Umbrella trade union), expressed her admiration and respect of the Saharawi people’s courage and legitimate struggle for independence. She recalled her visit to the Saharawi refugee camps last year and the positive impression this visit had on her as well as on the Nigerian delegation accompanying her, which was chaired by the President of the NLC, Mr. Abdulwahid Omar.

Ms. Lady Ili reiterated the principled position adopted by the Nigerian trade union, which is firmly supporting the Saharawi people’s right to self-determination and independence. On her side, the Saharawi human rights activist and ex-prisoner of conscience, Aminatou Haidar, thanked the Nigerian movement of solidarity, recalling that Nigeria was a fervent defender of all African liberation movement, including the struggle of the historic South African people against the Apartheid.The meeting was also attended from the Saharawi side, by the Saharawi Ambassador to Nigeria, Oubi Bouchraya Bachir, and the Secretary General of the Saharawi Journalists and Writers Union, Malainin Lakhal, in addition to the Nigerian Coordinator of the movement of solidarity in Nigeria, Mr. Nuhu Toro.Aminatou Haidar with the President of the Nigerian movement of solidarity

UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES HONORS KENNEDY´S EFFORTS FOR REFUGEES AMONG THEM THE SAHARAWI PEOPLE

The Saharawi Women as well as the whole people of Western Sahara are very pleased to see that the United Nations´s High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Antonio Guterres, has recognized the Senator Kennedy´s great efforts to help the refugees all over the world and specially the Saharawi refugees that are still living in refuggee camps due to the moroccan invasion and illegal occupation to the main cities of Western sahara.

Ted Kennedy was a steadfast defender of the Saharawi people’s right to determine its own future, in line with UN resolutions and international law. We are very pleased that the UN High Commissioner honors Kennedy’s effort for refugees around the world", said Ronny Hansen in The Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara.

Some of Kennedy's Western Sahara statements "Due to serious violations of the peace plan by the Government of Morocco, the [MINURSO] observers have been prevented from fostering an atmosphere of confidence and stability conducive to holding a free and fair referendum"Statement before the Senate Foreign Relations Africa Subcommittee, 1 Oct 1992."The ongoing crisis in the Western Sahara raises serious questions regarding the Government of Morocco's willingness to honor its international commitment to a free and fair referendum in the Western Sahara."Statement, January 1994"The International Court of Justice, the Organization of African Unity, the United States, and many nations throughout the world have not recognized Morocco's claim to the Western Sahara, but the Moroccan occupation continues."Statement, June 1999"Morocco gained the respect of the international community when it agreed in 1991 and again in 1997 to allow a referendum on the future of the Western Sahara. These actions demonstrated an impressive commitment to the right of self-determination for the people of the Western Sahara. The referendum is an important part of the peace process, and I hope that it will take place as soon as possible."Press release after meeting between Kennedy and King Mohammed VI, 22 June 2002.See also statement from 2000, in which Kennedy demands that US Secretary of State submits report to the Senate on progress of referendum.Time and again over several decades, Edward Kennedy championed the Western Sahara cause in the US Senate and the White House. He repeatedly criticized the US for not doing enough to pressure Morocco and strengthen the UN effort.

In 2000 he debated the issue directly with the Moroccan King, Mohammed VI. “The referendum is an important part of the peace process, and I hope that it will take place as soon as possible”, Kennedy said in a statement after the meeting. In announcing the 2009 Nansen award, UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said: "Senator Kennedy stood out as a forceful advocate for those who suddenly found themselves with no voice and no rights. Year after year, conflict after conflict, he put the plight of refugees on the agenda and drove through policies that saved and shaped countless lives.

"The Nansen Refugee Award is given annually to an individual or organization for outstanding work on behalf of refugees. Funded by Norway and Switzerland it was created in 1954 in honor of Fridtjof Nansen, the legendary Norwegian polar explorer and scientist, and the first High Commissioner for Refugees. In this role, he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922.

Kennedy made an enormous effort to put the Western Sahara issue on the political agenda. In 2008 he helped award the Saharawi human rights activist Aminatou Haidar the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award. "We have lost a loud and clear voice for the Saharawi people, but rejoice today in celebration of his life and service", said Hansen.

SINGER AAZIZA BRAHIM IN THE LONDON AFRICAN MUSICAL FESTIVAL

The Saharawi women express their warmest congratulation for the saharawi singer Aziza Brahim for her wonderful participation this past week-end and for the first time at the London African Music Festival
The young Saharawi singer has given a great concert in the Queen Elizabeth Hall in the framework of the London african Musical Festival in the british capital, London.

The Saharwi singer sings about the plight of her people, and dedicates all her songs to their struggle. Her songs titles say a lot about her engagement, when she sang for “Peace”; “sons of the clouds”; “the battle of Guelta”; “memory of the tanks”; and the song “return” to her people resisting for their right of self-determination and independence and above all the Saharawi people leaving the occupied territories of Western Sahara.

Commenting on this widely appreciated concert, Mr. Y. Lamine Baali, estimated that “this performance of the Saharawi raising star, Azizza Brahim, will undoubtedly contribute in making sure that the Saharawi culture is gradually taking its right place among other African cultures, music in particular, on the international level”.

In the backstage, the Saharawi singer meet with many MPs, diplomats, journalists and representatives of NGOs and activists of the UK Western Sahara campaign, in addition to students organizations and gave an interview to the BBC .

Since 2003 the London African Music Festival has been at the forefront of new African music and this year is no exception, with the festival featuring true legends – Oliver Mtukudzi, Lord Eric Sugumugu, the leader of the mighty Master Drummers of Africa, who premiers his new acoustic group, and maverick jazz organist Ed Bentley who leads his new high energy group that fuses hi-life with funk and jazz solos. As always the festival features women leaders with this year’s stars including The Yoruba Women Choir, Uganda’s diva Rachel Magoola, contemporary jazz saxophonist YolanDa Brown and Hilary Mwelwa leads her remarkable group, Hil St Soul. Tanzanian Fayyaz Virji’s trombone sound has been heard with everyone from Ray Charles to Jools Holland to The African Jazz Allstastars N’Faly Kouyate,Ba Cissoko and Prince Diabate Kora Trio.Guitarist Kunle Olasoju .El- Andaluz features the elite team of Yazid Fentazi,Karim Dellali, Frank Biddulphm hamid Bouri Anna Mudeka whom been considered as a brilliant singer of immense power will show her best at this event.

Lord Eric Sugumugu Acoustic Soul, the leader of the might Master Drummers of Africa will bring his new acoustic project to the UK for the first time. The Cameroonian bassist Sam Djengue Deep is one of the key musicians in African music in Europe .

And from Uganda Rachel Magoola will contribute in putting Ugandan music on the international map with her breathtaking mix African cross rhythms and deep funk grooves. And the Africa’s finest soul singer Hilary Mwelwa and her band Hil St Soul fuse R&B Soul, Western pop and African rhythms to create a unique sound that shines brightly in five studio albums.

Once again, we would like to congratulate this brave young saharawi singer for their efforts to "spread the word" about the just struggle for peace and justice in the Africa´s last colony: Western Sahara and the great role that are playing the saharawi women in this cause.

SAHARAWI MOTHER AND HER DAUGHTER VICTIMS OF A MURDER

The Saharawi Women very forceful condemn the murder of a saharawi woman and her daughter in saharawi occupied city of Dakhla, southern part of Western Sahara.

A Moroccan settler named Brahim Sayeh, who worked for the family of Hamma Menni as pastor, murdered Saturday morning the mother of the family, Salma mint Abdallah (80 years) and her daughter Demba Hamma, while they were asleep, reported a source of the Ministry of Occupied Territories and Saharawi Community Abroad.

The offender committed his crimes around 4 o’clock am, throwing a large stone on the head of the mother of the family who died on the scene before he went to her daughter, raped her and cut her throat stabbing her in the back and subsequently escaping, leaving behind the victims in a deplorable situation, the same source regretted.

The criminal took advantage of the absence of the son of the family moving to the locality of Toaulat, located 60 kilometres northeast of Dakhla, where his family used to go bring their needs, according to the same source.

The victims were discovered about 14 hours after the assassination, by a passers-by who was appalled by these "criminal" actions and hurried to the town to call for rescue, the source added.At least, nine Sahrawi citizens had died in similar circumstances, including three old people knocked by a Moroccan military who drove a truck in the streets of the occupied city of Dakhla, in December 2005.

The victims are: Laamor Sidi Brahim, Taleb Oul Ali Menna and Mohamed Lehsan Sidi Brahim. Since the outbreak of the intifada in May 2005, the Moroccan troops in Western Sahara and Southern Morocco also had committed other crimes after the death of Hamdi Lembarki under torture October 30, 2005 and Likhlifi Abba Cheikh, assassinated by a military near his home December 3, 2005.

In September 2007, young Saharawi Sidha Lehbib Ould Abdelaziz, died in a car that carried him to a psychiatrist at the centre of the city of Agadir (Southern Morocco), because of the "savage torture" that ‘he suffered during the journey, by the Moroccan forces of repression.The last victim was in December 2008 when two Sahrawi students: Houssein Abdessadik Alkteyif and Khaya Baba Abdelaziz died after being driven on by a Moroccan driving a bus at Agadir bus station, the same source recalled.

"TALK TOGETHER" CONDEMNS THE GREAT VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE OCCUPIED WESTERN SAHARA

Voices from all over the world are expressing their strongest condemnation to the continous repression against the peaceful people of Western Sahara in the occupied territories by morocco and also condemn the great violations of human rights in the occupied cities of the Africa´s last colony.
The British organisation, Talk Together, expressed deep concerns about the abduction and torture of two Saharawi young students, El Haouasi Nguia, a 19-year-old and Choummad Razouk, in a press release issued Sunday.The organisation, which runs programmes that bring together different sides of a conflict, to discuss their differences, said it is “deeply concerned by reports that a second member of its group of Layounne participants has been abducted and beaten by police”, reffering to the 20 years old student, Razouk Choummad, and El Haouasi Nguia, a 19-year-old young woman.Choummad, as it was well reported, was abducted by police on September 2, “blind folded, undressed, tortured for 5 hours, and covered in a liquid which he was told was petrol”.

The case of Choummad comes a week after his fellow participant, El Haouasi Nguia, a 19-year-old woman, was abducted, stripped, beaten and threatened with rape. She was also told by her Moroccan torturers “that the footage of the attack would be posted on the internet if she failed to renounce her political opinions and activities. Both students were reportedly quizzed about their planned attendance at the Talk Together programme”, Talk Together’s press release writes. The two young student were due to travel to the UK last month “to take part in the Talk Together conflict resolution course focussing on Western Sahara. A group of six young people from Layounne were prevented from boarding their plane at Agadir airport in Morocco, and subsequently detained and allegedly beaten by the authorities.

A second group of seven Moroccan students, plus their group leader, was also prevented from travelling from Casablanca”.“Talk Together is concerned for the well-being of both groups of young people and has sought advice from Amnesty International regarding their situation. Talk Together has written to the Moroccan authorities asking for clarification on the interventions which prevented the two groups from travelling to Oxford.
It is also requesting that the Layounne and Moroccan groups are reassured they will not be subjected to further attention from the authorities”, the press release further says.

Due to the absence of the Saharawi group from the occupied zones, and the Moroccan group because of the Moroccan authorities, only twenty two participants from the Saharawi refugee camps, and students from seven nationalities participated to a two week course about conflict resolution in Oxford.

These participants, Talk Together says “are now working on their projects to improve the situation”.

SAHARAWI TEENAGER HAIR-RAISING´S TESTIMONY IN YOU TOUBE

The Saharawi Women´s Human Rights Department express their strongest condemnation to the great violations of human rights perpetrated by the moroccan authorities in the occupied cities of Western Sahara.

The young Saharawi student, Nguia El Houasi, appears in a video on You Tube, telling the story of her abduction and torture by Moroccan police last August 27.

The video is in Hassaniya Arabic, you can watch it below with an English translation of what she says:

My name is Nguia El HaouasiI was arrested several times, and the latest abduction was conducted on August 27th, 2009.

Last Thursday, I was on a visit to Hasanna Aliya, saharawi activist, who was tortured by Moroccan police in the city of Tantan. After I left the house along with my friends Hayat Rguibi and Sadani Aliya. After getting out of the house, a police car stopped nearby and was a Landrover model 110.T the officer on-board was Aziz Anouch and his colleague officer Khalid Barakat forced me into the car, and then drove me to the bank river of Sakia El Hamra near the middle school Allal ben abdalla. They handed me over to other police officers in plain clothes who joined us soon after my abduction. They blindfolded my eyes, and began to beat me brutally while using verbal abusive, cursing. Many other police agents joined the existing police gang namely agents belonging to DAG, DST Moroccan secret services. I did not see them, but I distinguished their voices and they asked my many questions such as: What are the dialogues that take place amongst the Saharawis on the return of the saharawi Ould Suelem From the refugee camps?I told him I was not in the city of Laayoune at this time. I was in the city of Agadir.Then they asked me: What do you think regarding this subject of defectors, such as Ould Suelem?I told them that the Polisario was very democratic, and they do not know any form of dictatorship, and that Polisario gives everyone the right to go wherever they like and not like you Moroccans who prevented us from travelling to Britain, and kept us at the airport in el Masira in Agadir. We were going to join the program Talk Together on behalf of the young Sahrawi generations in the occupied Territory, and you the Moroccans, you showed the world that you are dictators. You did not let us travel, and travelling is a human right. After I told them these Answers, they went mad..They said that the Saharawi human rights activists who incites us to engage in peaceful demonstrations, and they are the ones who support us and who give us national flags to raise during the demonstrations.I replied that nobody does incites us, and we do all this only for the defence of our cause and our right and we simply express our views and that it is spontaneous. Then they asked me about the peaceful demonstrations that I supposedly organized in the neighbourhood of Matallah district in Laayoune and who was in it. The officers beat me more in an attempt to make me tell them the names of persons involved. I told them that all the Saharawi people take part in the uprisings, and I do not know any one of them. There are young people, children and women and I was there to express my opinion and I had my flag Like all the Sahrawis. He told me now we will record a video, and we need you to say that it is the Sahrawi human rights activists who incite you to participate and organise these demonstrations and that they are just a group of separatists.After refusing to say these lies, I was asked to strip off my clothes and I refused. They took me down from the car and torn down my clothes leaving me naked in front of their ferocious eyes. All this was done while they were video-taping everything. They beat me in every part of my body. Under the psychological and physical torture and agreed to what I was asked to say.They only gave me my malhfa (Sahrawi women cloth), and blindfoldedme again and more torture followed.When they were filming me, there was a man who asked me all these questions while hiding his face, and they called him by his alias name so that I could not identify him, I am sure he was a VIP government servant. They say that they were filming me to show the world that they maintain security. They threatened me to publish it on the net and expose my body to all the world to scandalize me.I call upon international organizations to intervene to stop violations that occur daily in the occupied territories of Western Sahara, where the Moroccan authorities have also a former political prisoner Loumadi Abd Salam, Who was arrested just two days before me plus what they did to Hayat Rguibi and Hasanna Aliya just recently, and Naama Asfari. Morocco has violated human rights in many ways, where the Moroccan forces filmed sessions of Sahrawi citizens under torture and pressure. We do not bear all this and we are being watched in every place and our houses are besieged and controlled. We can not tolerate this situation anymore. The Minurso are there but they are doing nothing at all to help us. They do nothing to stop the ongoing violations of human rights, and we urge the United Nations to intervene to stop the torture exerted on our people. We need international monitoring and protection. The International community is doing nothing so far to stop this drama. We ask all civil societies in the world and all defenders of human rights to help us and to stop the mass violations committed by the Moroccan occupation forces towards the people of Western Sahara.

SAHARAWI WOMEN´S REPRENTATIVE IN AN IMPORTANT EVENT IN ITALY

At the request of an invitation of the Italian Committee of Solidarity with the Saharawi Peple in Sesto Fiorentino (Florence Provence), Zahra Ramdán, Member of the Executive Board of the National Union of Saharawi Women, has attended yesterday, September 1st, an important event that took place in the mentioned italian town in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Twin-City Agreement between the italian city of Sesto Fiorentino and the saharawi town of Mahbes.The event was chaired by the Vice-President of the Toscana Region, Mr. Federico Gelli, the President of the Province of Florence, Mr. Andrea Barducci, the Mair of Sesto Fiorentino, Mr. Gianni Gianassi, the Reprentative of the Saharawi People in the italian rerion of Toscana, Mr. Dan Hedi and other regional and local authorities.

The Mair of Sesto Fiorentino and the Saharawi Women´s Representative have inaugurated a commerative plaque in occassion of this historical event. The Mair has said among other things: "We have adopted this inniciative of hanging this commerative plaque in the entrance of our institution for expressing our total solidarity and friendship with the saharawi people and for reaffirming our conviction in our principles of respect of human rights and freedom and justice".

When the Saharawi Women´s Reprentative took the floor, she said: "On behalf of the Saharawi People I would like to express our deepest thanks for the continous support to the just struggle of the people of Western Sahara and the great actions of solidarity and friendship made by the Municipality and the people of Sesto Fiorentino with my people whom never can forget the support and solidarity from the beginning of the struggle for self-determination and independence. We express our deep gratitude and reaffirm to you our strong determination in continuing struggling for the respect of our legitimate rights for freedom and independence".

Mrs. Ramdan also said that the saharawi women play an important role in the struggle of the saharawi people for selfdetermination, for the right to decide on the future of their home country. Women played a vital role in the saharawi refugee camps and also in the occupied zones of Western Sahara. They have broken with the western stereotypes about the arab and muslim women. Sahara Women are really an example of emancipation and the struggle for equal rights between women and men. With this symbolic event we reaffirm to the world that they must support the struggle of the saharawi people for peace and justice.

WE CONDEMN THE GREAT VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE OCCUPIED CITIES OF WESTERN SAHARA

The Saharawi Women want to express their fourceful condemnation to the continous violations of human rights perpetrated by the moroccan army in the occupied cities of Western Sahra. The moroccan police abducts torture and leave a sahrawi minor naked in the outskirts of the occupied city of El Aaiun. This young saharawi girl is Enguía El Hawassi.

Sources from the occupied capital of Western Sahara, El Aaiun, indicated to UPES that the Moroccan police abducted, tortured and left the Saharawi girl, Nguia El Haouassi, in the outskirts of the city.The 19 years old girl, it should be recalled was one of the six Saharawi students who were supposed to participate to a students encounter organised last August 5 to 18 by the British organisation Talk Together in Oxford.

The young girl told human rights defenders that she was stopped by Moroccan police, headed by the famous Moroccan torturer, Aziz Anouch, around 9 o’clock in the evening, while she was walking in the street in Matallah especially that in the nights of Ramadan citizens stay late in the streets.The policemen forced her in their car and blindfolded her.

They drove her to an unknown place outside the city, naked her and started beating her and insulting her, threatening her of rape if she doesn’t cooperate.According to her testimony, her torturers were asking about the reasons behind her attention to participate to the Oxford youth encounter organised by Talk Together, her relation with Saharawi human rights activists and her political opinion about the Moroccan occupation and the independence of Western Sahara.She also confirmed that all the interrogatory was filmed, and that an officer told her that he will make sure that the film is put on the internet, and that next time he will himself make sure to kill her with his own hands if she doesn’t give up her political opinions and her activities as a student in secondary schools against the Moroccan occupation.

After five hours torture, the torturers left Nguia alone in the dark at about 2 o’clock in the morning, completely naked. She had to walk and fortunately found a Saharawi family to help her and take her to El Aaiun to her family house.

It should be recalled that this is not the first time Nguia is arrested and tortured, she had many bad experiences with the Moroccan police since she was 14, but she had always refused to submit to the colonisers will, and is always heading demonstrations and confrontations with the Moroccan authorities in the occupied city of El Aaiun.

Last August, Nguia El Haouassi was prevented along with five other Saharawi youth from travelling to Oxford, London, where they were expected to participate to a youth debate about the conflict in Western Sahara.The six Saharawi students were then arrested, beaten and forcibly deported in police cars from the airport of Agadir to El Aaiun.

Amnesty International registered the case then, but no further action was undertaken by international organisations to protect these young students who had been threatened and intimidated by the Moroccan police, who will certainly take revenge of them later, Saharawi human rights defenders estimate.

THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL COURAGE PRIZE FOR AMINETOU HAIDAR

The Saharawi Women would like to express to Mrs. Haidar their deepest congratulations for the prize that an american organization is going to award her in recognition of her peaceful struggle for peace and justice in the Africa´s last colony: Western Sahara.
Former Saharawi political prisoner and human rights defender, Aminatou Haidar, will be rewarded a 2009 Civil Courage Prize, as the champion of non-violent resistance in Western Sahara, in an Award Ceremony that will be held in New York City on October 20, 2009, Train Foundation announced Monday.

According to a statement released by the Organization, Ms. Haidar is a courageous campaigner for self-determination of Western Sahara, as well as against forced "disappearances" and abuses of prisoners of conscience.

Regularly referred to as the "Saharawi Gandhi," Ms. Haidar is one of Western Sahara’s most prominent human rights defenders.Her peaceful efforts have been met with increased police aggression and brutality. In 1987, at the age of 21, Ms. Haidar was one of 700 peaceful protestors arrested for participating in a rally in support of a referendum. Later she was "disappeared" without charge or trial and held in secret detention centres for four years, where she and 17 other Saharawi women were tortured.

In 2005, the Moroccan police detained and beaten her after another peaceful demonstration. She was released after 7 months, thanks to international pressure form groups like Amnesty International and European Parliament.Since then, Ms. Haidar has travelled the globe to expose the Moroccan military’s heavy-handed approach and to plead for the Saharawi People’s right to self-determination.

Her efforts helped change the Moroccan government’s violent tactics for dispersing pro-independence demonstrations. Unfortunately, the torture and harassment of Saharawi human rights defenders continues.Ms. Haidar was born in 1967 in El Aaiun, Western Sahara. She is the mother of two children and holds a baccalaureate in Modern Literature.

She has been awarded the 2008 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, the 2007 Silver Rose Award (Austria), and the 2006 Juan Maria Bandres Human Rights Award (Spain). She was nominated by the European Parliament to the Andrei Sakarov Human Rights Award. Amnesty International (USA Branch) nominated her for the Ginetta Sagan Fund Award. She was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, the statement added.

The international Civil Courage Prize, has been sponsored, Since 2000, by the Train Foundation (formerly the Northcote Parkinson Fund), established by the Hon. John Train in 1987, honours extraordinary individuals whose acts, undertaken deliberately, over time, have demonstrated "steadfast resistance to evil at great personal risk." The Train Foundation will continue this initiative in cooperation with like-minded organizations world-wide.

SOULTANA KHEYA RETURNS TO HER HOMELAND

The saharawi Women would like to express their great happiness for the young saharawi human rights activist´s return, Soultana Kheya, to her homeland after two long year of medical treatment overseas.

Yesterday, tuesday, August 18th, took and airplane and landed in the occupied El Aaiún´s Airport where she was received as a hero by great number of colleagues, friends and family.

Soultana Kheya is considered an example of brave woman because because since her chidhood she was always struggling for justice and peace for the saharawi people.

She was seriously injuried in a peaceful demonstration organized by the saharawi university student in the moroccan city of Marrakech and where the moroccan army brutally repressed the demonstration and Soultana Kheya lost her right-eye.

Althought that the moroccan authorities tried to block the entrance to some saharawis in the Aaiún´s Airport, a lot of saharawi women and gentlemen received her at the terminal and she put her saharawi national flag in her neck as always she does.

The moroccan soldiers continued to controlled all their movements and sorrounded the Bugaga´s family´s house in El-Aaiún´s downtown, where a great number of saharawi human rights activists organized a great popular welcoming to these heroic daughter of the saharawi people who sacrificed her life for the freedom and justice of her people.

SAHARAWI WOMEN´S REPRESENTATIVE VISITS AUSTRALIA

Fatma Mahfoud, known also as Fatimel-lu, whom is Member of the International Relations Commission of the our women´s organizationa: National Union of Saharawi Women, visited Australia, August, to tell the story of the Western Sahara conflict from a Saharawi woman’s point of view.

During her visit to Melbourne Fatma met with members of the Victorian Parliamentary Amnesty Group, with members of the Upper House of Victorian State Parliament, with councillors from the municipality of the Yarra and with a group of NGOs based in Melbourne. She also participated in a public meeting and a screening of a documentary held at Kino Cinema.

During her visit to Sydney Fatima Mahfoudh participated along with the Saharawi representative to Australia in a seminar held at Macquarie University on Western Sahara. The seminar was attended by many students and lecturers of the university.The Saharawi women representative spoke during a round table organised at Toxteth in Sydney on Western Sahara. Among other speakers during the meeting were the former President of NSW Legislative Council, Dr. Meredith Burgmann and the Polisario Representative to Australia.

In her speech during the meeting Fatima Mahfoud explained that Saharawi women are respected and acknowledged as playing significant leadership roles in Saharawi society. In particular they are crucial to the effective functioning of the refugee camps.

There are women ministers and many women in senior positions within the structures of the government who have power and authority. She also under that literacy rates in the Saharawi refugee camps are amongst the highest in Africa.

THE SAHARAWI WOMEN HAVE A LOT OF HOPE IN THE RECENT PEACE-TALKS

The Saharawi Women and the great majority of the people of Western Sahara have a lot of hope in the very Peace-Talks that has taken place in the Austrian city of Duernstein between the two belligerant in the conflict of the last colony in the african continent: Morocco and POLISARO Front (liberation movement recognized all over the world as thesole representative of the people of Western Sahara).
Polisario Front and Morocco have agreed to the publication of statement, read to the press by Christopher Ross concluding the meeting between the two parties in the Austrian town of Duernstein, on August 10 and 11, that the Polisario Front and Morocco have renewed their determination to continue negotiations as soon as possible.The discussions took place only between the delegations of Polisario Front and Morocco and covered the assessment of rounds of negotiations in Manhasset, how to implement resolution 1871 of the Security Council and confidence measures, which are fundamental issue of human rights.

These discussions took place in "an atmosphere of sincere commitment, openness and mutual respect", according to the statement.
Both parties in conflict, the Polisario Front and Morocco reiterated their determination to continue negotiations as soon as possible, and the personal Envoy will fix the date and venue of the next meeting in consultation with the parties, the same source added.

Delegations of neighbouring countries, Algeria and Mauritania, were also present at the opening and closing sessions and were consulted separately during the talks.

Following these meetings, the United Nations Secretary General Personal Envoy, Mr. Christopher Ross and delegations would like to thank the Government of the Republic of Austria for its generous hospitality.

The british newspaper "The Guardian" has just published a very interesting article written by the Saharawi Leader, Emhamed Khaddad. Under the tittle of "We seek no revenge – only Peace" the also Saharawi Coordinator with MINURSO says in his article:
The people of Western Sahara stand prepared to engage with Morocco and to enter open discussions about our joint future.A new round of talks between the kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front of Western Sahara are under way in Vienna, Austria. These talks, characterised as informal by the personal envoy of the UN secretary general, Christopher Ross, are the latest attempt to bring peace and security to Western Sahara and to the wider Maghreb region.

We enter them with an unwavering and genuine commitment to finding a just, mutually acceptable and democratic solution. Will our Moroccan counterparts adopt the same approach?In every circumstance, peace comes at a cost. Somehow, somewhere, there must be a compromise and someone, generally everyone, must be prepared to search for common ground and to yield to the higher ideals found there. For the people of Western Sahara, the price of peace is high. We have been occupied for over three decades, following an illegal annexation by the Moroccan kingdom. We have seen our natural resources become unethical trade boons to the Moroccan economy while our people languish in refugee camps, unable, or too afraid, to return home.Yet, rather than seek to exercise a sense of revenge or frustration, we stand prepared to engage with Morocco and to enter open discussions about our joint future. This is long-established policy. In our statement to the UN security council in 2007, we stated we would guarantee "the rights and obligations of the Moroccan population in Western Sahara". We also put on the public record that our readiness "to participate with Morocco and the countries of the region in the maintenance of peace, stability and security for the whole region.

"The people of Western Sahara remain committed to the self-determination process initiated by the UN nearly 50 years ago, and have backed ever since via various resolutions and statements. For instance, we recall the security council resolved in 2002 to express "its readiness to consider any approach which provides for self-determination". It is not clear how or where Morocco’s proposal for autonomy within the Moroccan state fits in with this basic agenda.

A unilateral solution to a three-decade-long conflict, as is proposed by Morocco, is not only farcical, it is an option the community of democratic nations cannot countenance.The people of Western Sahara have been clear that we are willing to work with the Moroccan monarchy and will act without recrimination in relation to Moroccans now living in Western Sahara. We are aware we do not choose our neighbours and so we are destined to share a border. This is a form of realpolitik that makes sense at all levels. We do not seek any victories over Morocco, we only seek parity. We aim to co-operate in economic and security matters, as any decent neighbour would be expected to do.For Morocco, the benefits of good relations with a free and democratic Western Sahara are immense.

The massive costs of its military occupation have been estimated at 3% of Morocco’s GDP. Analysts suggest the military costs in keeping some 150,000 troops in the occupied territories alone is over $153bn (£92.3bn) since 1975, or around $12m (£7.2m) for every day it has occupied Western Sahara. As a result of this extraordinary outlay, Morocco has the world’s fifth highest proportional spend on its military. Moreover, the long-touted Maghreb union, which has faltered for decades on the back of the Western Saharan dispute, would at last be free of this considerable obstacle to better relations.

Quite apart from the damaging moral position Morocco maintains in Western Sahara, ending this money drain must surely be a priority for Rabat and its often impoverished people, as must the prospect of awakening the sleeping giant of North African economic unity. The UN’s way is the only way forward. A referendum on self-determination, a fundamental mechanism for all UN-mandated colonies – as Western Sahara is – is the only viable means of engendering anything like a sustainable common ground. The future of the Sahrawi people must be in their own hands, not in any institution and it is certainly not the right of an invading power, maintaining an illegal and unjust regime.

As we enter these talks we favour the open-palm approach of US president Barack Obama. We are willing to pay the price of peace as an investment in our future. That is our stated agenda going into the Vienna talks. The people of Western Sahara deserve nothing less from us, for it is peace and freedom we crave most of all.