Sunday, October 11, 2009

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.

Monday, October 5, 2009

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