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.