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
