AMNISTY INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNS VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN OCCCUPIDED WESTERN SAHARA

Saharawi Women express their full support to the last Amnesty International´s Report in which once again has condemned the flagrant violations of human rights in the occupided cities of Western Sahara.

The Saharawi Women express their deeep concern on the constant violations of the most basics human rights of the saharawi populations in the occupided cities and towns of Western sahara, ilegally occupided by kingdom of Morocco since its military invasion at the end of the year 1.975.

Amnesty International (AI) has denounced, in its 2011 report on the state of human rights in the Middle East and North Africa, the repression practiced by the Moroccan forces in Western Sahara.

“The Freedom of expression, association and assembly has been restricted, especially on issues relating to political sensitivity, such as the question of Western Sahara,” the report asserted.

It noted that the Sahrawi human rights activists were harassed and persecuted for political reasons during 2011, adding “dozens of people suspected of security offenses were detained and some, held in communicate, reportedly been tortured or abused.”

“The arrests and collective expulsions of foreigners continued. Death sentences were imposed and no executions have taken place. No action has been taken to bring to justice the perpetrators of gross human rights violations committed in the past," the report said.

AI underlined the negotiations on the status of Western Sahara between the Polisario Front and Morocco “were still deadlocked”, adding the UN Security Council renewed the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) on last April, without including “a mechanism to monitor the human rights situation.”

The report pointed that the Moroccan security forces dismantled on November 8, 2010 by using force a protest camp for the Saharawis in Gdeim Izik, near occupied city of El Aaiun, which settled to protest against marginalization policy as well as demand jobs and housing, confirming killings and injuries among the Saharawis.

WESTERN SAHARA´S INTERNATIONAL CINEMA FESTIVAL

The Saharawi Women are very thankful for the hundreds of actors, Film-makers, actrisses, producers and persons in general who are trying to give awareness on the injustice that is facing the saharawi pwople for over 35 years due the illegal occupation of the kingdom of Morocco to Western Sahara.

The Saharawi Minister of Culture, Mrs.Khadija Hamdi, affiemed in a press conference that the eighth edition of International Film Festival of Western Sahara (FISAHARA) brings a new vision of solidarity with the Saharawi people for the recovery of its legitimate rights to self-determination and independence.

Mrs. Khadija Hamdi, who hosted Monday a press conference at the offices of the Ministryof Culture on the eve of the opening of Fisahara, declared that "the objectives of the festival were designed to expand the solidarity movement with the Sahrawi cause and support the international network of artists and intellectuals, known as "Together with Sahara."

"Our action aim at finding new forms of art to give to the cinema the humanitarian and political spirit through the projection of movies in refugee camps, to enable the Saharawi youth to discover the cinematographic art," she added.

The eighth  edition of FISAHA which coincides with the regional festival of culture and folk art, is presenting long and short films from around the world, documentaries and a series of movies devoted specially to the theme of the Western Sahara, underlined the minister.

A wide numbers of artists and people from all over the world are these days in the Refugee Camp of Dakhla  taking part in this new FISARA´s edition, the minister affirmed, adding that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is the guest of honor at the eighth edition of the International Cinema Festival in the Saharawi Refugee Camps.