20.07.96
Illegal detention
According to informations of the AFAPREDESA, eight Sahrawi prisoners
of conscience, who should be liberated after the end of their
punishment in May 14th, are still jailed in the prison of Sale
(Morocco). They are:
The AFAPREDESA (Association of families of prisoners and
disappeared Sahrawis) remembers that these young people were arrested
after peacefull manifestations in El Ayoun on
May 11th 1995. After a trial before the military court of Rabat in
June 1995, they were condemned to sentences of 15 to 20 years of
jail. On July 8th 1995 King Hassan II announced the commutation of
the penalties to one year of prison. The AFAPREDESA considers this
detention as illegal. It condemns forcefully this violation of human
rights and appeals to the international community to call for
immediate and unconditionnal release of these eight young
Sahrawis.
22.07.96
Holiday in Europe for 6000 Sahrawi children
Traditionnally the european solidarity groups invite every summer
Sahrawi children to spend some weeks in different European
countries.
24.07.96
UN: session of the 4th Committee (Decolonization)
The Committee heared 2 reports on Western Sahara. The Vice-President
of the International Liberal Union, Fernando Garcia, Spain, explained
the last resolution of the Congress of his organisation, asking UN to
organize the self-determination referendum. Garcia declared his
country "is indebted to this colony, illegaly transmitted to a third
party at a particularly difficult time of our history." In his
intervention the representative of the Polisario Front declared his
organisation "has proves of secret interventions of some countries to
help Morocco in hindering the diplomatic advances of the Sahrawi
cause". Mr. Boukhari affirmed also: "the obligingness of UN in front
of the Moroccan intransigence allowed the violation of the peace plan
and the introduction of electoral criterias in favor of Morocco.
(...) If, to the obligingness of those in charge of the
implementation of the UN mandate, comes their partiality, we
understand why under the actual conditions a fair and free referendum
cannot take place.(...) The UN members have to take decisions,"
concluded Mr. Boukhari.
25.07.96
Thanks
Benou Mohamed Sidi El Mustapha, former political prisoner, condemned
on July 29 1993 to 20 years of jail, has written to us: "I joined my
family and friends in the refugee camps (....) to end the hunt down
by police I was subjected since my so-called liberation on first of
May 1996 (...). I sincerely thanks from my heart of hearts all
individuals and organisations for their efforts to impose the respect
of human rights in Western Sahara and Morocco...".
25.07.96
Secret meeting
According to a dispatch from a Middle Eastern agency, forwarded by
EFE, denied by UN officials, the Moroccan Minister of Interior Driss
Basri and Polisario "number 2" Bachir Mustafa Sayed met somewhere.
The two responsibles should have found an agreement about the
resumption of the identification process.
22-28.07.96
International festival of IUSY in Germany
A numerous Sahrawi delegation participates in Bonn to the festival of
the International Union of Socialist Youth. In workshops the Western
Sahara question ws discussed, Sahrawi musicians and dancers gave a
folcloric show. The UJSARIO regrets that, because of the absence of
the Moroccan delegation of USFP youth, the dialog, initiated in Italy
and Cyprus under the care of IUSY could
not go on.