Saharawi Human Rights Activists

Original Arabic Communiqué (word file)

translation/résumé english by ML.

Communiqué

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that: "Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State" (Article 13, P.1)

The Moroccan State is still perpetrating human rights violations in Western Sahara, as usual. Saharawi human rights activists are not only victims to arrests, kidnappings, judging, deporting, enforced redundancy, confiscation of passports and restrictions put on their right to defend their beliefs, they are also victims of intimidation, closely watched and their movement constrained.

A situation that contradicts the Moroccan claims of promoting and instituting the State of Law and justice, and that it transcended the years of sufferings and cruelty after the constitution of the so-called committee of reconciliation and equity.

Saharawi human rights activists were victims to abuses of their rights in Smara in 10/08/2004. Ali Salem Tamek was the victim of another abuse in Tan Tan few times after. And now Moroccan authorities committed another human rights abuse in Boujdour in 17/08/2004 against Human rights' activists: Sidi Mohamed Daddach, Hmad Hammad and El Arbi Massoud, who were planning to pay a visit to Boujdour to meet with Saharawi families coming from Saharawi refugees camps, who are visiting Boujdour within the framework of the UN supervised families visits from the 13 to the 18 08/2004.

In their way to Boujdour, the three human rights activists were stopped by three gendarmesí cordon where they were registered and interrogated. The same thing happened to them at the entry of the city, and they were further closely watched and followed during their movement by 8 cars of the different security corps.

Further they were forbidden from visiting the visiting Saharawi refugees in their hosting families, and some of the families were intimidated and warned of all possible bad consequences if they let the activists meet with these visitors.

An example of this case took place at the house of Mr. Ahmed Abaid, where the family did not allow them in because of a notice and threatening it received from the Moroccan authorities, though one of the visitors from the camps broke this siege and insisted on congratulating the activists despite of the attempts of the security agents.

And during all the movements of the activists in Boujdour, the authorities were tracking their car, intimidating each family the activists try to visit, and menacing anyone who let them in his house.

The following cars were thus used by the authorities for this reason:

A white "ponco"(phonetic transcription) matriculated 9014212 belonging to the DAG.
A white "Palio" matriculated 127864 belonging to the DAG.
A green "Peugeot" matriculated 8752/1/4 belonging to the PJ
A car belonging to the police matriculated 129078 driven by Colonel Saaid Oubourk.
A white "Palioí" matriculated 138471.
A "Land rover 110" matriculated 16492/2/21 belonging to the DST.

After failing in putting an end to the movement of the activists, the authorities proceeded to stopping their car in the city accusing them of speed access, and asking for their papers toi subject them to the normal procedures. The activists complained against this act and went to the residence of the Governor to protest but were stopped by the DST agents who ordered the resident's guards not to let them in.

The activists then began quarrels with the authorities in the streets in front of the population to cause trouble to the authorities and to raise the awareness of the citizens to such intimidating acts.

For all this, and after condemning these serious human rights abuses that all laws and even Moroccan law prohibit and deploring the deteriorating situation of human rights in Western Sahara, Saharawi human rights activists address this communiqué to:

  1. Call the UNHCR to provide Saharawi families in occupied territories with the necessary protection against the intimidations they are subjected to because of their hosting of visiting families from refugees camps.
  2. Call the MINURSO to protect Saharawi human rights activists who are now threatened in their lives and future in Western Sahara.
  3. Call all Saharawi citizens to condemn and denounce the cruel practices perpetrated by Moroccan authorities against Saharawi population.
  4. Declare their engagement in defending human rights with all means and their decision to adopt new ways of struggling for the same purpose.

Signed by the Saharawi Human Rights Activists

19.08.04

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