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WEEKLY NEWS |
original french
23.-29.06.2002
SADR
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
MOROCCO
SOLIDARITY
FORTHCOMING
INTERNET
NEW PUBLICATIONS
SADR
25.06.02
SADR &endash; Belgium
The Saharawi President drew the attention of the Belgium prime
minister to the "seriousness of the situation resulting from the
illegal occupation of Western Sahara" in a letter. This letter
reached Guy Verhofstadt during the Moroccan prime minister's visit to
Belgium. The President of the SADR felt that the EU "must speak out
more clearly in defense of the Saharawi people's legitimate right to
self-determination". The Saharawi President noted "a hardening of
Morocco's colonial policy in Western Sahara", demanded "the freezing
of contracts for the exploration and exploitation" of Western
Sahara's natural resources for as long as the decolonisation process
"has not been duly completed by the UN", and finally underlined that
EU members "cease arms sales that will aid Morocco's occupation
policy". Belgium and the Fifteen "must demand that the Moroccan
government respects international law and human rights, and that it
ceases arbitrary detention, torture and unfair trials".
(SPS)
26.06.02
Prisoners of War
According to a report from Europa Press, the ICRC estimated that the
release of 100 Moroccan prisoners would not be possible before
mid-July. The delay is due, according to the ICRC's Sahara officer
Jane Sorensen, to the need to select the prisoners to be released,
who will be chosen according to the length of their imprisonment and
their state of health. Once the selection has been made, the ICRC
will meet with them to ensure that they genuinely want to return to
Morocco. (EP)
26.06.02
National Secretariat
The POLISARIO Front's National Secretariat, meeting in ordinary
session, appealed to the UN Security Council to "name a definite date
for the holding of the referendum on self-determination for the
Saharawi people", and to put an end to the politics of "repetitive
reports", that "prolongs the suffering of the Saharawi people and
perpetuates tension in the region". The SN decided to put off the
11th Congress of the POLISARIO Front until next year, although in
principle it is held every three years. The SN also noted and
acknowledged the position of the Spanish state and Spanish political
groups in favour of the UN Peace plan. (Communiqué
French,
Spanish)
(SPS)
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
19.06.02
Violence
According to the Moroccan weekly "Le Reporter", a group of 12 youths
attacked a police station in the Ras el Khaima area of El Ayoun with
Molotov cocktails around 4 a.m., in an attempt to burn it down. Their
operation failed due to the vigilance of a Saharawi police officer,
who was slightly injured. The group, that according to the newspaper
belonged to a "subversive movement", was armed with swords and
knives. The same source said that it was the same group who
"attempted to burn two private cars" in the Catalonia area of El
Ayoun (see weeks 21-22
<http://www.arso.org/01-e02-2122.htm#Ancragecag>). According to
another Moroccan source (Asabah, reported by EFE on 24.06), the
group, composed of 15 youths around 20 years old, attacked police
officers in a police station in El Ayoun with knives. The Moroccan
daily gave no information on the motives behind these acts.
(Le
Reporter)
(EFE)
Human
Rights
24.06.02
The El Ayoun police summoned all members of the office of the Forum
for Truth & Justice &endash; Sahara Section to appear before
them. Lahoussine Moutik, the president of the Sahara Section, went
alone to the police station in the name of all the members. The
summons concerned the report on human rights violations submitted by
Saharawi human rights defenders to a delegation from the European
Parliament who visited the occupied territories last
February
25.06.02
Mohamed Haboub Mouilid, alias Tirsal, was arrested at the checkpoint
on the way in to Smara and transferred to El Ayoun on the same day.
He was returning home to Smara having participated in the work of the
first "national" congress of the Forum for Truth & Justice in
Rabat, as a member of the Sahara Section. Mohamed is the son of the
late Haboub Mouilid, who disappeared in 1976 and, according to the
accounts of survivors, died in Kalaat M'Gouna detention centre.
Mohamed Haboub was released after 48 hours of intensive
interrogation. It seems that the motivation for his interrogation was
the famous report on human rights violations submitted by human
rights activists to the European Parliament delegation.
(AFAPREDESA,
see also week 24/02)
26.06.02
Hamadi Mohamed Lamin Jiyed, alias Enasiri, arrested in Rabat (week
25/02),
was transferred to the "black prison" of El Ayoun and placed in
solitary confinement. He was brought before the examining judge in
the court at El Ayoun and the date of his trial fixed as 10th July
2002. (communiqué AFAPREDESA of
24.06.02,french),spanish)
28.06.02
The three activists H'mad Hammad, Idri Lahoussine and Ismaêli
Brahim, questioned by Dakhla police last week (see week 25), were
able to return to El Ayoun. They will appear before Dakhla
magistrate's court on the 1st July for a motoring offence and
attempting to evade arrest.
28.06.02
Two Saharawi employees of the company Phosboucraa were summarily and
improperly transferred in the space of a few days: Elhamed Mahmoud
(member of the Forum for Truth & Justice &endash; Sahara Section)
to Casablanca, and Jaim Mohamed to Benguerir.
28.06.02
The International Bureau for the Respect of Human Rights in Western
Sahara (BIRDHSO) enumerated a long list of persecutions that have
been visited on human rights activists in Western Sahara over the
last few weeks. It expressed its full solidarity with the victims and
launched an appeal to the UN Special Representative for Human Rights
Defenders, Madame Hina Jilani, to intervene urgently so that the
Moroccan authorities cease these repressive practices against our
Saharawi human rights activist colleagues. (Press
release)
MOROCCO
24.06.02
Human Rights
A delegation from Amnesty International began a 15-day visit to
Morocco and the Western Sahara. The visit will attempt to shed light
on the fate of several thousand people, mostly Saharawi, who have
"disappeared" while in the hands of the Moroccan security forces
since the 1960s. (Press
release)
25.06.02
Judgement
The European Court of Human Rights found in favour of freedom of
expression in a case opposing Hassan II and the French daily "Le
Monde". The paper published an article on November 3rd 1995, written
by one Erich Incyan, on the production and trafficking of drugs in
Morocco. The journalist questioned the strength of motivation of the
authorities in Rabat in the struggle against the drugs trade. French
courts fined the editor of Le Monde and the author of the article
2250 euros. The European Court judged that the public had a
"legitimate interest to be informed about problems concerning drug
trafficking in Morocco". According to the Court, the journalist and
the newspaper had acted "in good faith on the basis of precise
factual information" and had supplied "reliable information in
accordance with good journalistic ethics". (AP)
26.06.02
William Lacy Swing met King Mohamed VI in the presence of the
Minister of the Interior Driss Jettou. This was the first meeting of
the UN Special Representative for Western Sahara named last November.
(agency).
SOLIDARITY
23.06.02
Holland
The inaugural meeting of the Netherlands Foundation for the
Self-Determination of Western Sahara was held in Rotterdam (Holland).
Created on the initiative of various eminent personalities supporting
the Saharawi cause, this organisation will "promote solidarity with
the Saharawi people and campaign so that the Saharawi people can
fully exercise their inalienable rights to self-determination, in
conformation with the pertinent resolutions of the UN and the OAU"
stated the general co-ordinator of the Foundation, Elizabeth Den
Haan. Contact: Netherlands Foundation for self-determination of
Western Sahara, E-mail: Liesbethdenhaan@planet.nl
. (Communiqué
)
27.06.02
Andalucia: "Vacaciones en Paz 2002".
Desde la madrugada del Jueves 27 de Junio, a las 04,30 horas, en que
aterrizará en el Aeropuerto de Málaga el primer
avión, hasta el Viernes 5 de Julio, a las 9 de la
mañana, que llegará el último de los aviones,
comienzan sus vacaciones de 2 meses en tierras andaluzas 2.500
niños y niñas saharauis, acogidos por otras tantas
familias andaluzas. 11 aviones en total llegarán desde Tindouf
(Argelia), donde están instalados los campamentos de
refugiados saharauis, en los que "sobreviven" unas 170.000 personas,
de los que cerca de 30.000 son niños/as. 2.500 familias
andaluzas acogerán en sus casas a estas niñas y
niños saharauis, que serán distribuidos por todas las
provincias andaluzas: Almería (150), Cádiz (555),
Córdoba (130), Granada (265), Huelva (200), Jaén (120),
Málaga (200) y Sevilla (800). El esfuerzo de las familias
acogedoras y de la propia Federación Andaluza de Asociaciones
Solidarias con el Pueblo Saharaui es grande. Para ilustrar hasta
donde llega el coste económico, decir que 1 solo avión
(250 niños) cuesta más de 72.000 euros (unos 12
millones de pesetas). Ello sin valorar toda la infraestructura
(aeropuerto, seguridad, dotación sanitaria, servicios
operativos, voluntariado...), los 2 meses de estancia con las
familias, la cobertura sanitaria del SAS (con el que se firma un
Convenio), Suscripción de póliza de seguros,
Responsabilidad Civil y Accidentes, etc...A destacar también
la colaboración de la Administración pública
(Delegación del Gobierno Central, Junta de Andalucía,
Diputaciones, Ayuntamientos), Aeropuerto de Málaga (AENA),
Guardia Civil, Policía Nacional, Cruz Roja, personal sanitario
del S AS, Centro Cívico, empresas privadas de distintos
sectores,... Teléfono de contacto: 607.373.356
amaps@eresmas.com
COMING UP ...
Algiers
28-30.06.02, First Algero-European Conference of Solidarity with the
Saharawi People. The conference will focus on:
Italia
01.07.02 - Saharawi 2002, per saperne di più.
Immagini dal deserto dell'Hammada, il deserto più duro, dove
il Popolo Saharawi vive in esilio da quasi 30 anni. Le tendopoli, le
scuole, i tentativi di agricoltura sperimentale, gli ospedali. Le
diapositive verranno proiettate alle ore 21,15, presso il giardino
adiacente alla Chiesa di S. Maria a Quinto (Quinto Alto Sesto
dell'Associazione Ban Slout Larbi per raccontare la storia di questo
popolo e la situazione attuale, fino agli sviluppi degli ultimi mesi.
L'iniziativa, organizzata dall'Associazione "La Concordia", dalla
Casa del Popolo di Quinto Alto, dal Circolo MCL "Quinto Alto", dalla
Misericordia di Quinto, dalla parrocchia di S. Maria a Quinto e dal
Centro Civico n. 3 di Sesto Fiorentino, precede l'incontro con i
bambini Saharawi ospiti delle Amministrazioni comunali della Piana e
la cena di solidarietà, che si terranno a Quinto nella seconda
metà di luglio. Dopo l'incontro saranno offerte fette di
cocomero per tutti, come vuole la tradizione "quintigiana" per il
primo lunedì di luglio. Per ulteriori informazioni:
saharawi@libero.it
03.07.02 - Commune di Bucine:Assessorato politiche e associazione valdarnese di solidarieta con il popolo saharawi ti invitano a paretcipare alla serata di solidarieta con il popolo sharawi che si terra al vecchio camp sportivo di Bucine. Alle ore 20h30 cena per la raccolta fondi per il popolo sharawi. Il costo sara di¤ 13. Info : 055 9912769/055 9911340/055 992216
España
4.07.02, Madrid, Sala Galileo Galilei (Galileo 100, metro Canal)
21.30 h. Concierto solidario, 9 ¤, "Alimentos para el
Sáhara", con Amparanoia, Las Abuelas Fumadoras, Wafír,
Mercedes Ferrer.
INTERNET
OPINION:
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