The Arrest of International Trade Union activists from Spain,
France and Italy in El Aaiun, Western Sahara
On Tuesday, February 19, 2008, the Moroccan authorities in El Aaiun,
Western Sahara arrested a Sahrawi trade union activist, Sidi Ahmed
Moussa Eddia, 59 years old, his wife (lakhlifi Lalla Sallam, 48 years
old, mother of ten children) and a European delegation representing
three trade unions from Italy, Spain and France.
The names of these trade unions representatives are:
- Victoria Montero, president of the international relations of the
trade union, CCOO, Spain
- Juan Ortega, a member of the same organisation,
- Jean Jacques Guigon, responsible for the international relations of
the CGT, France, and
- Leopoldo Tartaglia representing the CGIL in Italy, and responsible
for the relation with North Africa.
All of them had been discussing at Mr. Eddia’s house, (located in Rue
Tifelt Number 136, Elhay Elhajari district, El Aaiun, WS) while the
Moroccan forces intervened and arrested the four trade union activists,
Mr Edia and his wife at about 12:30.
At the police station, the European activists were interrogated about
the motives of their visit to the Western Sahara and their relationship
to Mr. Eddia.
The Moroccan authorities have released the Sahrawi and European trade
union activists after four hour-interrogation in the Wilaya of Security
(= the central police office) in El Aaiun, W.S. The activists
were set free without having any idea about the reasons of their arrest
and without being accused of any charges.
As soon as the arrest took place, the CODESA launched a release in
which it:
-denounced this irresponsible act and called the Moroccan state to
immediately release the trade union activists, visiting the Western
Sahara in order to witness the Sahrawi workers’ conditions.
- urged the Moroccan state to stop harassing and intimidating the
Sahrawi activists as well as the foreign delegations coming to unveil
the human rights abuses committed by the Moroccan authorities in the
territory,
- called for the release of all the Sahrawi political prisoners in the
Moroccan jails without any
condition.
The CODESA Secretariat,
El Aaiun, Western Sahara,
February 20, 2008
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Arrestation d'un groupe de syndicalistes d'Espagne, d'Italie et de
France à El Ayoune, 20.02.08
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Sindicalistas de CCOO, CGT y CGIL retenidos unas horas en Marruecos
mientras se reunían con antiguos trabajadores de empresas
españolas , comunicado CCOO, 20.02.08
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