The CODESA Secretariat
The Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Activists
July 09th, 2007.
El Aaiun, Western Sahra : Arrests and Assaults of Minor
Children
The CODESA is very concerned about the Moroccan repressive campaign
against the Sahrawi people, especially minor children due to their
participation at the peaceful demonstrations calling for the Sahrawi
people's self-determination and independence.
These children have been arrested at different places in El
Aaiun,
without their parents' awareness. When asking about their children, the
Moroccan judicial police deny that they have any detainees. Then the
parents resort to hospitals and the surroundings of the city, as it has
become a custom that the detainees are thrown out at the outskirts.
The parents frequently hand out a complaint to the king prosecutor,
describing their children's illegal detension, their police
interrogation and their inhuman torture. Many of these minor have
suffered psychological breakdown and life-lasting disabilities on the
head, the ears and other sensitive parts of the body.
While these families are waiting for the court investigation of
the
torture committed by the police, the latter is continuing to arrest
more children everyday. These arrests have influenced their
education :
the police in civil clothes are inside the schools and outside
controlling the educational institute, which led most of the students
to leave school forever, or at least change the school where
they
study to another one that is probably in another city.
The children talk about the torture they face even inside the
police
vans and the continuous interrogation in order to obtain confessions
from them. The child Lmaissi Abdennasser, who partly lost the sense of
hearing, was tortured with his mother by the officials of the judicial
police.
Most children were put in custody for periods ranging from 04 hours to
03 days before being sent to the Black Prison in El Aaiun. One of these
minors was Mohamed Boutabbaa who was deprived from taking his end-of
–the year exams. He is a student at the second year of the Junior High
school.
The children are tortured, beaten, verbally abused and illtreated. Some
of them were sprayed with dirty water and even human urine. Before
being released, their families have to sign a committment that
their
children will never participate in the peaceful protest demonstrations.
The CODESA has received a list of the minors who were detained,
tortured between 05 and 05 July 2007, taking into account that
many
families are still afraid to inform the HR organisations about their
children's illtreatment :
1.Brahim Hallab
2.Laaroussi Hilal
3.Salama Hallab
4.Nafea Baidi
5.Ennajem Faidal Elgarhi
6.Mohamed Sabrat
7.Kraitta Zain Elaabidine
8.Ahrim Tayeb
9.Mansour Elaamiri
10.Mohamed Chlouki
11.Essalek Hallab
12.Essalek Mnaissir
[ARSO HOME]