|
WEEKLY NEWS |
original french
03.-31.08.2003
- SADR
- OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
- REFERENDUM
- HUMAN RIGHTS
- SOLIDARITY
- COMING UP
- INTERNET
- NEW PUBLICATIONS
SADR
04.08.03
Algiers
Inauguration in Algiers of the SADR diplomatic mission's Information
Centre named after the "Martyr Mohamed Fadel Ismaïl", in the
presence of the Ambassador of SADR in Algeria and representatives of
Algerian political parties and civil society.
10-12.08.03
Extraordinary meeting
The highest body of the Polisario Front, the National Secretariat,
met in an extraordinary session, expressed itself satisfied by the
adoption of the Security Council resolution 1495/2003. It reaffirmed
"the willingness of the Polisario Front to continue to cooperate with
the UN Secretary General and with his special envoy, James Baker, in
their efforts to hasten the decolonisation of Western Sahara, the
last colony of Africa." The Polisario Front considers that only the
exercise by the Saharawi people of their right to self-determination
through a free, democratic and transparent referendum is capable of
putting an end both the suffering endured by the Saharawi people for
three decades and instability in the region. (SPS)
14.08.03
Release of Moroccan prisoners of war
The Polisario Front announces that it has decided on the unilateral
release of 243 Moroccan prisoners of war at the request of the head
of the Spanish government, José Maria Aznar. The Polisario
Front recalls on this occasion "the ordeal of Saharawi political
detainees and prisoners of war in Morocco".
The list
of those released is published on the site of the Sahara Press
Service.
The Moroccan prisoners of war will be repatriated to their country on
1 September through the offices of the International Committee of the
Red Cross and the Spanish Red Cross. (SPS)
26.08.03
Diplomacy
Mohamed Yeslem Beissat, Polisario representative in South Africa,
appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of SADR in
Algeria, has presented his credentials to the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Belkhadem.
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
01.08.03
US military base?
General Jeffrey B. Kohler from the American Air Force visited Morocco
in July to discuss with the senior officers of the Moroccan army
technical details of the opening of an American military base, which
could be situated in Western Sahara in the region of Dakhla. This
project, according to a Moroccan weekly, is already well advanced and
will be finalised during the visit of Mohamed VI to Washington due to
take place at the end of 2003.
11.08.03
Letter to the Rafto Foundation
Saharawi political prisoners and imprisoned human rights activists
sent an open letter to the Rafto Foundation, which last year awarded
its human rights prize to Mohamed Daddach. They ask it to take on
coordinating an international campaign for human rights in Western
Sahara, jointly with other NGOs, in order to obtain the release of
Saharawi political prisoners, to shed light on the fate of the
disappeared, to put pressure on the Moroccan authorities to improve
the conditions of detention of political prisoners and to give moral
and financial support to the families of Saharawi prisoners and
disappeared.(full text english
BIRDHSO web)
14.08.03
Letter to Spain
Saharawi political prisoners and human rights activists held in the
"black prison" of El Ayoun send an open letter to King Juan Carlos,
to Spanish civil society and to the people, the government and
institutions. After a long speech on the disappointing development of
the peace process and on the violation of fundamental rights in
Morocco, the occupying power in Western Sahara, the authors appeal to
Spain, since Morocco is not respecting international law, to assume
its responsibility as an administrative power and to "protect the
legitimate rights of the Saharawi people", as the young King declared
he would in El Ayoun on 2 November 1975. (full text
Spanish)
22.08.03
Release of political prisoners at the end of their sentence
Mohamed Nigrou, released after having served his sentence,
statement:
On the occasion of my release on Friday morning 22 August 2003 at 9
o'clock, after having served a complete year's imprisonment, I take
this opportunity to congratulate all the international and Moroccan
human rights organisations and all democrats who supported me during
my experience of detention, without forgetting the big efforts
provided by the "Action Committee for the release of Tamek Ali Salem
and all Saharawi political detainees". By drawing attention to the
inhuman conditions in which Saharawi political detainees are held in
Moroccan prisonsm which contradict the minimal norms for the
treatment of detainees, I launch a solemn appeal to all people of
good will to start an international campaign on Saharawi disappeared
and the release of all Saharawi political detainees. Mohammed
NIGROU,
Political detainee released from Ait Melloul prison, N°
d'écrou 1120
Hammadi Abdelah Belaoui, born in 1972, arrested on 23 August 2002 in El Ayoun in the same circumstances as Nigrou and sentenced during the same trial, was also released on 22.08.03 at 10 am from the black prison of El Ayoun. He was led away by inspectors of the Moroccan police to the central police station where he was informed of a measure of banishment for five years from the region of El Ayoun. This additional punishment had not been confirmed during the appeal. Protesting against this injustice, Belaoui received the reply that there were orders from above... .
REFERENDUM
07.08.03
The United Nations Secretary General has appointed Alvaro de Soto
(Peru) as the new special representative for Western Sahara. Mr de
Soto, a man from the UN stable, was key adviser for Cyprus from 1999
after having served in various capacities in the Secretary-General's
office over 13 years.
20.08.03
King's speech
On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the "Revolution of the
King and the People", which commemorates the deportation in 1953 of
King Mohamed V by the French authorities, Mohamed VI declares in a
speech that "the preservation of our territorial integrity remains
for us an imperative duty". He accuses Algeria, without naming it, of
having "disguised the fact that it is the real adversary" and of
wishing to establish, "through the separatists pawns (Polisario
Front) "a total hegemony over all our southern provinces". He claims
that "Morocco remains open to any constructive and frank dialogue to
settle the problem within the context of the preservation of our
territorial integrity and our national sovereignty, over which we
will never accept, and I mean never, any bargaining."
24.08.03
Reaction
The Moroccan government should be penalised for its "flagrant
violation" of international law, the Saharawi government considers,
in a statement calling the international community to impose on Rabat
the implementation of Security Council resolutions. The Saharawi
government considers that the King of Morocco has "categorically
rejected" the latest resolution of the Security Council (1495/ 2003),
which "constitutes an act of defiance to the international
community", the communiqué stresses. (SPS)
29.08.03
Japan
In May last over thirty Japanese citizens and NGOs sent an
open
letter
to the government, asking for SADR to be invited to the 3rd TICAD
(Tokyo International Conference on African Development) on the same
basis as other African countries, including Morocco. (see
week
20/2003)
The reply by a head of section in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs not
having satisfied them, the same signatories sent a new
letter
in which they stress the fact that SADR is part of the African Union
and should on that basis be invited to participate in a conference
treating the major problems concerning the African continent. The
letter also criticises the Japanese government for having a passive
attitude and asks it to take advantage of the TICAD to push forward a
settlement of the conflict giving respect for the right to
self-determination. The friends of the Saharawi people are called to
participate in the action and to send in their turn a letter along
the same lines to the Japanese government.
30.08.1988 -
30.08.2003
Fifteen years ago, Morocco and the Polisario Front accepted the peace
plan put forward by the UN Secretary General.
HUMAN RIGHTS
07.08.03
Expulsion
Afifa Karmous and Pauline Dubuisson, from France Libertés,
travelling to Morocco to meet former Moroccan prisoners of war
released from the camps in Tindouf in order to complete their mission
of investigation, were turned back at Rabat airport, with no
explanation and without delay. They had also asked to visit Ali
Mrabet and Ali Salem Tamek, both prisoners of opinion.
14.08.03
Prisoners of war
France Libertés published the report of its international
mission of inquiry from 11 to 25 April 2003 into the conditions of
detention of the Moroccan prisoners of war held by the Polisario
Front. The testimonies of over 300 prisoners are reported. Pointing
out the inhuman and degrading conditions, forced labour, tortures
etc, the human rights NGO calls on the Polisario Front to release
immediately all Moroccan prisoners of war, and recommends that while
they are waiting their conditions of detention should be improved and
the responsibilities should be investigated . It recommends that
Morocco should bring to justice those responsible, among former
Polisario Front members now defected to Morocco, guilty of war crimes
and to shed light on the circumstances of forced disappearances of
civilian and military Saharawis.
France Libertés finally announces it will suspend its aid
projects in the Saharawi refugee camps until the release of all the
prisoners.(>> documents,
reactions, opinions)
20.08.03
Denial
In a statement, the Polisario Front representation in France calls
the accusations in France Libertés' report "gratuitous and
partial", and announces the publication, in the near future, of a
detailed response.
SOLIDARITY
30.08.03
Australia
On the occasion of its 3rd annual general meeting the Australia
Western Sahara Association renewed its support for the Saharawi
people, it welcomes the decision of the UN to continue working for a
peaceful solution to the conflict, it deplores the categorical
refusal of the referendum by Morocco and calls for pressure to be
applied to put an end to its defiance of international law, it asks
the UN and the Australian government to do their utmost to enable the
Saharawi people to freely choose their future. They also draw
attention to the dire human rights abuses in the territories occupied
by Morocco and call on the UN to mandate MINURSO to monitor the human
rights situation in the occupied territories.(full
text )
30.08.03
International Day of the Disappeared
On the occasion of the international day of the disappeared Amnesty
International is launching an English language website on
"disappearances" : http://www.web.amnesty.org/mavp/av.nsf/pages/dofd
Information on "disappearances" in Morocco & Western Sahara can
be accessed directly via: http://www.web.amnesty.org/mavp/av.nsf/pages/MDE_dod#morocco
COMING UP
12 -
16.10.03
11th Congress of the Polisario Front.
INTERNET
Documents:
OPINIONS
Nuevo - Nuovo - New - Nouveau
NEW PUBLICATIONS
[External
links to newspapers may not be valid after some days because the
servers are restarted]
Français
Les dépêches, articles, etc, sont accessibles aux non-abonnés sur Sahara-Info, liste de courrier (français et espagnol): http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/sahara-info/messages
Caratini Sophie 2003, La République des sables, Anthropologie d'une Révolution, L'Harmattan, Paris, 266 p.
English
English publications on Sahara Update mailinglist: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sahara-update/messages
Castellano
Todos los despachos, articulos de prensa, etc, son acessible por no-abonados en Sahara-Info, lista de correo (castellano y francés): http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/sahara-info/messages
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