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Résumé November 2007 WEEKS 45 - 48 : 01.11. - 30.11.2007 |
06.11.07
Anniversary of the “green” march
In his speech, the King of Morocco declares that “whatever formula for
a consensual solution should emerge from the serious negotiations,
Morocco, its king and its people, will never accept anything other than
autonomy, within the framework of a single and unified state”.
The Saharawi government firmly condemned the King of Morocco’s
statement, calling it “the Moroccan state’s violation of international
law” and a “denial of its commitments”.
For his part, the representative of the Polisario Front representative
in the UK and Ireland, Sidi M'hamed Omar, in an interview with
APS declared that the anniversary of the “black
march” recalls “a sinister day in history for the whole region and
marks the start of Morocco’s expansionist policy in the region.
10.11.07 Transafricain classic
“Following talks with the Quai d'Orsay and the Moroccan and Mauritanian
authorities, the 2nd Transafrican Classic 2007 running from Paris to
Dakar (01-18.11.07) had to modify the stage planned between Ausserd
(Occupied Territories) and Chinguetti (Mauritania), because of the
‘instability of the border area’. The organiser, Patrick Zaniroli
therefore added an additional stage of over 500 kilometres, in order to
send the competitors through the control post on the Atlantic coast,
the only way through from Morocco to Mauritania tolerated by the
Polisario Front and the SADR government.” [communiqué
officiel]
15.11.07
Statement
The president of the international branch of the Trades Union Congress
(TUC), the oldest British trades union body, Simon Steyne, underlined
in Geneva that “the fairest and most realistic alternative for the
question of Western Sahara is the self-determination of the Saharawi
people”.
22.11.07 Resolution
The Norwegian Young Conservatives asked their government to recognise
the Saharawi Republic. [Resolution] [original]
OCCUPIED
TERRITORIES AND SOUTH MOROCCO
Questionings,
arrests
Cases of questioning and arrest have been increasing in the
territories. The Moroccan police, plain clothed or uniformed gather
near or even inside educational establishments and in the areas with a
majority Saharawi population. Provocations are common. Young Saharawi
cybernauts, suspected of having looked at web pages revealing the
abuses committed by the Moroccan police are insulted or heckled. CODESA
therefore published on 27.11.07 a list of 40 names of young Saharawis
arrested during the month of November.[communiqué]
One attack in particular, in El Ayoun, to point out is that made upon
El-Houcine Lemlih (40 ans), who was listening to the Saharawi radio
while walking in the street. Followed by plain-clothed police, he took
refuge in the Smara Hotel, where his torturers caught up with him and
threw him out a window. Lemlih was seriously injured and is still in
hospital.
The mother of the political prisoner and member of CODESA Elwali
Amidane and Rabab Amidane, as well as her two other daughters were
called in for questioning on 9 November with a dozen other people
coming away from a demonstration in El Ayoun. [Photos]
These arrests triggered a demonstration outside the Moroccan Embassy in
Oslo with Rabab Amidane, on a visit to Norway.
Norwegian political figures spoke. A delegation was received by the
Ambassador, who denied the existence of attacks on human rights in
Western Sahara. [report
+ photos]
[Video]
At its Board Meeting in Vilnius, December 2nd 2007, The European
Students' Union (ESU), umbrella organisation of 47 national unions of
students from 36 countries, unanimously voted through a motion calling
for the protection of Saharawi students.[text]
Sentences
01.11.07, El-Ayoun
Sadik Boullahi, a member of the executive of ASVDH, was sentenced in
the court of first instance to six months in prison and a fine of 5.000
DH for “creating a non-authorised association”. [ASVDH]
14.11.07,
El-Ayoun
Khalihenna Dlimi, Barkou Ahmed and Mouloud, accused of imaginary crimes
appeared in court in the presence of two Spanish observers. On 28
November, Dlimi and Mouloud Barkou were sentenced to a year, Hamid to a
year and a half of prison in the presence of two other Spanish
observers.
[Comunicado] [ASVDH]
03.12.07
The president of the local committee of ASVDH in Boujdour, Mohamed
TAHLIL, was given a sentence in the court of first instance of a fine
of 120 MDH for the destruction of public property. The sentence was
handed down before the barristers and observers arrived and without
even the accused in court. Tahlil was sentenced to three years in
prison on 19 September 2007 for “setting up a criminal band”. He
appeared on 4 December to appeal that judgment in the presence of five
Spanish observers and one Swiss observer. His punishment was reduced
from 3 to 2 years in prison.[ASVDH]
Enquiries, appeals
31.10.07
During a reception in London of the Saharawi human rights activist and
prisoner of conscience, Aminatou Haidar, two British Labor members of
parliament, David Drew and Jeremy Corbyn, condemned the human rights
abuses perpetrated by the Moroccan authorities in the occupied Saharawi
regions and the military blockade and media blackout imposed by Morocco
in Western Sahara. Aminatou Haidar also met officials of the
Foreign Office and Amnesty International. [SPS]
01.11.07
The Collective of Saharawi Human Rights defenders (CODESA) called for
the opening of an international inquiry into the serious human rights
abuses committed by the Moroccan state in the occupied territories of
Western Sahara.
03.11.07
A delegation of Human Rights Watch, led by Eric Goldstein, is carrying
out a visit to the occupied territories of Western Sahara to inquire
into developments in human rights. On this occasion, the Moroccan
police were deployed throughout the whole zone and proceeded to a
number of arrests, 70 according to the Saharawi minister for the
occupied territory, Khalil Sid Mhamed. In Smara the arrival of the
delegation gave place to a demonstration, brutally dispersed and
followed by the sacking of several houses by the police.
13-14.11.07
Sabah Khoury, official in the department of Human Rights in the
American Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stayed for two days in El Ayoun,
accompanied by Craig Karp, counselor with the US Embassy in Rabat. The
delegation insisted on visiting the Black Prison. [16.11.07,
Aujourd'hui le Maroc ]
26.11.07
The British MP David Drew questioned the Minister for Foreign Affairs
in the house on the subject of the Saharawi refugees. [Text]
30.11.07
The NGO Law-Solidarity and the International Association of Democrat
Lawyers protested about the various sentences in recent weeks.
They denounced the impediments set by the Moroccan authorities to
setting up associations to defend human rights in the occupied
territories, quoting the example of ASVDH, the victim of an abuse of
authority by the pacha of El Ayoun, who refused the registration of
this NGO, which was confirmed by the Administrative Tribunal of Agadir
on 21 September 2006. [Droit-solidarité]
[Déclaration
de L’AIJD]
CODESA, which suffered from a similar refusal, postponed its founding
meeting, planned for the beginning of October, indefinitely. [details]
Exclusion
Saharawi students, forbidden access to post graduate studies within
Moroccan universities since 19 October 2007, started in November a
hunger strike outside the office of the regional administration in
Goulimine. Saharawi students at the university of Mohammedia
demonstrated against the ban on dozens of students their pursuing their
studies. Ali Salem Tamek did not receive his authorisation to enrol at
the university of Mohammedia, where he was preparing to undertake
studies in law and journalism.
Prisons
Several Saharawi political detainees, among them Mohamed Tahlil, Ahmed
Sbai, Ahamed Mahmoud Haddi Elkainan, Mohamed Lehbib Elgasmi, Bachir
Khadda and Elhafed Toubali, were attacked by prison warders.
[ASVDH] [ASVDH]
Testimonies
22-24.11.07, 4th Dublin Platform
This international conference organised by Front Line provided an
opportunity to discuss the attacks on the rights of human rights
defenders, to establish contacts between defenders and to talk about
practical experiences. Aminatou Haidar spoke about the situation in
Western Sahara and asked that the embargo be lifted on the 2006 report
of the OHCHR on human rights in occupied Western Sahara. The
Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern presided at the
opening of the conference, in which Mrs Louise Arbour, UN High
Commissioner for human rights, took part.
[more] [Intervention of Aminatou Haidar, French]
Mass grave
29.11.07, El-Ayoun
A common grave containing the mortal remains of five people was
discovered by chance on 20 November near the grounds of the Black
Prison. The authorities revealed this fact a week later. ASVDH demands
that “light must be shed on the identity of these persons”, this prison
having been, in the years 1976-1978, a secret detention centre from
which numerous Saharawis never returned. The Moroccan authorities
rapidly disinterred the bones, claiming that they were very old
Saharawi tombs. According to ASVDH, the Saharawis “never bury their
dead on the sides of wadis and even less far away from the city
cemetries”. CODESA also condemned the attitude of the authorities and
asked for the identification of the human remains. [AFAPREDESA, 27.11.07] [CODESA statement, 29.11.07]
Traffic Accident
?
26.11.07
A young Saharawi student at the University of Agadir, Al Koumani
Faisail Al Houssein Saleh, died after having been hit successively by
two cars outside the university. Saharawi students gathered as a sign
of solidarity and to protest against “the desire of the local
authorities to humiliate Saharawi students”. The European parliamentary
intergroup “Peace for the Saharawi People”, condemned what it called an
“assassination”.
Royal Visit
27.11.-04.12.07
The King of Morocco visited Goulimine, Sidi Ifni, Fask, Asrir and Assa.
See also, French, press reviews on Sahara Info: Sahara Occidental/Territoires occupés : [I] [II] [III]
Phosphate
A ship called, Makra, sailing under a Liberian flag, on 17 October
unloaded its cargo of phosphate coming from Western Sahara. The Jin Yi
did the same in Fremantle on 10 November on behalf of Wesfarmers CSBP,
and the previous week its sister ship, Jin Xing in Geelong for Incitec
Pivot. The Genco Carrier arrived in Lyttleton (Christchurch) lon 28
November, carrying phosphate from Western Sahara, although the official
origin indicated was Morocco. [doc]
07.11.07
Cate Lewis, secretary of the Australian association of friendship with
the Saharawi people, AWSA, declared that the Australian fertiliser
companies which import phosphate from Western Sahara participate
economically and politically in the occupation of Western Sahara. They
are not apparently concerned by the charges drawn up by the Spanish
judge Garzon against high-ranking Moroccan dignitaries of torture and
genocide.
09.11.07
The maritime transport company, Arnesen Shipbrokers, based in Farsund
in Norway, delivered to Lithuania in July phosphate from Western
Sahara. The parliamentarian, Anne Margrethe Larsen, a member of the
Foreign Affairs committee, criticised the company for not respecting
the recommendations of the Norwegian government.
[Original
version (Norwegian)] [English
translation]
03.12.07
A Norwegian pension fund, (Kommunal Landspensjonskasse Mutual Insurance
Company (KLP)) has blacklisted the company Wesfarmers CSBP for
unethical behaviour and has withdrawn its investment in Wesfarmers from
its share portfolio. According to the Norwegian business daily Dagens
Næringsliv it took this step because of the illegal importation
of phosphate sourced in Western Sahara. [Dagens
Næringsliv] [Dagens Næringsliv,
Engl. translation] [KLP
Press Statement, 03.12.07]
AWSA, the Australian association of solidarity with Western Sahara
appealed to the new federal government to intervene to put an end to
the illegal importations of fertilisers from two other Australian
companies, Incitec Pivot and Impact Fertilisers who are also involved
in this trade.
[AWSA
Statement 04.12.07] [AWSA
Statement 05.12.07]
The Swedish bank, KPA
Pension also mentions WESFARMERS in its recent
black list of investments to avoid.
For several years importations of phosphate from Western Sahara have
been followed, monitored and denounced by the coalition of NGOs,
Western Sahara Resource Watch.
Oil
21.11.07
The company, Island Oil & Gas plc announced that its Moroccan
branch, Island International Exploration Morocco, IIEM, had just signed
with ONHYM (Office National marocain des Hydrocarbures et des Mines),
seven exploration contracts in the region onshore of Tarfaya, valid for
eight years. IIEM is associated with the operators Longreach Oil and
Gas Ventures Limited and San Leon (Morocco) Limited.
According to Africa Energy Intelligence, the zone to be explored has
two thirds of its extent within Western Sahara.[more]
16.11.07
The Saharawi minister for the Occupied Territories and the Diaspora,
Khalil Sid Mhamed, on a visit to the Canaries, warned
the autonomous Canaries government that European investment planned for
the Sahara are illegal (the European Union, within the framework of its
neighbourhood policy, grants money to regions on the “ultra-periphery”
- such as the Canaries – funding which is destined for the neighbouring
countries). [Afrol News, espanol] REFERENDUM
08.11.07
The deputy for Seine-Maritime, the mayor of Gonfreville l'Orcher,
Jean-Paul Lecoq, condemned before the French parliament the French
policy of double standards towards the conflict in Western Sahara.
[CORELSO]
09.11.07
The Moroccan government cancelled a seminar on Saharawi culture due to
take place from 12 to 26 November on the island of Madeira within the
peace process framework of “confidence-building measures”. [SPS]
22.11.07
In a newly published work, Surrender is not an option, the former
American UN ambassador, John Bolton, writes that the Bush
administration has stopped supporting the referendum, persuaded that
the Saharawis would vote for independence, which would destabilise
Morocco and would open the way to radical Islamism. Bolton reveals that
it was the lack of support by the US administration which forced Baker
to resign in 2004. Bolton was the right hand man for Baker from 1997 to
2000. [more
and link to excerpts from the book]
23-25.11.07, Prague, 2nd Congress of the European Left
A resolution on Western Sahara was adopted in favour of the right to
self-determination and for the continuance of the negotiations.
03.12.07
The Saharawi minister for Foreign Affairs, Ould Salek announced that
the 3rd round would take place in Manhasset from 7-9 January.
05-06.11.07,
visit of Juan Carlos to Ceuta and Melilla
The visit of the King of Spain to the towns of Ceuta and Melilla
provoked a strong nationalist reaction in Morocco and the anger
of the King, who decided in person to recall “for an indeterminate
duration” Morocco’s Ambassador in Madrid. He has still not returned to
his post.
15.11.07
A Moroccan spy, Hicham Bouchti (see weej 33-34/2006)
was charged with assassinating the journalist, Ali Lmrabet, according
to his own declarations to the Moroccan weekly, El Micha'al. [more]
[UPES
Solidarity Statement] [CODESA’s
reaction in solidarity with Lmrabet (in Arabic)]
28.11.07
The Spanish parliament passed a resolution from the “United Left”
expressing the “urgency of a just and lasting solution” which would
safeguard the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination. [original
text in Spanish]
29.11.07
The regional Catalonian Parliament reaffirmed the right of the Saharawi
people to self-detemination, in an institutional Declaration adopted on
the occasion of the celebration of the international year of solidarity
with the Saharawi people. [original
text in catalan]
13-19.11.07
South-South meeting in Guatemala with the participation of human rights
organisations from Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Western Sahara,
Angola, Uruguay, Argentina and Sweden.
16.11.07
The executive of the Maghreb Coordination of Human Rights Organisations
(CMODH) reaffirms, during its second meeting, the necessity of the
recognition of the right of peoples to political, economic and cultural
self-determination and the guarantee of collective participation in
taking the decision.
07.11.07
The UN World Food Program (WFP) welcomed the contribution of a million
euros from the Humanitarian Office of the European Commission (ECHO),
which will be used to buy 1 400 tonnes of wheat flour, 250 tonnes of
sugar and 200 tonnes of a mixture of wheat and soya to assist in
feeding 125 000 of the most vulnerable refugees for a period of 26
days. [Reliefweb]
21-23.11.07
The second meeting to coordinate hygiene took place in the Saharawi
camps with the participation of representatives of the UNHCR, UNICEF,
ECHO, OMS, the Algerian Red Crescent and the Saharawi Red Crescent, the
Spanish Agency of Cooperation (AECI) and Spanish, Italian and Norwegian
NGOs. [SPS]
03-04.11.07
In London at Rich Mix Cultural Foundation a Saharawi cultural festival,
organised by the British organisation "Sandblast" took place, preceded
and accompanied by numerous cultural events. The film-maker Ken Loach,
the Somali artist Mariam Mursal, the president of the Trades Union
Congress, Alison Shepherd and the former Olympic champion Hassiba
Boulmerka took part in the opening evening. [more]
07.11.07, London
The participants in a conference on Western Sahara at the seat of the
British parliament on the theme “It is time to act”, demanded the
publication of the OHCHR report in 2006 on the human rights situation
sur in Western Sahara.
10.11.07, Madrid
Several thousand people took part in a demonstration in Madrid in
favour of the right to self-determination and against the
repression in occupied Western Sahara.[Photo Reportages: http://sahararesiste.blogspot.com/>http://sahararesiste.blogspot.com/ ]
17-20.11.07
A Saharawi cultural week in Exconvento museum of Tepoztlán,
Morelos, Mexico.
19.11.07
A delegation of Saharawi intellectuals and artists are taking part in
the 2nd Festival of Peoples of Africa in Caracas, Venezuela.
08.12.07, Lisbonne
Manifestation en faveur du droit à l’autodétermination du
peuple sahraoui à l’occasion du sommet euro-africain, auquel la
République sahraouie n’a pas été conviée: http://sahararesiste.blogspot.com/2007/12/8-de-diciembre-lisboa-concentracin-en.html
10-15.12.07, Festival de Cine Solidario de Guadalajara (FESCIGU)
Participation de la chanteuse sahraouie Aziza Brahim et de Hmad Hamad
à l’occasion de la projection de "Children of the clouds", de
Carlos González: http://www.cinefilia-films.com/
14.12- 18.12.07 Tifariti http://www.rasd-state.ws/12congreso.htm
XII Congrès du Front POLISARIO
XIIth Congress of the POLISARIO Front
XII Congreso del Frente POLISARIO
Amanecer del 2008 con los Saharauis: 29.12.07 - 03.01.08:
http://www.saharaindependiente.org/agenda/w/agenda/amanecer2008.htm
05.01.-20.01.08 Euromilhoes Lisboa-Dakar 2008 (ex-Paris-Dakar)
10.01.08 Goulimine-Smara
11.01.08 Smara-Atar
07-09.01.08, Manhasset III
3e round des négociations entre le Front Polisario et le
Maroc à Manhasset, New York (Etats Unis)
25.02.08
Sahara Marathon: http://www.saharamarathon.org/
New website - Nouveau site - Nuevo sitio
DOCUMENTS
VIDEO
NEW
PUBLICATIONS
[External
links to newspapers may not be valid after some days because the
servers are restarted]
Français
>> Revue de la presse internationale francophone http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/revue-de-presse-sahara-occidental/messages
English
>> English publications on Sahara Update mailinglist: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sahara-update/messages
Castellano
>> Revista de la prensa en español http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/revista-de-prensa-sahara-occidental/messages
Catala
Deutsch
Italiano
Attualità in italiano: El Ouali Bologna: http://www.saharawi.org/saharawi.htm
+ Radio for Peace http://www.radiokcentrale.it/du.htm
Norsk
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