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Investigator says Morocco using torture

Investigator says Morocco using torture (AFP) – UNITED NATIONS — Morocco uses torture in its own country and on opponents in the disputed territory of Western Sahara, a UN investigator said Tuesday. The rights investigator gave details of a special trip to Morocco and Western Sahara as the UN Security Council debates demands that the UN mission in Western Sahara be granted a mandate to investigate human rig

hts abuses. "There is a lot of evidence of excessive use of force," Juan Mendez, UN special rapporteur on the use of torture, told reporters after presenting a report to the UN General Assembly. "Whenever there is a sense that national security is involved, there is a tendency to use torture in interrogation. Difficult to say how pervasive or how systematic it is, but it happens frequently enough that the government of Morocco should not ignore the practice," Mendez added. Mendez went to Morocco and Western Sahara for one week in September at the invitation of the government, which is currently a temporary member of the 15-nation UN Security Council. He said there were signs of change in Morocco, where a moderate Islamist party has controlled parliament since last November. "Morocco is developing a culture of respect for human rights that is a very good starting point for the elimination of torture in the near future. But it is far from being able to boast that torture has been eliminated," Mendez said. The expert said he was still completing a report on the practices his team was told about during the trip to Morocco and Western Sahara, which Morocco started to annex in 1975. "They were no different in Western Sahara from Morocco," he said. "We found the same kind of evidence that mistreatment in interrogation, for example, is always close to happening, especially when there is excessive use of force in demonstrations and they happen both in Western Sahara and in Morocco." A US rights group, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, also reported abuses after a visit last month. The group said it recognized positive changes to the Moroccan constitution, including "the criminalization of torture, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances." But it deplored the heavy military and police presence in Western Sahara and alleged widespread intimidation of the Sahrawi people and "many cases of police brutality" against non-violent protesters. The UN brokered a ceasefire between Morocco and Polisario Front separatists in 1991. But efforts to arrange a political settlement on the future of Western Sahara are deadlocked. Several Security Council nations have called for the UN mission in the disputed territory to have a mandate to investigate human rights abuses. Morocco opposes the proposal. Mendez said he does not yet have a firm opinion, though he commented that "permanent monitoring is always much more helpful than a once-in-a-lifetime kind of visit that a special rapporteur can do."

Bardem: I’ll say “whatever the hell I think is right”

Bardem: I’ll say “whatever the hell I think is right”

Jant Lens's Testimony at the UN

United Nations Fourth Committee ‘The Question of Western Sahara’ October 2012 Mr. Chairman, honored delegates, thank you for this opportunity to speak today. I am an American. I have been working on the ground in the Saharawi refugee camps along with hundreds of other Americans since 1999. My nation, the United States, had been a colony under the rule of a Kingdom. There came a point when, against all odds, we had to take a stand and declare our independence from that Kingdom. We claimed our unalienable rights, under God, to be our own nation….holding fast to the principals of freedom and justice for ALL. The people of Western Sahara have been living under the rule of a Kingdom that invaded their God-given homeland in 1975….a Kingdom that has physically divided their people – the Saharawi – creating a land-minded berm stretching the entire length of that country. On every map in every home and classroom in the United States and most countries of the world, Western Sahara is there. Labeled as “OCCUPIED BY MOROCCO.” On the wall here in the UN is a clear map with red indicating all those places in the world that are still colonies. The largest red land-mass on that map is Western Sahara! It’s like a big, ugly blood-red splotch in the world. THIS is your 4th Committee’s purpose – DECOLONIZATION in our world. And you’ve been assigned the “issue of Western Sahara.” This is what you do! The Saharawi do not have the freedom nor means to speak to this Body of world influencers. Those who live in Western Sahara under the direct oppression of Morocco risk dire consequences for voicing their true desires for independence. I have personally experienced just a taste of what they live under in the occupied territory. Even here in my own country….I have been told by a Moroccan official to never again come to these hearings to testify. I have also faced repeated harassment in the past 7 years during these very proceedings…because I truthfully testify of my 13-year firsthand experiences in the refugee camps. That’s the mentality of a bullying occupier. If Moroccan-paid individuals think they can try to oppress an American citizen in my own country, just imagine what they are doing in the occupied territories. It further legitimizes the reports of the widespread human rights abuses facing those who live in Western Sahara. Those Saharawi who live in the refugee camps have suffered with incredible patience, waiting for the champions of freedom and independence of this world to let them determine their own future as a nation. In the midst of a massive part of the world that is in violent turmoil like we’ve not seen before, the Saharawi people are a shining example of democracy and, up until now, a commitment to peace. Their reality is “No Peace, No War.” Their patience is wearing dangerously thin. They are nearing a fatal precipice with a growing sentiment that they would rather die fighting for their own country than to be known as the longest-lasting refugees who died committed to a peaceful solution. The grave human rights abuses being committed by a Kingdom that has the audacity to say it “backs human rights” are merely evidence of a government that has disqualified itself to govern a nation that never belonged to them. The recent experience of the Robert F Kennedy Foundation delegation has hopefully lifted a corner of the rug under which Morocco’s abusive and brutal crimes against the people of Western Sahara have been hiding for far too long. As news began appearing on the internet of that delegation’s recent eyewitness accounts and photos, I was sitting with the Saharawi director of our refugee camps Center. He began to see Facebook pictures of a Saharawi woman on the ground, her face beaten and bloodied by Moroccan police in Western Sahara. I watched him reel with shock as he recognized that the woman was his own 57 year old sister! The woman the RFK delegation had witnessed being beaten in Layoune was my dear colleague’s elder sister, from whom he has been forcibly separated for the past 37 years by that shameful, illegal, deadly berm. It is time for the United Nations to take action and put an immediate end to the largest illegally occupied colony in the world – Western Sahara. The UN influence has done it in East Timor. The UN has done it in Sudan. The UN has carried out its decolonization responsibilities in so many places on this earth. This 37 year crisis stands as a failure on your record. You CAN DO IT. IT IS SOLVABLE! When this great Body – the United Nations – immediately ends this travesty and the people of Western Sahara are reunited in their own sovereign country, THERE WILL BE NO HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN WESTERN SAHARA BY AN OPPRESSIVE 37-YEAR OCCUPYING INVADER…the Kingdom of Morocco. Thank you for hearing this plea. Janet Lenz www.notforgotteninternational.org

L'émissaire de l'ONU pour le Sahara occidental se rendra en Afrique du Nord et en Europe - china radio international

L'émissaire de l'ONU pour le Sahara occidental se rendra en Afrique du Nord et en Europe - china radio international

Singer, Actress Cynthia Basinet Addresses the United Nations

Singer, Actress Cynthia Basinet Addresses the United Nations

The Moroccan Occupation Regime hinders a Saharawi Elite Member and forces him to leave his homeland in search of work:

The young Sahrawi, Saleh El Bachra, known as” Jamal”, was forced to leave his homeland in search of work abroad after being harassed many times and deprived of many job opportunities in Western Sahara, where he was a target for harassment ,intimidation and deprivation. The young Sahrawi, born in the occupied Elaaiun , Western Sahara, in 1973, studied at the University of Rabat, then emigrated to the United States of America, where after 5 years of residence got his U.S. citizenship, came back after ten years of exile to his native homeland to settle down there and to search for work, but to no avail. Upon returning home, the young Sahrawi tried to continue his postgraduate studies and thus the attempt to register his PhD in the Moroccan universities, but his requests were always met with rejection on unjustified grounds and without a reason. Despite all this, the young Saharawi , known in his hometown as "Jamal", did not lose hope, and so proceeded to look for work to settle down in his hometown in western Sahara where he applied as he is a holder of certificates qualifications, and diplomas from different countries : A Bachelor degree in English literature from Morocco, a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Northern Kentucky University USA, a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Northern Kentucky University USA,. To his surprise, whenever he gets a job offer, it is suddenly denied and rejected. When he asked around, he was told that there are higher instructions not to enable him settled down there as some specific departments from within the Moroccan administration did not want to see that happen. They looked at him as a threat because of his qualifications and the global network he developed from years of work and activism in USA and Europe. In August 2011, he was selected for a position with the Foreign Affairs ministry as a high as a senior official, and was later summoned for an informal interview as part of a formality for recruitment. This interview took place in Rabat, Morocco , and he was told, where he was accepted to fill the position, that he would be called again soon to start the, He waited for months in vain till he went back there to Rabat, and was told that they had already recruited the people they wanted to leaving him behind. This happened without even sending him a letter or an email. In mid-December of 2011, he was called by the human resources department in Terfaya province in order to provide a file for the position of a government official. Few days later, he was called and told that his name did not figure on the newly appointed officials’ list, and that he had a problem of his foreign Master’s degree diploma evaluation. His name was crossed out from the job list. When he made an inquiry at the Directorate of Human Resources in the Ministry of Interior in Rabat, the answer was that he lacked the administrative evaluation certificate to his Superior diploma obtained in the United States of America.Thiis was just a subterfuge as he already has an official evaluation certificate delivered to him by the Moroccan ministry of Higher Education, and is also published in Morocco’s official Record Bulletin. In March of 2012, He was called again for another job position with an international organization operating in Western Sahara. He submitted his file and did the medical check up. As noted by many observers, there are always spies in every organization working in the Western Sahara. Therefore, it was no wonder that the Moroccan secret services got news of that job offer, and thus intervened with the NGO’s director to drop down the offer by telling him that he did not respect the usual administrative procedure. Another thing he tried without having to deal with official job offers was to seek establishing his own business in the tourism section. This was also a total failure as he was always faced with obstacles and the harsh conditions and terms they would put on his way. More than that, he used to own a wooden cabin by the beach at a place called” Amigriou” which the Moroccan authorities destroyed without any previous warning or notification. He filed a complaint to different departments but he never got any answer or compensation. He wanted to find out why all these obstacles and why there was always an excuse not to let him lead a regular life, and so he made few inquiries here and there. The answer he got from different sources and places was that he was an unwanted person” Persona Non Grata” in Western Sahara. As he is an American citizen with great potentials, they obviously did not want him working there. More useful information on Saleh El Bachra is the fact that has close ties with a numerous international organizations as he of his studies in the United States of America, lived and worked there. His studies and work experience there enabled him build a whole global network in USA, Europe, and in Africa. He is also very knowledgeable as to how decisions are made at the level of the USA and the lobbying tactics due to his work experience when he was an intern working for Congressman Joseph Pitts in Washington D.C. Moreover, Jamal is the son of a former political prisoner and a former victim of the Moroccan secret detention centre"Megouna”. Saleh El Bachra has strong relationships with a large number of Sahrawi and international human rights activists as well as with many reporters and journalists and academics around the world. Besides, he is well connected to many diplomats and representatives from a number of embassies and organizations that operate in Morocco. This proves to be very annoying and frustrating for the Moroccan regime, as he is able to voice out his people concerns vis-a-vis the International community. As for his educational background, besides the diplomas and and the qualifications listed before, he has a certificate of completion from the American Red Cross on “Orientation to International Services” beside a certificate in interpretation delivered by a Translation Bureau agency in USA. He is also a member of the World Arab Translator, and Member of Alumni association at the University of Kentucky, USA, and is fluent in Arabic, English, and French and able to communicate in Spanish.

سلطات الاحتلال المغربية تضايق إطارا صحراويا وترغمه على مغادرة وطنه بحثا عن عمل

سلطات الاحتلال المغربية تضايق إطارا صحراويا وترغمه على مغادرة وطنه بحثا عن عمل 13/10/2012

اضطر الشاب الصحراوي، صالح البشرة، لمغادرة وطنه بحثا عن عمل في الخارج بعد أن تعرض لمضايقات كثيرة وللحرمان من فرص شغل عديدة في الصحراء الغربية وفي المغرب، حيث كان دائما يجد نفسه عرضة لاستهداف المخابرات المغربية. الشاب الصحراوي، المزداد في العيون المحتلة سنة ١٩٧٣ الذي درس بجامعة الرباط، ثم هاجر للولايات المتحدة الامريكية، ليحصل على الجنسية الامريكية، ويعود بعد عشر سنوات من الغربة لموطنه الاصلي بحثا عن عمل دون جدوى. ولدى عودته حاول الشاب الصحراوي مواصلة دراساته العليا بالتقدم مرات عديدة بطلب تسجيل للدكتوراه في الجامعات المغربية، غير أن طلباته كانت دائما تقابل بالرفض على أسس لا علاقة لها بملفه أو بالشهادات التي لديه، بل لاسباب سياسية. ولم يفقد صالح البشرة، المعروف في مدينته باسم "جمال"، الامل، بل شرع في البحث عن عمل للتأكد من أنه ليس مستهدفا، حيث قدم طلبات للعمل نظرا لتوفره على شهادات وكفاءات متعددة ومتنوعة، وتم قبوله فعلا بملصب سلم 11 كمتصرف ممتاز بوزارة التعليم العالي المغربية، وتم تعيينه سنة 2010 بالأكاديمية الجهوية للتعليم بمدينة العيون المحتلة، إلا أنه فوجئ بمدير الأكاديمية يلغي هذا التعيين بعد فترة قصيرة بحجة أن هناك "جهات عليا" سألت عنه، وغير مرتاحة لنشاطه ومواقفه السياسية من قضية الصحراء الغربية، وأنها على علم ب"أنشطته وآراءه وعلاقته بالولايات المتحدة الأمريكية". وفي غشت 2011 تم قبول ملفه مرة أخرى لوظيفة كاتب في الشؤون الخارجية درجة أولى بوزارة الخارجية المغربية، وتم استدعاءه بالفعل لإجراء مقابلة شكلية من أجل التعيين وهو ما حصل حيث تم قبوله لشغل المنصب، غير أنه فوجئ بعدم استدعاءه للالتحاق بالمنصب "نتيجة لتقارير من طرف الأجهزة الأمنية". ،وفي منتصف ديسمبر سنة 2011 تم استدعاءه من طرف عمالة الطرفاية من اجل تقديم ملف لمنصب متصرف سلم 11 إلي أنه فوجئ بعد أيام قليلة بالشطب على أسمه من اللائحة وبعد الاستفسار في مديرية الموارد البشرية في وزارة الداخلية بالرباط كان الجواب على أن ملفه تنقصه المعادلة الإدارية لشهادة العليا المتحصل عليها بالولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، وهو الأمر العاري من الصحة لأن ملفه كان يتضمن على معادلة مسلمة من طرف وزارة التعليم العالية المغربية ومنشورة أيضا في الجريدة الرسمية المغربية . وفي شهر مارس من سنة 2012 تم قبول طلب ملف عمل للصالح البشرة لدى أحدى المنظمات الدولية العاملة بمدينة العيون المحتلة إلا أن الجهات الأمنية المغربية وفور علمها بالخبر تدخلت لدى مدير المنظمة الدولية وعرقلت سير هذا الملف وبالتالي تم حرمانه من الحصول على تلك الوظيفة. ولم تتوقف المضايقات عند هذا الحد، إذ أن الشاب الصحراوي وبعد أن يس من امكانية ايجاد عمل أو وظيفة، شرع في التفكير في تأسيس شركة سياحية خاصة، لكن سلطات الاحتلال المغربية بمدينة العيون المحتلة رفضت طلبين للاستثمار في مدينة العيون في المجال السياحي وأجهضت جهوده في هذا المجال. أكثر من ذلك، لم تتوان سلطات الاحتلال المغربية أيضا عن تخريب ممتلكات خاصة للشاب امعانا في الضغط عليه ليغادر وطنه المحتل، حيث قامت بتهديم ملكية خاصة له بمنطقة "أمقرير". وبحث صالح البشرة عن أسباب هذه المضايقات وهذا المنع والرفض الذي يعاني منه كلما اقترب من الحصول على عمل أو فكر في مشروع خاص وكان الجواب الذي يصطدم به دائما أن جهات أمنية تقف وراء ذلك الإقصاء لمنعه من الإقامة والاستقرار في وطنه ومسقط رأسه، العيون المحتلة، بحجة أنه شخص غير مرغوب فيه من طرف سلطات الاحتلال المغربية. للإشارة فإن الشاب الصحراوي صالح البشرة، له علاقات وطيدة مع عدد من ممثلي المنظمات الدولية بحكم دراسته في الولايات المتحدة الامريكية، ونشاطه الجمعوي على مستوى القارتين الاوروبية والامريكية، كما أنه سبق وعمل مع عضو من الكونغرس الامريكي كمتدرب بمكتب بواشنطن. غير أن الشاب كذلك ابن لمعتقل سياسي سابق من ضحايا المعتقل السري المغربي "مكونة"، ولديه علاقات وطيدة مع عدد كبير من المدافعين الصحراويين والعالميين لحقوق الانسان، ولديه علاقات ايضا مع ممثلين عن عدد من السفارات والمنظمات التي تشتغل في المغرب، وهو ما يزعج نظام الاحتلال لقدرة صالح على ايصال صوته وصوت ابناء شعبه للعالم. أما بالنسبة للمستوى العلمي لصالح فهو حاصل على شهادة الأدب الانجليزي من جامعة الرباط، وعلى شهادة عليا في تسيير المنظمات الغير حكومية من جامعة ولاية كنتاكي الامريكية، وشهادة ماستر في علم الإدارة من جامعة ولاية كنتاكي، وشهادة في التوجيه والخدمات الدولية من طرف الصليب الأحمر الأمريكي، وشهادة في الترجمة الفورية من طرف مكاتب الترجمة الأمريكية، وهو عضو جمعية المترجمين العرب العالمي ين،وعضو جمعية قدماء الدارسين بجامعة كنتاكي بالولايات المتحدة الأمريكية، ويجيد اللغة العربية، الانجليزية والفرنسية والاسبانية.

New York City Bar Association - City Bar Testifies at UN that Morocco Has No Legitimate Claim over Western Sahara | 44th Street Blog

New York City Bar Association - City Bar Testifies at UN that Morocco Has No Legitimate Claim over Western Sahara | 44th Street Blog

Statement F.Polisario before the IV Commission-October-2012

Statement by Frente POLISARIO to the UN Fourth Committee New York October 10, 2012 Mr President I address this Committee on behalf of Frente POLISARIO, the legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people ( UNGA resolution 3437) and party with Morocco in the peace process led by the United Nations. Every year we come here to bring to you the hopes and confidence of the Sahrawi people in the UN. As is known, Morocco, ignoring the Security Council and the International Court of Justice, decided to invade our country in 1975. This Committee drew up in 1979 Resolution 3437 of the General Assembly, which requested Morocco, I quote, “To end its military occupation of Western Sahara” (unquote). Morocco did not want to hear this message nor that of the African Union in 1982 when it admitted the Sahrawi Republic as a Member State. In 1991, following these developments and 16 years of bloody war, Morocco committed itself before you to cooperate with the UN to organize a referendum on self-determination, including the option of independence. The Security Council approved the Peace Plan and entrusted MINURSO with this mission, which it should have accomplished in 1992. Betraying its own commitment, Morocco decided to prevent the referendum and proclaimed unilaterally its “sovereignty” over Western Sahara, a decision that the international community considers null and void. Today it is still illegally occupying a large part of an African Territory included in the decolonization agenda of this Committee, where it continues, as has been proven internationally, to violate human rights while plundering its natural resources. MINURSO has been prevented from carrying out its mandate. MINURSO is still in the Territory, but it is forced by Morocco to live without credibility and without authority. One needs only to read the Secretary-General’s latest report to the General Assembly. The negotiations that we have been holding with Morocco, from which you expected so much, have been suspended because the other party decided last May to end its cooperation with the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General. It is said that the veto was revoked, but there has not been yet any tangible evidence of it. The UN is an essential part of the solution to a problem of decolonization. Yet, Morocco was able to make it part of the problem and, more seriously, to become a problem for itself. Morocco invites itself to solve problems in the Middle East and in the Sahel, a thin smokescreen to hide all this. We committed ourselves, Mr President, to cooperate to make possible a peaceful and honourable solution to which you were wholeheartedly attached. Twenty years of Moroccan deception and of paralysis of the UN are now shaking up this commitment. The Sahrawi people wish to remain confident that you know how to assume the responsibilities you have undertaken and that you have not exhausted all the resources offered to you by the UN Charter. Morocco must cooperate to facilitate the holding of the referendum on self-determination to which it had committed itself. Otherwise, the Sahrawi Republic expects to have your support to be admitted within the UN. It is the least we expect from you. Thank you very much.

Al Khadra: Poet of the Desert - Artscape: Poets of Protest - Al Jazeera English

Al Khadra: Poet of the Desert - Artscape: Poets of Protest - Al Jazeera English

U.S. Department of State criticizes Morocco’s human rights violations in Western Sahara

U.S. Department of State criticizes Morocco’s human rights violations in Western Sahara

LDH LA SEYNE-SUR-MER: Sahara occidental : la LDH exprime sa vive inquiét...

LDH LA SEYNE-SUR-MER: Sahara occidental : la LDH exprime sa vive inquiét...: Communiqué LDH Paris, le 3 octobre 2012 Le Maroc doit cesser de poursuivre les militants opposés à sa politique au Sahara occidental. ...

Joint action on the human right to peace promoted by the Foundation Peace without Borders and the Spanish Society for International Human Rights Law.

Joint action on the human right to peace promoted by the Foundation Peace without Borders and the Spanish Society for International Human Rights Law. Today 21 September 2012 -International Day of Peace- Juanes and Miguel Bosé will launch the video "Peace is a human right". It provides the support of well-known artists, musicians, actors, actresses and sportsmen to the recognition of the human right to peace within the United Nations. The video is screened in 12 languages, namely: Spanish, English, French, Chinese, Russia, Arabic, Japanese, Hebrew, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian and German. The following popular persons have participated in the video: Miguel Bosé (singer of Spain), Juanes (singer of Colombia), Ricky Martin (singer of Puerto Rico), Alejandro Sanz (singer of Spain), Eva Longoria (actress of the United States of America), Paulina Rubio (actress and singer of Mexico), Daniel Martin (singer of Spain), Rafael Nadal (tennis player of Spain), Pau Gasol (basket player of Spain), Juan Luis Guerra (singer of Dominican Republic) and Amaia Montero Saldías (singer of Spain). In this line they want to launch a campaign for signatures in support of and commitment with the process of codification of the human right to peace within the United Nations. As of today more than 13.000 worldwide citizens have signed the petition in support, among other matters, of the Open Ended Working Group on the Right to peace established by the Human Rights Council in June 2012. The appeal of support to peace as a human right will be submitted to the President of the UN General Assembly once the future Declaration on the Human Right to Peace is adopted by the Human Rights Council. We encourage you to raise your voice in favour of the human right to peace and its final recognition in the United Nations. In order to sign the petition, please, see at http://www.pazsinfronteras.org Please, distribute this petition among 20 friends, colleagues and peace-makers. Each of us are and will be the master of our own future. Happy International Day of Peace!!

قوات القمع المغربية تفرق بالقوة تظاهرة سلمية بالعيون المحتلة

الاخبار يوم 17 سبتمبر 2012 معلومات اولية قوات القمع المغربية تفرق بالقوة تظاهرة سلمية بالعيون المحتلة فرقت قوات الإحتلال المغربية بالقوة مظاهرة سلمية نظمتهاالجماهير الصحراوية بشارع السمارة في العيون المحتلة مساء اليوم الإثنين ، وإستعملت الأجهزة المغربية الرمي بالحجارة والضرب المباشر بالعصي ، في تدخل سافر شاركت فيه قوات أمنية بزي مدني ، ضد متظاهرين مسالمين ، وقد تعرض العديد من المواطنين والنشطاء الحقوقيين للتعنيف ينتمون للجمعيات 11 التي دعت إلى التظاهر تزامنا مع زيارة المقرر الأممي الخاص بالتعذيب لمطالبة الأمم المتحدة بوضع الية لمراقبة حقوق الإنسان بالصحراء الغربية . وعكس ما ذهبت إليه بعض المواقع المشبوهة بوجود مواجهات ، فإن الجماهير الصحراوية إلتزمت بسلمية تظاهرها للتعبير عن مواقفها الرافضة للوجود المغربي على أرض الصحراء الغربية فمباشرة بعد إنطلاق التظاهرة السلمية بقيادة نشطاء صحراويين بارزين تدخلت القوات الأمنية لتفريق المتظاهرين بالقوة وقال ابراهيم دحان الناشط الحقوقي رئيس الجمعية الصحراوية لضحايا إنتهاكات حقوق الإنسان و أحد المشاركين في تصريح للفريق الإعلامي أن هذا التدخل يعطي صورة واضحة عن إرهاب الدولة الذي تمارسه الدولة المغربية في الشارع العام ضد الموطنين الصحراويين بإستعمال بلطجية مدربين لقمع المظاهرات السلمية وأضاف أن الوقفة جاءت لتبعث أكثر من رسالة أولها أن الجماهير الصحراوية مصرة على العمل السلمي لفضح كافة إنتهاكات حقوق الإنسان ، و اننا كإطارات دعت للتظاهرة ملتزمون بمشاركة هاته الجماهير في مطالبها المشروع مضيفا أن الدولة المغربية بهذا التدخل تعلن إصرارا على مواصلة نفس مسلسل الإنتهاكات الجسيمة مشددا أن المواطنين الصحراويين والجمعيات الصحراوية نجحت في هدفها وفي التعبير عن موقفها رغم التدخل العنيف والقوي ضدنا ودعى العالم والدول الداعمة للربيع العربي لدعم الشعب الصحراوي حتى نيل حريته وإستقلاله . وكان هذا الناشط قد تعرض لتعنيف قوي من طرف الأمن المغربي رفقة كل من أبراهيم الصبارو حسنة الدويهي ولحبيب الصالحي ، ماماي هنون ، سلطانة خي ونشطاء ومواطنون أخرون نقل العديد منهم إلى المستشفى سجلنا كفريق إعلامي حالة كل من بشري بنطالب وحدهم لمجيد لحدود كتابة هذا المقال حيث لازالت مداهمات المنازل بحي معطلا الذي عاني ويعاني من تطويق أمني كبير و التي تستهدف ناشطين وحسب المعلومات الأولية التي توصل بها الفريق الإعلامي فقد تعرضت الزميلة والناشطة النكية الحواصي عضو الفريق للتعذيب إثر هذا التدخل ، ويبدو أن الدولة المغربية إستعملت أسلوبا جديدا من خلال تجيش الشوارع برجال أمن ومخابرات بزي مدني وإستعمالهم كبلطجية لترهيب المواطنين ، يذكر أن المقرر الأممي الخاص بالتعذيب يزور العيون المحتلة خلال يومي الإثنين والثلاثاء و إلتقى اليوم عدد من ضحايا إنتهاكات حقوق الإنسان بالصحراء الغربية ، كما إلتقى كل من الجمعية الصحراوية لضحايا الإنتهاكات الجسيمة لحقوق الإنسان وتجمع المدافعين الصحراويين عن حقوق الإنسان .ويأمل الصحراويين من هذه الزيارة أن تضع مطلب توسيع صلاحيات بعثة المينورسو لتشمل مراقبة حقوق الإنسان في أولويات المنتظم الدولي وفيما يلي لائحة أولية عن ضحايا التدخل العنيف لحبيب الصالحي ، ابراهيم دحان ، بشري بنطالب ، حسنة الدويهي ، حدهم لمجيد ، ابراهيم الصبار ، النكية الحواصي ، اللومادي عبد السلام ، سلطانة خيا ، الداودي مبارك ، لغزال المحجوب ، عبد الله بوكعة ، الليلي حمود ، فاطمتو بارة( منت الشهيد) حمدي ديدا سلم النومرية ، سليمة ليمام ، احمد العسري ، احمد مطيع ، محمد خر ، احمد الطنجي ، علي سالم حيدان ، مكبولة لحماد ، حديدهم لعروسي ، بشرى بوتباعة ، متو لكركار ، منة لهويدي ، عبد الهادي ياسين ، الزروالي يسلم ، سعيد فنيش ، سالم اطويف ، محمد طالب اخيار الفريق الاعلامي المناطق المحتلة الصحراء الغربية

Western Sahara: It’s Time for the People to Choose

Western Sahara: It’s Time for the People to Choose By Carne Ross | SEP 05, 2012 Photo Credit: Manifestation de Sahraouis by Sylvain Raybaud The latest diplomatic dance on whether or not former US Ambassador Christopher Ross should be allowed to continue to mediate UN-led talks between the Frente Polisario and Morocco on the future of Western Sahara is symptomatic of a much bigger problem ― the large powers’ unwillingness to advance an end to a dispute that they mistakenly see as peripheral to their strategic interests, and their resultant acquiescence in the brutal and illegal occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco for more than 35 years. Western Sahara is not part of Morocco, nor has it ever been. When still under Spanish colonial rule in 1963, Western Sahara was listed by the UN as a Non-Self-Governing Territory, putting it on the same path towards independence traveled by almost all other colonial territories in Africa. Spain was expected and indeed obliged to oversee a process of decolonization that it completely failed to deliver upon. Instead, Spain’s withdrawal in 1975 was knowingly orchestrated to leave the territory to a tripartite administration with Mauritania and Morocco that eventually led to the illegal annexation of Western Sahara by Morocco. It is therefore not an accident that not one country anywhere in the world has recognized Moroccan sovereignty in Western Sahara, and that the African Union counts the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), governed by the Frente Polisario, as one of its founding members. As the International Court of Justice put it in 1975, “neither the internal nor the international acts relied upon by Morocco indicate the existence at the relevant period of either the existence or the international recognition of legal ties of territorial sovereignty between Western Sahara and the Moroccan State.” Following Morocco’s “Green March” into the Territory in 1975, and after more than 15 years of fighting between the Frente Polisario and the Moroccan armed forces, a ceasefire and UN Settlement Plan was agreed between the parties and endorsed by the UN Security Council. At its heart was the establishment of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). The Settlement Plan provided for a short transitional period for the preparation of a referendum in which the people of Western Sahara ― the Saharawis ― would choose between two clear options: independence or integration with Morocco. All subsequent plans put forward to resolve the dispute, including those brokered by former US Secretary of State James Baker, have revolved around the same principle: it is for the people of Western Sahara to decide their own political future. Since 1991, Morocco has blocked the holding of the referendum that it itself agreed to and that was the basis for the ceasefire and the Settlement Plan. The UN presence, mandated to organize a referendum within six months of the ceasefire, has been seriously hamstrung by Moroccan interference. This includes restrictions on the freedom of movement of UN personnel, heavy monitoring and restriction of access to Saharawi leaders and human rights activists and, as revealed by the UN Secretary-General in his most recent report (UN Doc. S/2012/197), unlawful interception of the UN’s secret diplomatic communications. Even worse, Morocco’s chief ally on the Security Council, France ― despite its vocal support for democracy and human rights in the Middle East and North Africa, and its trumpeting of its own virtuous record in this area ― has routinely prevented the Security Council from even allowing the UN to monitor human rights in the Territory. The result is that MINURSO is the only UN peacekeeping mission established since 1978 to be operating without this most basic of capacities, despite the UN itself considering human rights monitoring to be an indispensible feature of modern peacekeeping. The only logical conclusion is that Morocco has something to hide. It has. In its confidential, internal contribution to the UN Secretary-General’s report on Western Sahara in 2011, the UN’s own High Commissioner for Human Rights said that alleged violations of human rights “demonstrate the critical need for…regular independent, impartial and sustained human rights monitoring and reporting within a clear mandate covering the entire Territory and [the Tindouf] refugee camps.” Moreover, the US State Department’s 2011 Country Report on Human Rights Practices for Western Sahara confirmed “credible reports that [Moroccan] security forces engaged in torture, beatings, and other mistreatment of detainees,” and that “Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and local NGOs continued to report abuses, especially of Sahrawi independence advocates.” But this all pales in comparison to the humanitarian tragedy of the 150,000 or so Saharawis left languishing in refugee camps near Tindouf in southwest Algeria, driven from their homes in Western Sahara by the invading Moroccan forces and thereafter kept at bay by a 1,200 kilometer-long militarized wall (the “Berm”) that separates the Moroccan-controlled portion of Western Sahara from the “Free Zone” controlled by the Polisario (see map here). Setting aside for a moment the appalling humanitarian consequences of this so-called “frozen conflict,” it is even more disheartening to consider the largely haphazard and piecemeal attempts by the UN and its Security Council to broker a solution. Successive “Personal Envoys” of the Secretary-General ― charged with facilitating negotiations between the two parties ― have lacked the strong backing of the Security Council necessary to force progress. Those envoys appointed since 2007 ― when Morocco presented its disingenuous proposal for Western Saharan autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty, and the Polisario demanded, in accordance with past agreements, a referendum that includes independence as an option ― have tended to focus on the stark differences between the two proposals. But this approach may be flawed, ignoring the simple fact that both parties’ proposals would involve a vote of some kind. So the real question is: Who gets to vote, and on what? Given the chance, current Personal Envoy Christopher Ross might focus the parties on answering these questions. But Moroccan antics and Security Council inattention have conspired to allow the UN process to drift on aimlessly for years. Unfortunately, Ross’s energy this year has been focused on securing his own job as Personal Envoy following Morocco’s announcement in May that it no longer had confidence in him, making the ridiculous claims that he was “partial” for having dared to detail in the Secretary-General’s latest report Morocco’s systematic interference with MINURSO’s operations. It would actually not take much to advance the resolution of this long-standing dispute. The United States and France both have bilateral ties with Morocco, but that does not mean that Morocco’s position should be supported at all costs. The US State Department has itself acknowledged that “the Western Sahara dispute remains the primary impediment to regional integration and development goals and Moroccan-Algerian relations.” As a result, the Maghreb suffers from unfulfilled economic potential and a fragmented response to the threat of terrorism that is of increasing concern to the Western powers holding the biggest levers for resolving the dispute in Western Sahara ― the US and France. Facilitating a solution to the Western Sahara dispute is an indispensible piece for solving this regional jigsaw puzzle. When history, international law, regional geopolitics and security concerns all point to the same conclusion, there is really no other option. It’s time for the Security Council to assume control and accelerate resolution of the dispute by deciding on a clear timetable and deadline for holding a referendum on self-determination, as required by international law. It’s time to let the people choose. Read more: North Africa Western Sahara Foreign Relations Diplomacy Conflict Resolution Happening Now IN THIS SERIES Western Sahara: Deferred Referendum or Lasting Settlement? Autonomy: The Optimal Political Solution Western Sahara: It’s Time for the People to Choose ABOUT THE AUTHOR Carne Ross Carne Ross is Executive Director of Independent Diplomat, and has numerous years of experience working with the British foreign office and the UK delegation on the United Nations Security Council. VIEW SCHOLAR PAGE SHARE THIS RELATED BY REGIONISSUE ANALYSIS // JUL 19, 2012 Dealing with Unbalanced Reciprocities: Cooperation on Readmission and Implications Jean-Pierre Cassarino ANALYSIS // JUL 19, 2012 Introduction to Unbalanced Reciprocities: Cooperation on Readmission in the Euro-Mediterranean Area MEI Staff ANALYSIS // JUL 06, 2012 Responses to Western Sahara: Deferred Referendum or Lasting Settlement? Edward M. Gabriel , Carne Ross 1 of 5››

Western Sahara A Sahrawi spring? Not likely Aug 31st 2012, 11:00 by The Economist online | LAAYOUNE .. POKING out of the top of a dreary house in the suburbs of Laayoune, Western Sahara’s biggest city, is a full-blown jaima, a kind of tent better suited to travel in the desert. Painstakingly erected on the roof, it is a symbol of protest. Under cover of the jaima, a group of human-rights activists are eating a late dinner of fish on skewers washed down by sweet tea. Talk turns to rumours doing the rounds on the internet that the UN’s secretary-general, Ban Ki Moon, is planning to replace his envoy for Western Sahara, Christopher Ross, with Colin Powell, a former American secretary of state. “It will make no difference,” says a gloomy American-educated campaigner. Since the early 1970s the Polisario, a nationalist movement, has been fighting for the independence of Western Sahara, a Spanish colony until 1975. But the kingdom of Morocco, which has occupied most of Western Sahara since the Spaniards’ departure, insists that it is the rightful owner. The UN brokered a ceasefire 21 years ago, but the referendum that was meant to follow never happened. The Sahrawis, according to the UN, had a “right to self-determination”; the disputed area was a “non-self-governing territory”. But the Moroccans refuse to budge. The territory has long been physically divided by the berm, a land-mined embankment stretching 2,700km (1,677 miles) built by the Moroccan army in the 1980s, separating Polisario-run land in the east from a much larger Moroccan-controlled area in the west, including Laayoune (see map). Within the chunk they control, the Moroccans have a big phosphate mine. They also catch plentiful fish off the coast. Many Sahrawis, for their part, have resided since the 1970s in Polisario-run refugee camps in Algeria. Since becoming the UN envoy in 2009, Mr Ross, an American diplomat, has overseen a string of meetings between the Moroccan government and the Polisario that were meant to build confidence. But in May the Moroccans declared he was biased in favour of Algeria, Morocco’s bitter regional rival, which backs the Polisario. Mr Ross, it was surmised, would feel obliged to step down. Under a Moroccan plan unveiled in 2007, the residents of Western Sahara, including tens of thousands of Moroccans who had been encouraged by their government since 1975 to settle in the territory, would vote either for full integration with Morocco or for autonomy within the kingdom. The Polisario disagreed. Any referendum, it insisted, should include the option of outright independence. It also argued that only indigenous Sahrawis should be able to vote. To make matters trickier, Algeria refuses to allow a census of the population in the camps on its territory. One reason why Mr Ross has alienated Morocco was his effort to monitor human rights as part of the UN mandate. Tensions over the issue had been rising since Moroccan police and soldiers dismantled a camp of protesters at Gdeim Izik, just outside Laayoune, nearly two ears ago. Some protesters and police were killed in the ensuing riots. Sahrawis living on the western side of berm say that they have since been banned from holding protests or setting up their jaimas anywhere in the desert. Hence the tent on the roof. Some of the Sahrawis sipping tea under it claim that the Arab spring began not in Tunisia but in Western Sahara, with the construction of the camp at Gdeim Izik. Since the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, political freedom has expanded within Morocco itself. But in Western Sahara, say the pro-independence campaigners, things are worse. On a night-time drive through Laayoune during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan the streets are deserted, a rarity in any Muslim country and a million miles from Rabat, the bustling Moroccan capital. Muhammad, a human-rights campaigner, points out the heavily armoured military and police vans stationed every couple of hundred metres along Boulevard Mekka, the main road which bisects Laayoune. The number of police and soldiers patrolling the streets has steadily risen in recent years, he says, and it has become more and more difficult to hold protests. He recounts meeting activist friends from Norway before and after he was given a beating by the police and dumped in a nearby river. When he came back, his Scandinavian friends no longer recognised him. Mr Ban now says Mr Ross will stay. The rumour about Mr Powell, say the secretary-general’s people, is false. The glum campaigners may be right: expect nothing to change

Bardem shows plight of Saharawi in film documentary

Bardem shows plight of Saharawi in film documentary

Sahrawi Plight Mitigated in UPR Draft Report

Sahrawi Plight Mitigated in UPR Draft Report July 9, 2012 Her Excellency Navanethem Pillay High Commissioner for Human Rights Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland Sent via Fax: (41) 22-917-9011 PDF version Your Excellency: In light of the recent draft report issued by the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group on Morocco, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights (RFK Center), Aminatou Haidar, 2008 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award Laureate and President of the Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA), the Boston University Asylum & Human Rights Program, the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara, the Fahamu Refugee Programme, the U.S.-Western Sahara Foundation, and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies wish to raise concerns regarding the consistency of the draft report with the oral review. Organization representatives traveled to Geneva as part of an international coalition of human rights organizations to attend the UPR session on Morocco and to draw attention to the ongoing human rights violations in Western Sahara. During the session, many UN member delegations expressed concerns or recommendations regarding Western Sahara and the Sahrawi people. However, it has come to our attention that several of the references made to Western Sahara have been omitted entirely by the Working Group from the report, for instance: 1.Sweden recommended that Morocco take immediate steps to implement the new Constitution’s provision that international human rights are to be fully respected, including press freedom, freedom of expression, assembly and association. The Swedish delegate explicitly stated that this should include views on the situation in Western Sahara. The draft report has omitted this reference. 2.United States expressed concern that Morocco has failed to register civil society organizations advocating on behalf of minority populations, including Sahrawis. The draft report retains this concern, but does not refer to the Sahrawis by name. 3.Denmark expressed regret that UN-led negotiations to find a peaceful solution to the status of Western Sahara remain stalled, and that peaceful demonstrations continue to be subjected to attacks, and protestors arbitrarily detained or physically assaulted. It also asked the government of Morocco what measures were being taken to protect the safety of peaceful protestors and respect human rights in Western Sahara. The Working Group failed to include the references to the negotiations and the protests, and Denmark’s question to Morocco. 4.Costa Rica recommended that Morocco accept the establishment of a human rights component in the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). This recommendation was omitted from the report. 5.Ireland noted that it would welcome the inclusion of a broader human rights monitoring mechanism in the mandate of MINURSO. This reference to MINURSO was omitted from the report. While some references to the issue of the Western Sahara occupation were retained in the draft report, others were completely removed or stripped of their significance. The omission of the references made by delegations to the human rights violations in Morocco-controlled Western Sahara against the Sahrawi people prevents the international community from being fully informed of the serious challenges facing the Sahrawi people. The coalition requests that your office kindly include in the report a more comprehensive summary that includes the concerns and recommendations put forth by the delegations present at the UPR. We have enclosed here a detailed summary of the statements of the delegations to the UPR as they were delivered and how they currently appear in the draft report We believe that a more comprehensive report is critical in order to convey to the international community the importance of acting urgently to put an end to the serious violations of human rights taking place in occupied Western Sahara. We thank you for your attention to this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact the RFK Center’s advocacy director, Marselha Gonçalves Margerin, by email at gmargerin@rfkcenter.orgThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by telephone at (202) 463-7575 Ext. 224. Sincerely, Santiago A. Canton Director, RFK Partners for Human Rights Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights (Enclosure) Sweden: Text Accurately Reflecting Delegation Statements: Paragraph 129.80. Take immediate steps to implement the new Constitution’s provision that international human rights are to be fully respected, including press freedom, freedom of expression, assembly and association, including views on the situation of and in Western Sahara (Sweden); Current Text of the UPR Draft Report: Paragraph 129.80. Take immediate steps to implement the new Constitution’s provision that international human rights are to be fully respected, including press freedom, freedom of expression, assembly and association (Sweden); United States: Text Accurately Reflecting Delegation Statements: Paragraph 39. United States of America expressed concern about arrests of journalists, bloggers and artists, allegations of police brutality against peaceful demonstrators and the torture of detainees by the security forces, and failure to register civil society organizations advocating on behalf of minority populations, including Sahrawis. The United States of America made recommendations. Current Text of the UPR Draft Report: Paragraph 39. United States of America expressed concern about arrests of journalists, bloggers and artists, allegations of police brutality against peaceful demonstrators and the torture of detainees by the security forces, and failure to register civil society organizations advocating on behalf of minority populations. The United States of America made recommendations. Denmark: Text Accurately Reflecting Delegation Statements: Paragraph 65. Denmark noted the excessive use of force to disperse peaceful demonstrations. It noted the arrest of journalists and bloggers. It regretted the arbitrary detention and attack of protesters and noted the persistence of legal and practical gender-based discrimination. Denmark expressed regret that UN-led negotiations to find a peaceful solution to the status of Western Sahara remain stalled, and that peaceful demonstrations continue to be subjected to attacks and protestors arbitrarily detained or physically assaulted. It asked the government of Morocco what measures are being taken to protect the safety of peaceful protestors and respect human rights in Western Sahara. Denmark made recommendations. Current Text of the UPR Draft Report: Paragraph 65. Denmark noted the excessive use of force to disperse peaceful demonstrations. It noted the arrest of journalists and bloggers. It regretted the arbitrary detention and attack of protesters and noted the persistence of legal and practical gender-based discrimination. Denmark made recommendations. Costa Rica: Text Accurately Reflecting Delegation Statements: Paragraph 132.1. Accept the establishment of a permanent human rights component in the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), being the only peacekeeping mission not having this component (Uruguay, Costa Rica). Current Text of the UPR Draft Report: The report fails to include Costa Rica’s request that Morocco consider the incorporation of a human rights component to MINURSO. Ireland: Text Accurately Reflecting Delegation Statements: Paragraph 88. Ireland noted that the Family Code stipulated that the legal age of marriage was 18 and welcomed the changes in the Constitution regarding gender equality. It highlighted Morocco’s commitment to provide unimpeded access to all Special Procedures but remained concerned about the human rights situation in Western Sahara. It noted that it would welcome the inclusion of a broader human rights monitoring mechanism in the mandate of the UN Peace-keeping mission in Western Sahara. Ireland made recommendations. Current Text of the UPR Draft Report: Paragraph 88. Ireland noted that the Family Code stipulated that the legal age of marriage was 18 and welcomed the changes in the Constitution regarding gender equality. It highlighted Morocco’s commitment to provide unimpeded access to all Special Procedures but remained concerned about the human rights situation in Western Sahara. Ireland made recommendations

La Audiencia Nacional reconoce el Estatuto de Apátrida a un saharaui

DE LOS CAMPAMENTOS DE TINDUF La Audiencia Nacional reconoce el Estatuto de Apátrida a un saharaui Directorio Estatuto ApátridaAudiencia NacionalSección Octava Sala Contencioso Administrativo AudienciaMinisterio Interior Foto: EUROPA PRESSMADRID, 30 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) - La Audiencia Nacional ha reconocido el Estatuto de Apátrida a un ciudadano saharaui residente en los campamentos de Tinduf por entender que el hecho de que Argelia facilite pasaportes a los refugiados que viven en su territorio del Sáhara, no significa que les reconozca como nacionales y, dado que el territorio saharaui no es considerado un país, estas personas se encuentran sin patria de pertenencia. La sentencia, firmada en la Sección Octava de la Sala de lo Contencioso Administrativo de la Audiencia y recogida por Europa Press, estima un recurso contra el Ministerio del Interior, que denegó la apatridia a este ciudadano saharaui en mayo del año 2010 por considerar, por un lado, que ya tiene protección internacional y, por otro, que Argelia expide pasaportes a los residentes en los campamentos de Tinduf. El afectado, hijo de saharauis documentados en su día como españoles, se encontraba en Valencia visitando a unos parientes en mayo de 2009 cuando perdió su pasaporte argelino. Aunque lo denunció y acudió a la Embajada de Argelia con el resto de la documentación en regla para conseguir uno nuevo, éste le fue negado porque se trataba de "un título de viaje que no reconoce la condición de nacional argelino". Estando, de este modo, sin nacionalidad reconocida en España, el saharaui se trasladó al País Vasco poco después y, en el mes de septiembre, solicitó el Estatuto de Apátrida ante la Subdelegación del Gobierno en Guipúzcoa, un reconocimiento que no sólo le permitiría viajar al extranjero, sino también residir en España y desarrollar actividades profesionales o mercantiles en el país. Ante la negativa, presentó el recurso sobre el que la Audiencia Nacional resuelve ahora basándose en la jurisprudencia del Tribunal Supremo, que ya se ha pronunciado sobre otros casos en los que el Gobierno ha denegado el Estatuto de Apátrida a ciudadanos saharauis basándose en su condición de refugiados y en que Argelia les expide documentación. "Argelia nunca ha efectuado manifestación alguna --expresa ni tácita-- tendente al reconocimiento u otorgamiento de la nacionalidad argelina a los saharauis que, como refugiados, residen en los campamentos de Tinduf", ya que "documenta a los saharauis refugiados en su territorio con la finalidad de poder salir por vía aérea a países que, como España, no tienen reconocido como país a la República Árabe Saharaui Democrática", explica la jurisprudencia del Supremo. Además, apunta que los saharauis no tienen protección internacional más allá de la que proporciona el Alto Comisionado de Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados y, por tanto, no disponen de las garantías básicas necesarias para no ser considerados apátridas en los términos que impone la Convención de Nueva York de 1954 sobre este asunto. Con estos razonamientos precedentes, la Audiencia acuerda estimar el recurso del saharaui y anula la resolución denegatoria del Estatuto de Apátrida emitida por el Ministerio del Interior.