Action to save the lives of Saharawi hunger strikers
6 high profile prisoners of conscience are currently in their 4th week of hunger strike. The 6 are part of a group of 7 prominent human rights defenders held without trial since October and awaiting a military tribunal on the charge of “attacking the territorial integrity of Morocco” (i.e peacefully resisting the occupation). If found guilty they could face the death penalty. Their health is now critical; many have existing health conditions caused by former periods of detention and torture. They cannot walk and several have been taken to hospital .
Their protest has sparked a wave of solidarity by Saharawi political prisoners in prisons across Morocco, with 36 Saharawi now on hunger strike. Read our press release hereand our press article here.
Please see below for information on the Amnesty International action on their case.
You can also write to the hunger strikers in prison expressing solidarity with their cause which alerts the Moroccan authorities that we are aware of their actions.
Their details:
Ali Salem Tamek: Detention No: 50010.
Brahim Dahane: Detention No: 50014.
Ahmed Nasiri: Detention No: 50015.
Yahdih Tarouzi: Detention No: 50012 .
Saleh Labihi: Detention No: 50011
Rashid Sghir: Detention No: 50013
The address of the prison is just:
Salé Prison, Salé, Morocco
It is recommended to send it recorded delivery as some other letters have not been passed on by the prison guards.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL URGENT ACTION
SIX SAHRAWI ACTIVISTS AT RISK IN MOROCCO
Six Sahrawi prisoners of conscience are on hunger strike in protest at being held without trial in Morocco for over six months. Their families are gravely concerned for their health.
Ahmed Alansari, Brahim Dahane, Yahdih Ettarouzi, Rachid Sghir and Ali Salem Tamek, all men, have been on hunger strike since mid-March, in Salé prison near the Moroccan capital, Rabat. A sixth detained man, Saleh Labihi, who initially did not participate in a hunger strike for health reasons, joined the strike on 5 April in solidarity with the others. Their lawyers visited them on 12 April, and reported that five of the detainees were brought in to meet them in wheelchairs. They were so weak that they had difficulty speaking or even opening their eyes for long periods. In addition, Ali Salem Tamek also suffers from asthma, and according to his family, Brahim Dahane is suffering from acute stomach pain.
The six men, and a woman, Dakja Lashgar, were arrested on 8 October 2009 at Mohammed V airport in Casablanca when they returned from visiting refugee camps in Tindouf, in south-western Algeria. Dakja Lashgar was provisionally released in January on health grounds. All belong to a number of human rights organizations and other civil society groups in Western Sahara, a territory Morocco controversially annexed in 1975, and several have long track records in monitoring and reporting on human rights violations committed by the Moroccan authorities. Although they are all civilians, they have been referred for trial in front of the Military Court on charges of undermining Morocco’s security including its "territorial integrity", but six months after their arrest no date for their trial has yet been set. The six Sahrawi activists are determined to continue their hunger strike unless they are referred to trial immediately, or released unconditionally.
PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in Arabic, French or your own language:
Expressing grave concern for the health of Ahmed Alansari, Brahim Dahane, Yahdih Ettarouzi, Rachid Sghir, Ali Salem Tamek and Saleh Labihi, and urging the Moroccan authorities to ensure that they are given access to medical treatment of their choice, as well as regular access to their families and access to lawyers;
Calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the six, as they are held solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association, and for charges against them and Dakja Lashgar to be dropped;
Calling on the Moroccan authorities to ensure that Sahrawi human rights defenders are able to conduct their work without fear of harassment in compliance with their obligations under international human rights treaties, notably the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and in conformity to the UN Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (Declaration on Human Rights Defenders).
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 14 MAY 2010 TO:
Minister of Justice
His Excellency Mohamed Naciri
Ministry of Justice
Place Mamounia, Rabat
Maroc/Morocco
Fax: +212 537 72 37 10/ +212 537 73 07 72/ +212 537 73 47 25
Salutation: Your Excellency
Minister of Interior
His Excellency Taïeb Charkaoui
Ministry of Interior
Quartier Administratif, Rabat
Maroc/Morocco
Fax: +212 537762056
Salutation: Your Excellency
And copies to:
President of the Advisory Board of Human Rights
Ahmed Herzenni
Place Ach-chouhada,
B.P. 1341, 10000 Rabat
Maroc/Morocco
Fax: +212 37 726856
Email: ccdh@ccdh.org.ma
Also send copies to diplomatic representatives of Morocco accredited to your country. Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.
Additional Information
Moroccan authorities show little tolerance for expressing views in favour of the self-determination of Western Sahara, which is subject of a territorial dispute between Morocco which annexed it in 1975 and the Polisario Front, which calls for its independence and runs a self-proclaimed government in exile in the Tindouf camps.
Amnesty International fears that the charges against the seven Sahrawi activists are a result of their peaceful activities in support of the self-determination of the Sahrawi people. It believes that the activities that the seven are reported to have undertaken during their visit to Algeria, including the Tindouf camps, between 26 September and 8 October, such as meeting with Polisario representatives and attending festivals and other events organized in their honour, amount merely to the peaceful and legitimate exercise of their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly as guaranteed in international law and standards. Amnesty International is concerned that the Moroccan authorities are treating peaceful political activities challenging Morocco’s “territorial integrity” as a national security issue. Amnesty International believes that activities in support of self-determination, as long as they do not involve the use or advocacy of violence, should not be interpreted by the Moroccan state as threats to “national security”.
In mid-April 2010, the activists’ lawyers met with the investigative judge at the Military Court, responsible for conducting the investigation into their case. He told them that the investigation is ongoing, but provided no indication as to when it is expected to conclude.
Family visits between Western Sahara and the Tindouf camps in south-western Algeria have taken place under the auspices of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees; and Sahrawi activists have previously visited Algeria. The visit by the seven Sahrawi activists to the Tindouf camps in late September and early October was, however, the first of its kind. Since then, two other groups of Sahrawi activists visited the camps: one between 22 February and 7 March and the other between 15 March and 5 April 2010. While they did not face arrest and charges upon their return, they were subjected to other forms of harassment and intimidation. For instance, when 11 Sahrawi activists flew back to the city of Laayoune on 6 April after visiting the Tindouf camps, they were reportedly beaten and verbally insulted by Moroccan nationals in front of Moroccan law enforcement officials at Laayoune airport, who failed to intervene. The Moroccan nationals were chanting pro-Moroccan slogans including: “Moroccan Sahara. Autonomy. That is the solution” and “Oh traitors. Leave our country. This is our land”. In another instance of harassment of Sahrawi activists who have returned from the Tindouf camps, the Moroccan authorities used excessive force to break up a demonstration on 9 March 2010 in favour of self-determination for Western Sahara held in Laayoune and beat some of the protesters including Brahim Sabbar, Secretary General of the Sahrawi Association of Victims of Grave Human Rights Violations Committed by the Moroccan State, who had returned a few days earlier from the Tindouf camps. He told Amnesty International that he was beaten by at least four law enforcement officers with wooden sticks on different parts of his body including his head.
In addition to the six Sahrawi prisoners of conscience on hunger strike in Salé prison, 30 other Sahrawis are on hunger strike in different prisons in Morocco and Western Sahara in protests at the treatment they are receiving from the Moroccan authorities. |
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Take Action for Human Rights Monitoring in Western Sahara
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Recent tragic events in Western Sahara demonstrate the urgent need for human rights monitoring. MINURSO, the UN mission in Western Sahara, is the only contemporary UN peacekeeping mission in the world without a mandate to monitor human rights.
In April the UN will address the renewal of MINURSO's mandate - we must ACT NOW to make sure that this time human rights monitoring is included!
Published: 11.02 - 2011
Please write to the following before the end of February: (in order of priority)
• Your representative to the UN
• Your Foreign Minister; for the UK this is Alistair Burt MP (If writing on behalf of an organisation. Individuals please write to your MP asking her/him to write on your behalf)
• The Current President of the Security Council - Brazil - (Please request that your letter is circulated to all members of the Security Council)
• UN Secretary General
• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
• All Security Council members
Contact details below. Letters or faxes are best, but if you don’t have time please email.
For most impact we will ask to write again in April.
Key points:
• The recent violence in Western Sahara and the lack of transparency surrounding the events demonstrates an urgent need for human rights monitoring in Western Sahara.
• MINURSO remains the only contemporary peace-keeping mission without a mandate to monitor human rights.
• The UN is failing in its responsibility to protect the victims of this conflict.
• Human rights monitoring by MINURSO is essential to prevent further violence and instability.
• Ask: What steps will they take to ensure that human rights monitoring is included in the MINURSO mandate?
For more information - MINURSO & Human Rights
UK Foreign Minister
Alistair Burt MP
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
UN Security Council Contact details
UK Mission to the UN
H.E. Sir Mark Lyall Grant
Permanent Representative of the UK to the United Nations
UK Mission to the UN
One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza
885 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10017
USA
Fax: +1(212) 745 9316
Email: uk@un.int
US Mission to the UN
H.E. Ms Susan E. Rice
Permanent U.S. Representative to the United Nations
United States Mission to the United Nations
140 East 45th Street
New York, N.Y. 10017
USA
Fax: +1(212) 415 4053
Email via online form: http://archive.usun.state.gov/Issues/Contact2.html
France
H.E. Mr Gérard Araud
Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations
Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations
245 East 47th Street 44th floor
New York, N.Y. 10017
USA
Fax:+1(212) 421.6889
Email: france@franceonu.org
China (President of the Security Council - March)
H.E. Mr. Zhang Yesui
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations
Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations
350 East 35th Street
New York, NY 10016
USA
Fax: +1(212) 634 7626
E-mail: ChinaMissionUN@Gmail.com
Russian Federation
H.E. Mr Vitaly Churkin
Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations
Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations
136 East 67 Street
New York, NY 10065
USA
Fax: +1(212)628-0252
E-mail: rusun@un.int
Bosnia and Herzegovina
H.E. Mr Ivan Barbalic
Permanent Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations
Permanent Mission of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations
420 Lexington Avenue
Suites 607 & 608
New York, NY 10170
USA
Fax: +1(212) 751 90 19
Tel: +1(212) 751 90 15
bihun@mfa.gov.ba
Brazil (President of the Security Council - February)
H.E. Mrs Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti
Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations
Permanent Mission of Brazil to the United Nations
747 Third Avenue, 9th Floor
New York, NY
USA
Fax: +1(212)3715716
Email: delbrasonu@delbrasonu.org
Columbia (April’s President)
H.E. Mr. Nestor Osorio
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations
140 East 57th Street, New York
NY. 10022
Direct line: +1(212) 355-7223
nosorio@colombiaun.org
General contact details
Tel: +1(212) 355-7776
Fax: +1(212) 371-2813
colombia@colombiaun.org
Gabon
S.E.M. Denis Dangue Rewaka
Ambassadeur Extraordinaire et Plenipotentiaire, Representant Permanent
Mission permanente du Gabon auprés des Nations Unies
18 East 41st Street, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10017
USA
Fax: +1(212) 689 5769
Tel: +1(212) 686-9720
gabon@un.int
Germany
Ambassador Peter Wittig
Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations
The Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations
871 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
Telephone +1 (212) 940 04 00
Telefax + 1(212) 940 04 02
E-mail: info@new-york-un.diplo.de
India
H.E. Ambassador
Hardeep Singh Puri
Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations
235 East, 43rd Street, New York 10017.
TEL: +1 212-490-9660
FAX:+1 212-490-9656
EMAIL: India@un.int, & ind_general@indiaun.net
Lebanon
H.E. Dr. Nawaf Salam
Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations
The Permanent Mission of Lebanon to the United Nations in New York
866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 531-533
New York, NY 10017
USA
Fax: +1(212) 838-2819
Email: ambassador@lebanonun.org
Nigeria
H.E. Mrs U. Joy Ogwu OFR
Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations
Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations
828 Second Ave
New York, NY 10017
USA
Telephone : +1(212)-953-9130
Fax +1(212) 697 1970
Email via online form: http://www.nigeriaunmission.org/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=2&Itemid=53
Portugal
José Filipe Moraes Cabral
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Permanent Representative of Portugal to the United Nations
866 Second Avenue, 9th floor
New York, NY 10017
Telefone: +1 212 759 9444
Fax:+1 212 355 1124
E-mail: portugal@un.int
Assistant’s details
Paula Caroça
Phone: +1 212 759 9444 Ext. 902
Fax: +1 212 588 0217
pcaroca@missionofportugal.org
South Africa
H. E. Ambassador Baso Sangqu
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations
333 East 38th Street
New York
NY10016
Tel: +1(212) 213 5583
Fax: +1(212) 692 2498
Spain – Group of Friends
H.E. Mr. Juan Antonio YÁÑEZ-BARNUEVO
Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations
Permanent Mission of Spain to the United Nations
One Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, 36th Floor
New York, NY 10017
USA
Tel.: +1(212) 661 1050 / 51 / 52 / 53 / 54
Fax: +1(212) 949 7247
Email via online form: http://www.spainun.org/pages/directorio.cfm
UN Secretary General
The Honourable Ban Ki-Moon
Secretary General
760 United Nations Plaza
United Nations
New York, NY 10017
Salutation: Secretary General
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Ms. Navanathem 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
InfoDesk@ohchr.org
Fax: +41 22 917 9011
Tel (41) 22 928 9555
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