Berlin, 30 November 2019 (SPS) - Sahrawi activist Aminatu Haidar on Monday denounced before the German Parliament (Bundestag) the grave human rights situation in the occupied areas of Western Sahara, expressing her deepest concern at the escalation of attacks and the Moroccan occupation regime's repression against the Sahrawi civilian population.
Haidar stressed that the intensification of Moroccan repression came at a crucial time for the peace process, marked by the absence of a UN mediator and obstacles to UN work in the last decolonizing territory in Africa.
The winner of the "Right Livelihood Prize 2019", also known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize", called on deputies of various German political forces and members of the diplomatic corps accredited to Berlin to take urgent action, in particular the countries of the European Union (EU), to address the illegal practices of the Moroccan occupier on Sahrawi territory and to take measures to "enforce the UN resolutions so that the Sahrawi people can enjoy their inalienable right to self-determination.”
"In addition to systematic human rights violations and ongoing persecution, there are currently more than 46 Sahrawi political prisoners illegally convicted by Morocco," said the Sahrawi activist who chairs the Association of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA).
"I also seize this opportunity to pay tribute to the young activist Mahfouda Lefkir, illegally detained simply for expressing her rejection of the sentence imposed on a member of her family. Mahhfouda Lefkir has been in prison for ten days and has not received visits from her relatives,” she continued.
She also called German politicians and organizations to "intercede to obtain the immediate release of all Sahrawi human rights activists detained in Moroccan prisons.”
Besides, Aminatu Haidar expressed concern about the "manoeuvres" advocated by some European countries, notably France and Spain, to violate the judgments of the EU Court of Justice and to maintain the illegal exploitation of Sahrawi natural resources through illegal trade agreements with Morocco. (SPS)
062/SPS/APS