March 2013

Bir Lahlu (liberated territories) March 06, 2013 (SPS) President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario Front  Mohamed Abdelaziz, has expressed his "sincere condolences" to the people of Venezuela after the death of President Hugo Chavez occurred Tuesday in a hospital in Caracas .
 

"We have learned with deep regret the sad news about the irreparable loss of our brother, Commander Hugo Chavez," wrote the President in a letter to the vice-president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro.
 

Shahid Alhafed,March06,2013(SPS) the presidency of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic announced Wednesday  a national mourning following the death of President of the Republic of Venezuela ,Hugo Chavez.
 

London,March06,2013(SPS)- Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) denounced Tuesday the launch of a wind farm project by the German company Siemens in the occupied territories of Western Sahara.
 

In its website the WSRW estimated that “up to now 9 vessels have been involved in transporting the windmill parts and related infrastructure material from Germany since end of December 2012” and “The construction parts have arrived in the territory on a caravan of vessels over the last weeks.”
 

Bechar (Algeria) March06, 2013(SPS) - A regional cultural festival in solidarity with Sahrawi people kicked off Tuesday at the Culture Centre of Bechar (965-km southwest of Algiers), to show Algerian people's support to the Sahrawi people's struggle.
 

The opening ceremony of the festival was attended, by Sahrawi Culture Minister Khadija Hamdi, Wali (governor) of Bechar Abdelghani Zalane and the secretary general of the Algerian National Youth Union (UNJA), Mohamed Madani. 
      

Budapest ,March06,2013(SPS)  The Central and Eastern European Alliance for the Solidarity with the Saharawi People called for the immediate release of the civil Sahrawi activists against whom unjust sentences were recently pronounced by the Moroccan military court after the events of Gdeim Izik.
 

Pretoria(South Africa)March05,2013(SPS) “The Government of the Republic of South Africa condemns the sentencing of the 25 Saharawi human rights activists on 17 February 2013 by a Moroccan military tribunal following 27 months of detention.” daid a statement issued on Monday by the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ebrahim Ebrahim.
 

Bir Lehlou (liberated territories), March 4, 2013 (SPS) - The Minister of Justice considered that the unjust trial of Gdeim Izik detainees “is just another episode in the series of the gross human rights violations perpetrated by the Moroccan occupying authorities,” calling, in a letter sent Monday to the President of Human Rights Council, for the revoking of the unjust sentences against the Saharawi activists of Gdeim Izik and ensuring the full respect for their fundamental human rights.


Following is a complete read of the letter:

Bir Lehlou (liberated territories), March 4, 2013 (SPS) - The Saharawi Minister of Justice and Religious Affairs Mr. Bah Dih Cheikh has appealed to the President of the UN Human Rights Council, Mr. Remigiusz Achilles Henczel, to urge Moroccan Government to revoke the politically motivated and unjust sentences against the Saharawi human rights activists of Gdeim Izik, calling for the need to ensure that their fundamental human rights are fully respected.

London, March 4, 2013 (SPS) - The Western Sahara Campaign UK has declared that it joins others organizations, under Western Sahara Action Forum, in establishing an international body to monitor human rights and implement international law in Western Sahara, a source from POLISARIO representation in London told Monday SPS.

Caracas, March 4, 2013 (SPS) - Mr. Mohamed Salem Daha presented Saturday his credentials to the Venezuela’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Europe and Director of Foreign Minister Cabinet Mr. Temir Porras as a new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, according to a statement issued Sunday by SADR embassy in Caracas.

Stavanger (Norway), March 3, 2013 (SPS) - A large number of Saharawis, currently living in Norway, and friends of Western Sahara met Saturday in the city of Stavanger, the third largest city in Norway, to celebrate the 37th anniversary of the declaration of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and to elect new leadership of the Association of Saharawis living in Norway.


The event was organized by the Association of Saharawis living in Norway in collaboration with the local chapter of the Norwegian Labor Youth (AUF).

Geneva, March 3, 2013 (SPS) - The UN Special Rapporteur on torture Mr. Juan E. Méndez expressed concern for the fact that 25 Saharawi civilians are being tried before a military court, highlighting, in a report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council, that he received testimonies of torture and ill-treatment, including rape and deteriorating health conditions of some of the Saharawi detainees due to the prison conditions.

Bir Lehlou (liberated territories), March 3, 2013 (SPS) - Saharawi Advisory Council has strongly condemned the martial trial conducted by Moroccan occupation state against 25 Saharawi civilians, calling on the UN to “immediately intervene” to take all necessary steps for the revoking of the sentences and release the group and all the Saharawi political prisoners in Moroccan jails, in a letter sent Saturday to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Geneva, March 3, 2013 (SPS) - The United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment Mr. Juan E. Méndez has called on the Moroccan government to open “a serious and neutral” investigation into all the complaints of torture and ill-treatment against the Saharawi prisoners, and hold the perpetrators among Moroccan police and security forces accountable.

Extremadura (Spain), March 3, 2013 (SPS) - The Minister of Cooperation Mr. Brahim Mujtar has met the President of the Parliament of Extremadura Mr. Fernando Manzano, a part of a recent visit to the province.


The two sides focused on various aspects of bilateral cooperation, in the light of the current economic crisis prevailing in Spain.


The meeting was also attended by POLISARIO Representative to Spain Mr. Bachraya Bayun.

Paris, March 3, 2013 (SPS) - Nearly one hundred people, mostly Saharawi nationals and members of French ant-colonialist groups and political parties, rallied Wednesday in Paris demanding the release of 24 Saharawi activists, who have been given recently heavy imprisonment sentences by the military court of Rabat, Morocco, and asking French authorities to condemn the trial they dubbed "iniquitous."

Algiers, March 2, 2013 (SPS) - “Moroccan Justice took a great risk by condemning the 24 Sahrawi political prisoners of Gdeim Izik to heavy sentences,” president of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic’s Friends Association in France (AARASD) Regine Villemont said Saturday in Algiers.


While described the process of political score-settling, she believed that the risk incurred by Morocco is that these terrible convictions could result in a second Gdeim Izik.

London, March 2, 2013 (SPS) - British Trade Unions Congress (TUC) has called for ensuring a fair trial in a civilian court for the Saharawi activists of human rights, in a letter sent Thursday by its General Secretary to the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.