Paris, March 31, 2016 (SPS) - The mayor of Ivry-sur-Seine, Philippe Bouyssou, called on the French government to address the situation of the Sahrawi political prisoners and to intervene in their favor with the Moroccan authorities. In a letter sent to the French foreign minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, Wednesday, the mayor of Ivry said in the name of the values of the French Republic, "it seems urgent that the French government is concerned of Sahrawi prisoners situation and intervene with the Moroccan authorities for these human rights activists wrongfully convicted and imprisoned, to demand their release."
He reminded the minister that the 24 human rights activists, said "group Gdeim Izik", currently held in the Rabat-Salé prison, "committed to the principle of self-determination and territorial sovereignty of Saharawi people, recognized by the international Court of justice (ICJ) on 16 October 1975 and against the occupation of their territory by Morocco".
Drawing the attention of FM of the health status of these prisoners, who began a hunger strike since March 1, "deteriorating", the mayor of Ivry said that "it is in a context of breaches of human rights that these 24 people were arrested in conditions particularly violated by the Moroccan authorities in November 2011, "noting qu'Ivry-sur-Seine is" a city long been committed to the respect of rights of the Saharawi people".
Philippe Bouyssou reminded Jean-Marc Ayrault that the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during his visit to the Saharawi refugee camps, "evoke the Western Sahara situation of occupation by Morocco and called for the holding of a self-determination referendum for the Saharawi people ". (SPS)
125/090/TRA