London, 27 March 2017 (SPS) - Last Thursday, 23 March, a group of unemployed individuals demonstrated pacifically in El Aaiun, in the Occupied Territories in Western Sahara. In view of the brutal repression with which the Moroccan forces responded to the demonstrators, Adala UK demands that the Moroccan authorities carry a complete, impartial and independent investigation of the human rights abuses committed and that all liable individuals are brought to justice.
The protests started in the early afternoon when a group of 200 people gathered to protest against the marginalisation and denial of the right to a decent job by the Moroccan authorities.
The work situation in the Occupied Territories is particularly hard for the Sahrawi citizens, as workstations created by the Moroccan government are always allocated to Moroccan citizens, both settlers and individuals who come from the Moroccan cities.
Demonstrators also protested against the empty promises the Moroccan government has made: over two years ago the Government promised to assign them the new 1000 workstations set up in the occupied territories, but they were eventually granted to Moroccan settlers and citizens. (SPS)
062/090