Bagnolet (France), September 19, 2015 (SPS) The French Association of Friendship and Solidarity with the Peoples of Africa (AFASPA) has called on French President François Hollande to intervene for respect of human rights in Western Sahara and Morocco during his visit to the Kingdom of Morocco September 19-20.
"Today and since 18 months access to the occupied territory of Western Sahara is prohibited by the Moroccan colonial authorities. In recent weeks a lawyer, elected Spanish and a delegation of the International Trade Union Confederation were prevented from travelling to El Aaiun to meet Sahrawi trade unionists who were raising various social and economic issues", said the AFASPA.
"This brings the number to about 70 persons banned or removed against their will by the Moroccan police as was the case for the Secretary General of the AFASPA for which your Minister of Foreign Affairs merely stick to the version of the Moroccan authorities who have lied about the reasons for his abduction", it added.
The proceedings in cassation filed in March 2013 by the lawyers of the 24 Saharawi activists sentenced by the Military Tribunal of Rabat to 2 years, 20 years, 30 years and life imprisonment by the Military Tribunal of Rabat is still not on the agenda, while Morocco has abolished this legal proceeding for civilians. "A commitment that satisfies your diplomacy but which is like so many others rarely in practice and stressed by the UN rapporteur on Human Rights," lamented the association.
Economic retaliation against former Sahrawi political prisoners and activists of human rights in Western Sahara are in addition to arrests, torture of peaceful demonstrators, because of their position in favor of self-determination of the Saharawi people, emphasized AFASPA.
"Nous vous demandons d’intervenir auprès des autorités marocaines afin qu’elles laissent les observateurs étrangers et les journalistes accéder à l’audience. Je pense que ces éléments vous permettront d’aborder avec des exemples précis la question du respect des droits élémentaires au Maroc et de soutenir la nécessité de la tenue rapide du référendum d’autodétermination du peuple du Sahara occidental", a conclu l’association. (SPS)
"We urge you to intervene with the Moroccan authorities to allow foreign observers and journalists to access the audience. We think these elements will enable you to tackle with specific examples the issue of respect for basic rights in Morocco and supporting the need for the rapid holding of the referendum on self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, "concluded the association. (SPS)
062/090/TRA