London, January 22, 2017 (SPS) - The British organization for human rights defence in Western Sahara, Adala UK, denounced the "arbitrary expulsion" by the Moroccan occupation authorities of international observers from Western Sahara.
The non-governmental organization said that "at least 85 people, including foreign observers, human rights activists, journalists and other supporters of the Sahrawi cause," adding that those repressive actions aim at "silencing human rights activists in the occupied Sahrawi territories."
On Saturday, "the Moroccan authorities expelled four young Norwegians from the occupied city of Smara, as they were about to meet activists of the Sahrawi civil society and NGOs," Adala UK said in a statement.
The NGO said that "the young Norwegians have had their passports confiscated and were interrogated by the Moroccan police, and then driven to the city of Agadir in Morocco."
Adala UK added that the decision to expel human rights activists from the Sahrawi occupied authorities show Morocco's intentions and attempts to prevent a legitimate investigation on human rights abuses and to impose a news blackout on the situation of Sahrawi people in the occupied territories."SPS
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