Lisbon, June 07, 2017 (SPS) - The Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation (CPPC) called for the release of Sahrawi political prisoners from the Gdeim Izik group who are currently being unfairly tried in Rabat.
CPPC recalled that the process of the authorities of the Kingdom of Morocco against this group dates back to the events of November 2010, when thousands of Saharawi residing in the territories of the Western Sahara, illegally occupied by Morocco, decided to set up a camp in Gdeim Izik, 15 km from El Aaiún, as a form of struggle for respect for the human rights of the Saharawi people by Morocco, the occupying power.
The CPPC, in solidarity with the Saharawi political prisoners in Moroccan prisons, sent letters to the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, in March this year, and to the Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy , Frederica Mogherini.
CPPC said in its communiqué that the manifest and persistent refusal by the authorities of the Kingdom of Morocco to respect the rights of Saharawi political prisoners and the UN conventions are of great concern to the CPPC and that they deserve a clear condemnation.
Finally, the CPPC reaffirmed its solidarity with the just cause of the struggle of the Saharawi people for their right to self-determination and independence, and their demanded pressure on Morocco to comply with UN decisions. SPS
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