Last Friday, more than 50 exiled Saharawis of Western Sahara, currently settled in Norway, demonstrated outside the Moroccan Embassy in Oslo, demanding the release of imprisoned Saharawian human rights activists and the end to the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara. The Moroccan Embassy refused to talk to the demonstrators. (15-AUG-05)
Since the Intifada began in May, the human rights situation in Western Sahara has gone from bad to worse. At the moment, the situation is critical, with increasingly serious violations taking place ever more frequently. -We are deeply concerned, said Sidahamed Salem, spokesman for the Saharawis participating in the Oslo demonstration. -During the last few months, we have seen an increase of systematic violence against key human rights defenders like Ali Salem Tamek and Aminatou Haidar, added Salem.
Letters to Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
For more than 30 years, the Saharawian people has fought for its right to self-determination from the occupying power of Morocco. -We ask that Norway officially acknowledges Western Sahar as an independent state, said Salem, who has sent a letter to Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik and Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Petersen requesting their support against the Moroccan suppression.
Illegal occupant
It is now fourteen years since the Saharawian people was promised a referendum on the issue of independence from Morocco. Through numerous resolutions and conventions, United Nations has established that Morocco is an illegal occupant.
For further information on this issue, please contact Sidahamed Salem on +47 41 66 99 44 or Ronny Hansen on +47 92 80 86 07.
