Former Rafto Award laureate Sidi Mohammed Daddach, right, was one of the 5 who were detained by Moroccan police as a group of Sahrawis on 6 October tried to travel to the refugee camps in Algeria.

The student activist Sultana Khaya who in 2007 was beaten blind on one eye during police violence, was refused exit from Western Sahara on 9 October, while her papers and passport were confiscated. Below, Ahmed Nasiri from Smara, one of the other arrestants.

7 leading human rights activists were detained on 8 October at Casablanca airport after having visited their countrymen in the refugee camps in Algeria. They are now being charged with treason.

Most of the 13 activists have during the last year had meetings with Norwegian organisations visiting the region.

‘Expect the Norwegian government to intervene’
"It is unacceptable that Sahrawi human rights activists are not allowed to travel abroad to talk about the violations in the territory, or to visit their countrymen in the refugee camps," wrote the leaders of the organisations in a joint letter (in Norwegian) to the Norwegian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jonas Gahr Støre.  

"We expect the [Norwegian] government to demand that the detained Sahrawi human rights activists be immediately released, and to demand from the Moroccan authorities that passports and other confiscated property be immediately returned to the Sahrawis who have tried to leave Western Sahara," wrote the organisations.

Initiated by the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara, the letter was signed by all 8 Norwegian political youth organisations (Norwegian Labour Youth, Young Liberals of Norway, Red Youth Norway, Norwegian Center Youth, Progress Party Youth, Norwegian Young Conservatives, Socialist Youth, Christian Democrat Youth), as well as by the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara, The Rafto Foundation, Norwegian Refugee Council, Norwegian Students’ and Academics’ International Assistance Fund, Human Rights House Foundation, The National Union of Students in Norway, Counteract TV, Trade Union for Industry and Energy, Changemaker, Norwegian Language Youth.

Original story on vest-sahara.no: find here.