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One more shipping company quits Western Sahara assignments
The third “Norwegian” shipping company in half a year says it will no longer visit ports in occupied Western Sahara. Jinhui Shipping, registered on Oslo Stock Exchange, says to South the People´s Republic of China Morning Post that it will not contract any more business in the country. (05-JUNE-08)
Norwegian shipping company apologizes for Western Sahara shipment
The Norwegian shipping company R-Bulk apologizes that one of their vessels has transported phosphates from Western Sahara, and say they will do their utmost to prevent it from happening again. The company is praised for its good corporate social responsibility. On Friday 30th, it was revealed that the Norwegian shipping company R-Bulk has been involved in transporting 15.000 tonnes of phosphates from occupied Western Sahara to Colombia. The shipment was done on the vessel ‘Radiance’ in middle of April. (01-JUNE-08)
Norwegian company transports phosphates from W. Sahara to Colombia
In April this year, a vessel belonging to the Norwegian ship owner company R-Bulk, transported 15.000 tonnes of phosphate from occupied Western Sahara to Colombia. The Norwegian trade union Industry and Energy, as well as the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara and Western Sahara Resource Watch today protests the shipment. The phosphate industry in the occupied country takes place in violation of international law. (30-MAY-08)
Sahrawi student severely injured by police. Contribute to his treatment
On 17 May, Moroccan police threw Elwali Alkadimi, right, out from the third floor of a building. According to his family, Alkadimi broke his neck and is in urgent need of surgery. His family fears that he may end up paralysed and crippled from the injuries he suffered in the fall, and medical tests have established that large parts of his body are already immobilised, as in a state of paralysis. You can help save Alkadimi by way of contributing financially to the account number below. (27-MAY-08)
Morocco “planning military attack on Sahara”
According to press reports in Spain, the government and army of Morocco are making preparations for a military attack on the territories controlled by Western Sahara´s Polisario Front since a UN-brokered ceasefire in 1991. The alleged “preparations” are to be a reaction to the increased civilian activities by Polisario in its “liberated territories”. (22-MAY-08)
Vietnamese activist convicted, but will be deported instead
An American-Vietnamese political activist was sentenced to six months jail in a one-day trial, but he will be deported at the weekend as he had already served the time, U.S. embassy officials and his party said on Tuesday. Nguyen Quoc Quan, right, 54, an engineer from Sacramento, California, was arrested last November along with several other activists of the Viet Tan (Vietnam Reform Party) who were preparing to distribute leaflets opposed to one-party rule. (13-MAY-08)
Vietnam’s President receives letter regarding three detainees
In a letter to Vietnam´s President Nguyen Minh Triet, the Rafto Foundation´s Executive Director Therese Jebsen and the Chairman of the Board of the Prize Committee Arne Liljedahl Lynngård convey their concern regarding the ongoing detentions of Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan, right, Mr. Somsak Khunmi and Mr. Nguyen The Vu. The three are charged with terrorism, although all they did was to promotoe peaceful democratic change in Vietnam. (06-MAY-08)
Pro-democracy activists to be charged with terrorism in Vietnam
On 13 May, Nguyen The Vu, Nguyen Quoc Quan and Somsak Kunmi will stand trial in Vietnam, charged with terrorism. Together with three others, they were arrested 17 November last year. ´Free them now ´ is an international campaign to prevent these three and others from being sentenced, potentially with heavy prison terms. (05-MAY-08)
Allegations of torture of Sahrawi HR defender must be investigated
Amnesty International deplores today´s expulsion by the Moroccan authorities of a delegation of Action by Christians against Torture (Action des chrétiens pour l´abolition de la torture, ACAT) as another setback against human rights defenders working on Western Sahara. The organization was in the country to investigate the human rights situation in Western Sahara. (25-APR-08)