Oxford Six and detained Saharawi students send open letter
Two groups of Saharawi students, one from the occupied zones and the other from the Saharawi refugee camps, sent an open letter to the leaders of the free world and international organisation to protest against Moroccan obstacles to their participation to a youth dialogue in Oxford, London.
The two groups were invited, by the British organisation Talk Together, along with another group of youth from Morocco and groups of students from 7 other nationalities, including, Norway and UK to take part to a course to develop their communication skills, learn conflict resolution techniques and get to know people from different areas.
The Moroccan authorities prevented the six Saharawi participants from the occupied zones, and seven Moroccan students, who were due to take their flights from Agadir and Casablanca.
The Saharawi students who signed the letter are, the Oxford six from the occupied zones of Western Sahara: El Haouasi Nguia (19, female), Amaidane Maimouna (17, female), Hayat Rguibi (19 female ), Elassri Mohamed Fadel (24; male), Razouk Choummad (20; male) and Mohamed Daanoun (20; male), besides Saharawi Students from the Refugee Camps participating in the conflict resolution course at “Talk Together” in Oxford: Senia Bachir Abderahman (f), Sumaia Hamudi (f), Tumana Ahmed Salama(f), Lalty Sidi Ozman (f) and Sid Ahmed Fadel (m), Liasaa Salama Mustafa (m), Sidi Salem Mohamed Taleb (m), Limam Hamudi (m), and Basiri Mulay Elahsan (m).
Here is the letter sent Today by the Saharawi students to the US President, British Prime Minister, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Swedish Prime Minister whose country is the Chair of EU, the President of the European Parliament…etc
For Further information you can contact:
Basiri Mulay El hasan Tlf: +4796503507 +4747149126 Email: Bassirisahara@yahoo.es
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Dear Sir or Madam
We would like to address to you this urgent letter to bring to your attention that a part of our group has encountered serious problems to travel to take part in the conflict resolution course organised by the UK-based organisation “Talk Together” in Oxford between 5th and 18th August 2009.
As you may be aware, Talk Together invites young people from either side in an ongoing conflict and challenges them to generate new ways to confront their prejudices in a way that may foster understanding conducive to finding solutions, and stimulate wider public debate.
We were looking forward to knowing each other and to collaborating with peers from neutral countries in a serene and open space in which we all could exchange our views about the important issues that matter in our lives. We were also eager to make new friends and establish links through which we could address, jointly and in an amicable atmosphere, our daily concerns and try to find common ways of understanding the conflict that has affected our lives and those of our people.
We were and we are still willing to present our ideas to political leaders and the international public at large and to deepen our experiences in conflict resolution, teamwork and leadership.
On 5th August, six young Sahrawis were about to travel from Agadir airport in Morocco to attend the two weeks course in Oxford, but the Moroccan authorities prevented them from travelling, despite the fact that they had their air tickets and travel documents in order as well as valid UK visas. They were subsequently interrogated and violently assaulted by the Moroccan Security Forces.
As you may be aware, Western Sahara is a decolonisation issue and is currently under the UN responsibility through its mission in the territory, MINURSO. These youngsters must have full protection, and their right to travel in and out of the territory, without any constraints, should be fully respected.
This is more so when it comes to participation in a course aimed at fostering understanding and building bridges of dialogue with Moroccan peers in the interest of a more promising future of cooperation and mutual respect between the two peoples and countries.
We also learned that, on the same day, a group of seven Moroccan youngsters that were equally due to participate in the same course were prevented from boarding the plane at Casablanca airport in Morocco. We still do not know the real reason behind this unfortunate incident.
Morocco has been occupying Western Sahara for over three decades, and has been constantly committing human rights abuses against the Saharawi citizens of all ages. These violations are well documented by international organisations and independent observers. It is incomprehensible indeed that these abuses are allowed to occur at a time when a United Nations peacekeeping mission is present in the territory.
We are appealing to you to intervene urgently to ensure the safety of the Saharawi youth and to demand the Moroccan authorities to allow them to travel freely in and out of the occupied territories of Western Sahara .
Please accept our kindest regards and best wishes.
-The students “Oxford Six”-Aaiun, the occupied territories of Western Sahara ,
-Saharawi Students from the Refugee Camps participating in the conflict resolution course at “Talk Together” in Oxford .
- The students were due to attend the workshop from 5th – 19th August in St Edward’s School, Oxford . The course still went ahead with students from the UK Norway , the Philippines and the Refugee Camps in Tindouf.
- The project is Funded by the EU Youth In Action programme and the British Council
- A 2008 report by Human Rights Watch found that Morocco has violated the rights to expression, association, and assembly in Western Sahara .
- A 2008 Amnesty International report found that “politically motivated administrative impediments have been used to prevent human rights groups obtaining legal registration and curtailing their scope of activities.”
- The dispute in Western Sahara is one of the longest running and most forgotten conflicts in the world. The country has been subject to an occupation by neighbouring Morocco despite rulings by the International Court of Justice and over 100 UN Resolutions. For the past 34 years 165,000 Saharawi refugees have been forced to live in refugee camps in the Algerian desert.
On the 7th August Amnesty International mad a public statement on this case.
“Morocco/ Western Sahara: Sahrawis prevented from travelling and punished for their stance
Amnesty International is concerned by reports that Moroccan security officials forcibly removed six young Sahrawis from Agadir’s Al Massira airport on 6 August 2009 and then assaulted them, after refusing them permission to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) on 5 August.
The organization is calling on the authorities to launch an immediate investigation into the beatings and forced removal of the six, who include three young women, and to explain why they were refused permission to travel to the UK to participate in a programme intended to foster reconciliation between young people from different backgrounds.
The six are reported to have been assaulted by officials at three different locations - outside Agadir’s Al Massira airport, at a border police station near Laayoune, and again at the Laayoune home of one of the six.
Amnesty International wrote to Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa on 6 August to express concern that the six Sahrawis from Western Sahara and another group of young people from Morocco had both been prevented from travelling for what appear to be politically-motivated reasons. In its letter, Amnesty International drew attention to Morocco’s obligation, under Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to respect the right of individuals to leave a country, including their own, and called on the government to lift the ban and allow the two groups to travel to the UK immediately and without further impediment.
The six Sahrawi - named as Mimouna Amidan, Mohamed Da’noun, Nguia ElHaouasi, Mohamed Fadel El’asri, Choummad Razouk and Hayat Rguibi, whose ages range between 17 and 24 years - are reported to have been forcibly removed from Al Massira airport shortly after 5 pm on 6 August. They were scheduled to travel to London on 5 August to take part in the Youths Talk Together about Western Sahara , a programme organized by Talk Together, a UK-based non-profit initiative. The programme aimed to bring together young people from Morocco and Western Sahara, the Tindouf camps in Algeria , Norway and the UK for a period of two weeks (5-19 August 2009) to discuss issues affecting their daily lives and political concerns.
The six young Sahrawis were scheduled to take Royal Air Maroc flight AT422 from Agadir to Casablanca at 11:30 am on 5 August in order to travel on to London later that afternoon. However, when they arrived at the departures hall of Agadir Al Massira airport, they were informed by plain-clothed security officials that they were not permitted to travel. The officials did not disclose the reason or legal basis for this prohibition, stating simply that they were acting "under instructions from above", but castigated the students as "separatists and members of the Polisario". The six students were all in possession of valid travel documents and visas for the UK .
The six Sahrawis remained at the airport and went on hunger strike to protest the authorities’ action but after about 30 hours were forcibly removed by a combined force of security officials said to have included members of the police, the Royal Gendarmerie and the Auxiliary Forces. After being escorted from the airport, the students were beaten, had their belongings including their mobile phones temporarily confiscated, and were forced into a vehicle and driven to Laayoune, about 350 kilometres south of Agadir. The vehicle was reportedly accompanied by cars containing members of the Royale Gendarmerie. On the way, the six were taken to a border police station and questioned, including about the Youths Talk Together about Western Sahara programme and their contacts with international organizations, and are said to have been beaten and insulted. They were then beaten again by security officials when they arrived at the home of Mimouna Amidan at about 3:30 am on 7 August, where they were greeted by family members who carried flags of the Polisario Front and chanted slogans in favour of the independence of Western Sahara . Some of their relatives are also reported to have been assaulted. Mohamed Fadel El’asri and others sustained minor injuries as a result and security officials are now reported to be staking out the home of Mimouna Amidan.
Background
Seven young Moroccans and their group leader, who were due to attend the same programme in the UK, were prevented by Moroccan security authorities from taking the August 5 Air Arabia flight 3O491 from Casablanca to Stansted, UK, also without being informed of the reason or legal grounds for the authorities’ action.
Amnesty International is concerned that the Moroccan authorities’ refusal to allow these two groups of young people from travelling abroad to take part in the Youths Talk Together about Western Sahara programme is part of a wider pattern of curbs imposed by the Moroccan authorities on the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression concerning issues that they deem politically-sensitive, such as the role and status of the monarchy, national security and the status of Western Sahara. Human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers and others continue to face intimidation and even prosecution when they transcend certain "red lines", which include expressing views in favour of the independence of Western Sahara . On numerous occasions, Amnesty International has called on the Moroccan authorities to uphold their obligations under Article 9 of the Moroccan Constitution and Article 19 of ICCPR, which guarantee the right to freedom of expression. “
Africa's last colonySince 1975, three quarters of the Western Sahara territory has been illegally occupied by Morocco. The original population lives divided between those suffering human rights abuses under the Moroccan occupation and those living in exile in Algerian refugee camps. For more than 40 years, the Saharawi await the fulfilment of their legitimate right to self-determination.
Since 1975, three quarters of the Western Sahara territory has been illegally occupied by Morocco. The original population lives divided between those suffering human rights abuses under the Moroccan occupation and those living in exile in Algerian refugee camps. For more than 40 years, the Saharawi await the fulfilment of their legitimate right to self-determination.
