Western Sahara

Independent human rights work continues to be repressed in Western Sahara by the Moroccan authorities who consider Western Sahara to be part of Morocco. No progress has been made towards a UN sponsored referendum on the future of Western Sahara.

The issue of self determination in Western Sahara has been creating deep political and security related tensions throughout the Sahara area controlled by the Moroccan authorities; it is affecting all aspects of life including the work of human rights defenders.

Previous cases of enforced disappearance (long term imprisonment and severe torture during the period 1976-1991) still overshadow the life and feelings of most activists.

In regard to the right to freedom of association, none of the Sahara’s human rights groups is legally registered. They are considered by the authorities as supporters of self-determination or “separatists”. Some of these groups have tried to register but with no success.

As a result; the work of all these groups is illegal, affiliation is considered a crime, they have no place to work, very limited financial resources, difficulties in dealing with governmental or even non-governmental “registered” organisations and difficulties in communicating with and traveling to the outside world.

As for the right to freedom of assembly, especially since the so-called “2005 independence uprising”, all kinds of peaceful protests and gatherings are considered as illegal and dispersed by force. Participants, including human rights defenders, were reportedly beaten on the spot and/or arrested or otherwise intimidated.

According to recent cases, activists, including human rights defenders, men and women, were subjected to informal periods of short-term arrest, then released by being dropped in an isolated area. Others were detained and subjected to unfair trial on charges related to violence resulting in sentences ranging from 6-18 months.

Harrassment also includes dismissal from work or the freezing of social welfare benefits (unemployment in Sahara is very high) and raids on the houses of prominent human rights defenders.

A high proportion of those detained are secondary school students and the police maintain a constant presence in the schools. Many young men claim to have been arrested and beaten by the police in custody, including allegations of sexual aassault. Many complaints, in relation the aforementioned violations, were submitted to different administrative and legal bodies, however, no serious response was reported.