Saharawi human rights organizations: “Save Saharawi students in hunger strike!”
05/07/2007- Sahara Press Service

Five Saharawi human rights organizations and committees called on the UN and the international community to save the lives of hunger-striking Saharawi students detained in Moroccan prison in Sale, a press release issued on Wednesday by the organizations indicates.

“For the 24th day, the Saharawi students, detained in the local prison of Sale –Morocco-, are undertaking an unlimited hunger strike to ask for the right to be imprisoned in the same cell (apart from criminals-Ed), the right to be visited by their families and friends, in addition to the right to better conditions of imprisonment, medical care and contact with the external world and the right to be treated as political prisoners”, the press release stressed.

The Saharawi students started their hunger strike, it should be recalled, since June the 10th, after they failed to convince the prison’s administration positively deal with their demands.

On the other hand, the families of the students tried to contact the Moroccan authorities and justice in Temara and Rabat, without results. The families decided to start an open sit-in in front of the Moroccan prison to protest against this new Moroccan violation of their children’s rights.

The Saharawi organizations expressed concern regarding the serious situation of he hunger-striking students’ health after all these days of neglect and lack of cooperation from the Moroccan administration.

They called on the UN, “been legally responsible of the territory of Western Sahara to adopt the needed measures so as to protect the Saharawi civilians and help them enjoy their rights as enshrined in the UN’s Charter and in other International Conventions”, the test stresses.

It also called on all international organizations to intervene for the protection of the lives of the Saharawi students, and to put pressures on Morocco to put an end to its flagrant violations of Saharawi people’s rights.

The press release was signed by the Saharawi Committee for the Support of Western Sahara’s Right to Self-determination, the Saharawi Association of the Victims of Flagrant Human Rights Violations Committed by the Moroccan State, the Committee Against Torture in Dajla-Western Sahara, the Saharawi Association for the Defense of Human Rights in Smara-Western Sahara, the Committee for the Support of the UN’s Settlement Plan and protection of Western Sahara’s Natural Resources.