Morocco Violates Rights of Long-term Prisoners
Nineteen men have now spent 12 years in prison, with years still to serve, after trials that leaned heavily on tainted confessions. The passage of time has only heightened the injustice in this case.
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Moroccan Courts have sentenced Sahrawi prisoners in Western Sahara to lengthy imprisonment in unfair trials, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International. The prisoners were convicted for their alleged role in the lethal violence of November 8th 2010 when the Moroccan police dismantled a Sahrawi protest decrying their socio-economic situation.
Lama Fakih, director of the Middle East and North Africa at HRW states: “Nineteen men have now spent 12 years in prison, with years still to serve, after trials that leaned heavily on tainted confessions. The passage of time has only heightened the injustice in this case.”
Fakih states that the protesters were not given a fair trial and suggests that the authorities did not obtain confessions from the protesters in a transparent manner. In fact, HRW has collected a number of testimonies by Sahrawi prisoners detailing torture and abuse by Moroccan authorities to extract confessions.
Likewise, Amna Guellali, deputy director at Amnesty International for the Middle East and North Africa, remarks: “The continued imprisonment of the Gdeim Izik group on the basis of tainted evidence shows that when it comes to those who oppose Moroccan rule over Western Sahara, a fair trial is a pipe dream”.
The conflict between Morocco and the Sahrawi people began in 1975 when the Spanish colonizers left Western Sahara, which was subsequently claimed by Morocco. The Polisario Front represents the Sahrawi people and advocates for independence from Morocco.
The Moroccan authorities have systematically tried to prevent summits of the Polisario Front and other local NGOs focused on Sahrawi human rights. The members of the Polisario front and NGO workers are routinely harassed by the Moroccan authorities and beaten in custody and in public, according to HRW.
ACHRS deplores the actions of the Moroccan court violating the rights of the Sahrawi population in the Western Sahara. The Sahrawi population has the right to fair treatment and trials in Moroccan courts and to be given a fair punishment for the convicted crime. The Moroccan judiciary should comply with human rights laws and treat all subjects equally.
ACHRS condemns the conviction of offenders based on confessions obtained through torture. Offenders should be convicted on factual evidence that is obtained under transparent circumstances.
ACHRS opposes the lengthy prison sentences of the Sahrawi suspects. Prisoners should have a perspective on a life outside of prison.
Picture Source: Qantara
