Elwali Amidane finally released
Today, Elwali Amidane was finally released from prison after being put there by moroccoan authorities as a punishment for engaging in demonstrations and other peaceful activities for a free western sahara. Elwali lives in the occupied Western Sahara, where even mentioning the name of your own country can lead to being tortured, harassed and as in Elwali’s case, imprisoned.
Today is a day of joy and celebration, western sahara has got one of their most important activists back, and a family has got their son back.
Sahara libre!
Press Release: Former UN Special Envoy and ex-British Diplomat join MP’s in call for justice for Western Sahara on 20th anniversary of UN ceasefire
On Tuesday 6th September, 20 years after the signing of a UN ceasefire agreement MPs, campaigners and former senior British diplomat Carne Ross, will visit Downing Street to deliver a letter calling on Britain to use her role within the UN Security Council to help enforce the terms of the ceasefire and hold a referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara. The letter includes the signature of former UN special representative in Western Sahara who resigned his post in 2006 in protest at UN inaction on the issue.
The UN negotiated-ceasefire agreement signed in 1991 brought to an end 16 years of fighting between the Polisario Front and Moroccan forces who had unlawfully annexed the territory in 1976. Under the terms of the ceasefire a referendum on self-determination was promised. Twenty years later it has yet to be carried out. In the meantime over 100,000 Saharawi continue to live in refugee camps in the Algerian desert whilst the rest of the population suffer under an unlawful occupation.
Cathy Jamieson MP said today:
“With the Arab Spring reshaping the political landscape of the region now is the time for the UN Security Council to fulfil its obligation to enforce international law in Western Sahara. On this, the 20th anniversary of the 1991 ceasefire agreement, we call on David Cameron to increase efforts to ensure that the agreed referendum on self-determination is carried out. Twenty years is too long but it is not too late for international law to be applied and a peaceful resolution brought to this conflict.”
Signatories include:
Francesco Bastagli (UN Special Representative on Western Sahara (2005 – 2006))
Cathy Jamieson MP (Vice Chair, All Party Parliamentary Group on Western Sahara)
Jeremy Corbyn MP (Vice Chair, Parliamentary Human Rights Group)
Mark Williams MP (Secretary APPG on Western Sahara)
Ann Clwyd MP
Kelvin Hopkins MP
Jonathan Edwards MP
Paul Flynn MP
Andy Love MP
Stefan Simanowitz (Chair, Free Western Sahara Network)
John Hilary (Executive Director, War on Want)
Dr Dimitrina Petrova (Executive Director, Equal Right Trust)
John Gurr (Western Sahara Resource Watch)
Danielle Smith (Director, Sandblast)
Natalie Sharples (Western Sahara Campaign UK)
Johanna A. Svanelind (Students for a free Western Sahara)
An article in TODAY’S HUFFINGTON POST show how Western Sahara can’t be separated from developments in Libya - http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/joe-dyke/libyas-new-leaders-libera_b_948277.html
seen on facebook:
“also they could perhaps get a lesson in rhythm from the Saharawi protesters outside Chatham House”
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; background-color: #fffb51}MANIFESTATION 10TH MARCH 17.00
The Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs is in London and will be attending a conference tomorrow: http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1900/
Lets go there and make sure the Moroccan regime are not the only ones who are heard and seen. We’ll meet in the JCR at 4 to prepare a small manifestation later outside Chatham House. If you can’t make it til 4, try to catch us at Chatham, SW1Y 4LE (Westminister)
We would like to invite you to a screening of the award-winning Spanish documentary, El Problema, of Jordi Ferrer and Paul Vidal. The film features testimonies and documents gathered over four and a half years in Western Sahara to highlight how all physical expressions of Saharawi identity are forbidden and even the use of the name Western Sahara or the word referendum is a problem. After the film, the Polisario delegate in UK, Lamine Baali, will speak more about the situation in Western Sahara and you are welcome to ask questions.
9th March, 7 pm - at SOAS, room G30
Welcome!
