Sahrawi organizations have condemned harassment against a member of the Sahrawi Observatory for Children and Women in occupied El Aaiun, human rights activist Malouma Abdallah, denouncing Moroccan occupation authorities’ ongoing repression of Sahrawi activists.
The Sahrawi Observatory for Children and Women condemned, in a statement, the humiliating search the Sahrawi activist was subjected to recently at occupied El Aaiun airport in a selective and provocative manner by Moroccan intelligence services, upon her return from Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital, after visiting the camps of dignity and honor.
The Observatory emphasized that this “dangerous repressive behavior” targeting Malouma Abdellah specifically among all passengers, cannot be viewed in isolation from her participation in the activities of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro Youth Union Congress (UJSARIO) in the camps of dignity and honor, in a “desperate attempt by the occupation authorities to intimidate her and break her will.”
The Sahrawi Observatory stressed that what happened “is not an isolated incident, but rather part of a systematic policy of harassment, repression and retaliation against Sahrawi activists, imposing a suffocating security blockade on the occupied Sahrawi territories in blatant defiance of all international conventions and international legitimacy resolutions.” While strongly condemning this humiliating search that amounts to a serious violation of human dignity, the Observatory holds the Moroccan occupying state entirely responsible for the safety of all Sahrawi activists, stressing that repression and intimidation policies will neither subjugate nor frighten activists, but will only strengthen their commitment to their legitimate rights.
It further affirmed that the Sahrawi people “will continue their peaceful and political resistance with bare chests and unbreakable determination, regardless of repression intensity,” pledging to continue exposing occupation crimes before international public opinion and human rights bodies.
The General Union of Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro Youth denounced, in a statement, this flagrant assault that constitutes a clear violation of international conventions on human rights and freedom of movement and expression.
The union explains that this “systematic repressive conduct exposes the Moroccan occupation’s true face and shows that anyone defending Sahrawi people’s right to freedom and independence becomes a target for intimidation and harassment.” For its part, the Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders in Western Sahara (CODESA) condemned the repression and systematic harassment to which Sahrawi civilians are subjected in retaliation for their rejection of the occupation, calling on international human rights bodies to take necessary measures to protect Sahrawi civilians.
