AFAPREDESA
The Association for the Families of Saharawi Prisoners and the Disappeared
Unflagging campaign for my brother's freedom
An Edinburgh student has spoken of her long-running battle to secure
her
brother's release from an African prison.
The Scotsman 19. April 2006 By RACHEL O'BRIEN
Aisha Dahane, a 31-year-old Napier University student, had to flee her
homeland of Western Sahara after protesting about the occupation of her
country by neighbouring Morocco, claiming political asylum in Britain.
But her elder brother Brahim, 41, a human rights activist and internet
cafe owner in Laayoune, was not so lucky and is now awaiting trial on
charges related to protest activities against the Moroccan regime.
For three years, Aisha has campaigned from her flat in Pirrie Street
for
human rights in Western Sahara, but with her brother's arrest and
impending trial, she says she fears for her brother's life, and that of
the rest of her family.
She said: "His trial was supposed to start last week, but it has
been
postponed because he and the other prisoners were beaten on the way to
the court."
Choking back tears, she added: "He is my closest friend as well
as my
brother. I'm here because of what has happened to him."
Morocco first occupied part of the region in 1975 - despite the
International Court of Justice recognising earlier that year that the
Saharan people (Saharawi) had a right to self-rule. Since then, a
vicious dispute has persisted between the Moroccans and the Saharawi.
Under Moroccan rule, Aisha and her brother campaigned to defend the
human rights of the Saharawi.
" People disappeared under the Moroccan regime," Aisha explains. "When
I
was younger, the situation was terrible. It was such an isolated place
and There was no press freedom."
The first low point came in 1987 when Brahim was first arrested. He was
held for four years in secret detention centres without charge or trial.
The reasons for his arrest were never made clear, but it is believed
that he was targeted for peacefully demanding the right of people of
Western Sahara to self-determination.
When he was eventually released in 1991, he weighed less than half his
normal weight and recounted to his sister stories of his torture in
jail.
Brahim continued to campaign for independence and human rights,
establishing the Saharawi Association of Victims of Grave Human Rights
Violations Committed by the Moroccan State.
Morocco deems the organisation illegal and Brahim has been in jail since
last October. On November 1, he appeared before the Crown Public
Prosecutor of Laayoune and was charged on various counts related to
violent protests and belonging to an unauthorised association. He was
then remanded in custody in Laayoune Civil Prison.
Amnesty has stated that Brahim is "probably a prisoner of conscience"
who has been targeted for his leading role in exposing abuses by
Moroccan security forces. His trial has been postponed until April 25,
and Amnesty is pressuring Moroccan authorities to ensure he receives a
fair one.
In Edinburgh, Aisha continues to raise awareness of Western Sahara's
plight, in between her studies towards her second degree, this time in
computing.
Aisha said: "I think the Scottish people don't realise how very,
very
lucky there are to have their own flag and parliament," she said.
"
People here don't appreciate how they are really, really free compared
to the Third World."
She added: "I miss my family. Sometimes I just wish I could do more
for
them. My brother is the best person in my life and I don't know what
will happen to him."
• For more information on Amnesty International's work in Western
Sahara
visit www.amnesty.org or call 0207-413 5500.
History of a land ravaged by conflict
PREVIOUSLY a Spanish colony, in 1975, on the eve of independence,
Western Sahara was handed over to Morocco and Mauritania, in defiance
of
a UN demand that the Saharawis be given a referendum.
• Thousands fled in terror and settled in refugee camps in the
desert in
Algeria, where today a new generation is growing up in exile.
• From then until 1991, the Saharawi Polisario fought a war against
both
countries. The Mauritanians were driven out by 1979 but the Moroccans
proved more formidable.
• In 1981 the Moroccans began building the Sahara's answer to the
Great
Wall of China. The ramparts snake across the desert for 2000km,
splitting Western Sahara in two.
• The UN brokered a ceasefire in 1991 on the condition that they
would
hold a referendum of self-determination for the Saharawi people. It
never happened and there are now suggestions that Western Sahara will
become a permanent part of Morocco.
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Source: http://living.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=591282006