AFAPREDESA
The Association for the Families of Saharawi Prisoners and the Disappeared
Briefing on the activities performed by AFAPREDESA and UJS with the United Nations Human Rights High Commission delegation
Today, 23rd of May of 2006, the U.N. High Commission delegation for human rights has ended its visit to the saharawi refugee camps of Algeria and the Western Sahara occupied by Morocco.
The delegation was headed by Mr. Christophe Girod as president, Karin Lucke
as coordinator for the region of the Arab world and Roueida El Hage as director
for North Africa.
The members of the U.N. delegation attended many meetings with S.A.D.R.
officials and civil society representatives in the refugee camps.
An
interview took place today between AFAPREDESA and UJS members (Saharawi
Lawyers Union) and the guest delegation in AFAPREDESA´s main premises.
During that meeting, both saharawi associations took the chance to express
their deep concern for the Moroccan occupation forces flagrant violation
of human rights in Western Sahara since 1975, and particularly since the
beginning of the peaceful saharawi Intifada on the 21st May 2005. The delegation
was given direct verbal testimony from victims of the Moroccan repression,
as well as visual testimony of the barbaric Moroccan occupation through
a photographic exhibition. Several photographs of the events of the last
Moroccan repression on the 17th May, during the mission’s visit, in
the occupied city of El Aaiun were part of the exhibition.
At the conclusion of the meeting, both organizations gave the delegation a detailed report on the human rights situation since the beginning of the Moroccan invasion in 31st October 1975.
The president of the U.N. delegation assured both organizations that their worries will be heard by the High Commissioner, Mrs Louise Arbour.
AFAPREDESA and UJS congratulate the accomplishment of this first mission
of the U.N. High Commission for human rights in the Western Sahara and keep
faith in the fact that the United Nations will take the appropriate measures
to start up a mechanism for the observation and the protection of human
rights in Western Sahara.
Saharawi Refugee Camps, 23rd May 2006