Morocco: Information on the current situation of Western Saharans or Sahrawis
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 January 1997 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | MAR25957.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Morocco: Information on the current situation of Western Saharans or Sahrawis, 1 January 1997, MAR25957.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab9668.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Among the attached documents please find Amnesty International reports which provide information on human rights violations in Western Sahara, excerpts from the Human Rights Watch World Report 1996: Events of 1995 which provide information on human rights developments in the Western Sahara, Algerian radio broadcasts denouncing Moroccan arrests in Western Sahara and calling for the release of Saharans detained in Morocco and several wire broadcasts and newspaper articles on Saharan detainees in Morocco. Also attached please find two short briefs from the Association de soutien à un référendum libre et régulier au Sahara Occidental (ARSO) on the disappearance of a young Sahrawi who was allegedly interrogated and tortured by the Moroccan police in the Western Saharan city of El Ayoun and on a Sahrawi prisoner serving a life sentence at the Contra prison in Morocco.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Attachments
Algerian Radio [Algiers, in French]. 13 August 1996. "Polisario Appeals for Help to Release Saharans Detained in Morocco." (BBC Summary 14 Aug. 1996/NEXIS )
_____. 17 June 1996. "Opposition Reports; Polisario Calls on Morocco to Free Saharans Arrested on 20th May." (BBC Summary 18 June 1996/NEXIS)
Algerian Radio [Algiers, in Arabic]. 2 July 1995. "Polisario Condemns Morocco's 'Policy of Repression'." (BBC Summary 3 July 1995/NEXIS)
Amnesty International. 18 April 1996. Morocco/Western Sahara: Human Rights in Western Sahara Must be Put High on Minurso's Agenda. (AI Index: MDE 29/07/96). London: Amnesty International.
_____. 18 April 1996. Morocco/Western Sahara: Human Rights Violations in Western Sahara. (AI Index: MDE 29/04/96). London: Amnesty International, pp. 17
_____. March 1996. Morocco/Western Sahara: Kelthoum Ahmed Labid El-Ouanat, Prisoner of Conscience. (AI Index: MDE 29/03/96). London: Amnesty International, pp. 1-4.
_____. 10 July 1995. Urgent Action: Fear of Torture/Unfair Trial. (AI Index: MDE 29/05/95). London: Amnesty International.
Associated Press (AP). 26 July 1994. "West Sahara Group Demands Moroccan King Pardon Saharan Prisoners." (NEXIS)
Association de soutien à un référendum libre et régulier au Sahara Occidental (ARSO) Weekly News. 25 November 1996 - 1 December 1996. Week 48. "Weekly News: Disappearance." [Internet] < URL : http://heiwww.unige.ch/arso/ 01-e96-48.htm >, [Internet] [Accessed: 21 January 1997].
_____. October 1995. "Reflets de l'actualité au Sahara Occidental: le Maroc entrouvre la porte d'une de ses prisons." [Internet] < URL : http://heiwww.unige.ch/arso/ 4-7.htm >, [Internet] [Accessed: 21 January 1997].
The Christian Science Monitor [Boston]. 10 May 1996. Mark Huband. "'Forgotten' Victims Languish in Tussle Over W. Sahara." (NEXIS)
Human Rights Watch (HRW). 1996. Human Rights Watch Report 1996: Event of 1995. New York: HRW, pp. 302-307.
Libération [Paris]. 1 November 1996. "Le Maroc libère des prisonniers Sahraouis."
Reuters. 19 June 1995. "Moroccan Military Court to Try Sahrawi Youths." (NEXIS)
