Western Sahara: Arbitrary detention of human rights defender Ms Aminatou Haidar
On 13 November 2009, at 12.30 pm, human rights defender Ms Aminatou Haidar was arbitrarily arrested by the Moroccan security at El Ayoun airport in Western Sahara just after getting off the plane coming from Las Palmas airport, Canary Islands. Aminatou Haidar is the chairwoman of the Collectif des Défenseurs Sahraouis des Droits de l´Homme - CODESA (Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders).
Further Information
According to her family members who were waiting for her outside the airport for about an hour after the plane had landed, the building was surrounded by police and intelligence agents. They were prevented from meeting or seeing her, and they were not informed of her whereabouts.
Aminatou Haidar is a prominent woman human rights defender. She was awarded the 2008 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, the 2007 Silver Rose Award (Austria), the 2006 Juan Maria Bandres Human Rights Award (Spain), and the 2009 Civil Courage Prize. She was also nominated for the European Parliament Sakharov Prize in 2005, for the Amnesty International USA's Ginetta Sagan Fund Award, and for the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize.
Front Line is concerned that Ms Aminatou Haidar is being detained for defending human rights, in particular for her human rights work in Moroccan-administered Western Sahara.
Front Line urges the authorities in Morocco to:
1. Immediately and unconditionally release Aminatou Haidar as Front Line believes that she is being held solely as a result of her legitimate and peaceful work in the defence of human rights;
2. Reveal the whereabouts of Aminatou Haidar, and allow immediate access by family members and lawyers;
3. Take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Aminatou Haidar while in detention;
4. Guarantee in all circumstances that human rights defenders in Western Sahara are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals, and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.
This Urgent Appeal has now ended. No further action is requested at this point. Thank you for taking action on this case.
Front Line issues Urgent Appeals on behalf of human rights defenders at risk on a daily basis. These Appeals normally remain active on our web site for a period of up to six weeks, depending on the situation. After this time they will be archived. Front Line maintains a watching brief on all these cases but no further action is requested after the six weeks, unless there is a significant development in the case.
