Further to the Front Line Urgent Appeal sent on 9 October 2009, Front Line has received the following information regarding the case of seven imprisoned Western Saharan human rights defenders in arbitrary detention.

Further Information

On 13 April 2010, seven lawyers issued a statement on the case of seven well-known Sahrawi human rights defenders and the deteriorating health conditions of six of them who are on a hunger strike in Sale prison since 18 March 2010 in a protest against their continued detention without charge since their arrest on on 8 October 2009, and violations of their rights as prisoners of conscience.

The seven Human rights defenders are: Mr Ali Salem Tamek, the Vice-President of the Saharawi Collective of Human Rights Defenders (CODESA); Mr Brahim Dahane, the President of the Saharawi Association of Victims of Grave Violations of Human Rights (ASVDH); Mr Ahmad Anasiri, the General Secretary of the Saharawi Committee for the Defence of Human Rights in Smara; Mr Yahdih Ettarrouzi, a member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH); Mr Rachid Sghayar, a member of the Action Committee Against Torture in Dakhla/Western Sahara; Mr Saleh Lebayhi is the President of the Forum for the Protection of Saharawi Children and the head of the Samara branch of AMDH, and Ms Idagja Lachgare, a member of the executive office of ASVDH. Idagja Lachgare is at present under conditional release since 28 January 2010, apparently due to a deterioration in her health conditions, having spent three months and twenty days in detention. The other six human rights defenders remain in in Sale military prison.

In their statement, the lawyers said that four of them had met with the investigatory judge of the military court of Rabat on 12 April 2010, and that the judge had informed them that the investigation concerning the 6 hunger strikers and Idagja Lachgare is still ongoing. After the meeting with the investigatory judge, the lawyers said that they had visited the group of detainees in the local prison of Salé, where the prisoners were presented to them in wheelchairs, with the exception of one who walked in.

The lawyers stated further that: “we learned that Saleh Lebaihi had also started a hunger strike, in spite of his poor health. The visit to the prisoners has allowed us to note the severe conditions of the detainees’ health, leading to weight loss, loss of consciousness, headaches and physical pain. On the other hand, while the prisoners retain good morale, remain attached to life due to the righteousness of their cause and are confident towards the future, they do detest the oblivion and indifference surrounding their current situation, especially since no government official has made the effort to see them or talk to them since our visit and after 26 days of hunger strike. According to them, the press as well as the majority of political and human rights activists in the world treat them with the same indifference. We have tried to get them to renounce or even temporarily suspend their hunger strike, but to no avail”.

In their statement, the lawyers also sought to draw public attention to the grave health situation of the detainees who continue their hunger strike, and appealed to "all concerned with this case at the level of prison administrations, at the level of justice and even at the political decision-making level,...to urgently intervene to save the lives of the hunger strikers". The lawyers called upon the public, the media, international human rights organizations and human rights activists to monitor the situation closely and to help the detainees realise their demand for immediate release or to be tried promptly and fairly.

The most recent Front Line update on their case can be found at http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/node/2436 .