Aminatou Haidar abducted by Moroccan security forces

Sad news: Aminatou Haidar, the face of Western Saharan activism, was arrested around noon today in El Aiun. Here's a release from CODESA, the human rights organization Haidar belongs to:

"Aminatou Haidar" was arrested and abducted at Laayoune airport / Western Sahara immediately after getting out of the plane which as she was coming from Las Palmas, Canary Islands. Her family reported that they were waiting outside the airport and that they were hindered from meeting her or seeing her. The whole airport was surrounded by secret services and by different police and intelligence agents.

The family "Aminatou Haidar," had to wait for an hour at least, but to no avail especially that all the passengers got off the plane and left the airport except for their daughter Amiantou and two Spanish journalists who were taking photos of Amiantou Haidar when she was getting out of the plane at the airport in question and subjected to harassment and arrest by the officers and agents of the Moroccan police.

This shows Moroccan police will go after any Sahrawi who supports a referendum, even those with international connections and support. Haidar's awards (most recently the Civil Courage Prize) weresupposed to place her outside these dangers by showing the Moroccan government the world is watching them.

Last month, I saw Haidar at a reception in Washington. One of the speakers suggested asking the US Ambassador in Rabat to send an embassy car to meet Haidar at the airport so she wouldn't be arrested upon landing. It seemed unlikely to me that she would be arrested, since she's so well-known. Looks like that was wrong.

Photo from Saharauiak used under a Creative Commons license

Taking action on Sahrawi hunger strikers

Dear Ambassador Mekouar...

Three Sahrawi political prisoners in Marrakesh have been on a hunger strike for a month now, and their health is deteriorating. CODESA has requested that the international community help out, and the Western Sahara Facebook group is in. Join us below by sending Moroccan embassies an e-mail applying political pressure.

The three prisoners, Brahim Baryaz, Khallihanna Aboulhassan, and Ali Salem Ablagh, are refusing to eat until conditions in their jail improve. Yesterday, Baryaz was sent to a hospital because he was vomiting a yellow liquid, and the others aren't doing much better.

Below is the e-mail I'm sending to Morocco's US ambassador, Aziz Mekouar. To find the contact information for your country's Moroccan ambassador, Morocco has a handy list.

Dear Ambassador Mekouar,

I'm writing to you today about the status of three Sahrawi prisoners held in a Marrakesh jail: Brahim Baryaz, Khallihanna Aboulhassan, and Ali Salem Ablagh. Since February they have been on a hunger strike to improve the conditions in their jail.

These men only want to be afforded the same dignity that all people deserve. Giving them their requests will speak volumes about the state of Morocco's government and the hearts of the Moroccan people. Many people in my country are following this situation, and we urge you to relay our requests for better treatment of the three hunger strikers to the authorities in Marrakesh.

Let's do some links

The agents in Operation: Back to Blogging have been neutralized this week by their rivals in Operation: Girlfriend Visit, but we should have another team in the field Monday. Until then, some links to things that could've been posts:

• Malawi drops recognition of SADR. They said they're doing it to encourage a UN-backed negotiated solution, but their way of supporting negotiations (undermining one of the parties) is unorthodox.
• Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb attacked some Mauritanian soldiers, and killed or captured them. Nick Brooks ruminates.
• 21 year-old Sahrawi political prisoner Bachir Khadda was released this week after serving his ten month sentence. Congratulations to Mr. Khadda and his family.

Here's hoping more prisoners will be coming out soon.

Another attack on Mohammed Daddach

Two days ago, Moroccan police again assaulted Sahrawi human rights activist Mohammed Daddach. They beat him up just for trying to go to a trial of other Sahrawi political prisoners. I'm amazed that Daddach keeps can stand up to all this abuse (he's not a young man) and keep his commitment to Sahrawi self-determination.

Also in that post, Sahrawi political prisoner Abderrahman Zawani is on a hunger strike. His demands seem pretty reasonable: he wants to receive visits and reading material, be classified as a political prisoner, and be held with the other Sahrawi political prisoners. Still, I doubt the Moroccan authorities will allow that easily.

Sahrawi human rights worker released for no given reason

Asfari being led away by police

Ennaâma Asfari, founder of the Sahrawi human rights organization CORELSO and until recently a political prisoner, was released from jail this morning only three days before his trial. There's no official reason for his release, but attention from Amnesty didn't hurt. I did a bad job covering Asfari's case, but ASVDH has a lot of information about it.

Asfari's far from done with the Moroccan "justice" system, of course--rare is the politically active Sahrawi who can stay away from it for long. He might have to go back to jail anyway to get his belongings, which weren't returned to him when he was released. Getting out of jail and not getting mugged by police? These Sahrawis keep getting more demanding.

Flickr photo from Saharauiak used under a Creative Commons license