Make sure the Conservatives keep their promise!19.07 - 2010 22:42 Earlier this year, Foreign Secretary William Hague told the Western Sahara Campaign that he supports human rights monitoring in Western Sahara. Now the Conservatives are in Government let’s ensure they keep this promise!
France block move to include human rights in MINURSO mandate15.05 - 2010 Although other members of the UN Security Council were open to including human rights in the renewal of the mandate of the UN mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO), France held firm on behalf of its ally Morocco. Read more
Action to save the lives of Saharawi hunger strikers21.04 - 2010 6 high profile prisoners of conscience are currently in their 4th week of hunger strike. The 6 are part of a group of 7 prominent human rights defenders held without trial since October and awaiting a military tribunal on the charge of “attacking the territorial integrity of Morocco” (i.e peacefully resisting the occupation). If found guilty they could face the death penalty. Their health is now critical; many have existing health conditions caused by former periods of detention and torture. They cannot walk and several have been taken to hospital.Read more
Worldwide appeal for human rights monitoring in Western Sahara06.04 - 2010 Over 100 organisations and high profile individuals, including Frank Ruddy, former Deputy Chairman of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), have signed an open letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon calling for human rights monitoring to be included in MINURSO's mandate.
Other signatories include trade unions, TUC and Unite amongst others, Film Director Ken Loach and Gare Smith, Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, US Department of State.
Read on to see the letter and the list of signatories in full, as well as copies in French and Spanish. Read more
Activist who appeared on BBC documentary starts hunger strike22.03 - 2010 A human rights campaigner who spoke out against the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara on BBC documentary Tropic of Cancer, broadcast last night, has begun a hunger strike in the Moroccan prison where he has been jailed for over 5 months.
Rachid Sghir, a member of the Committee Action against Torture, was arrested along with six other human rights defenders on 8th October 2009 following a visit to the Saharawi refugee camps in Algeria . The seven are awaiting a military tribunal on the charge of treason. If found guilty Sghir and his colleagues could face the death penalty.
The UN has a duty to protect people like Rachid Sghir. The UN mission in occupied Western Sahara (MINURSO) is the only contemporary UN mission in the world that does not have a mandate to monitor human rights. It's mandate is coming up for review in April, call on the UN to do it's duty and introduce human rights monitoring. Action needs to be taken now to ensure that Morocco no longer commits widespread human rights violations with impunity.
Click here to find out how you can help Rachid Sghir and the people of Western Sahara. Take Action now!
European Parliament's lawyers declare EU fishing illegal 23.02 - 2010 Brussels, 23 February 2010 - In a previously confidential legal opinion, the European Parliament’s Legal Service has declared fishing by European vessels in Western Sahara’s waters to be in violation of international law.
The new opinion confirms that European vessels are fishing Western Sahara’s rich waters under a fisheries partnership agreement between the EU and Morocco, and that the Saharawi population of Western Sahara has never been consulted nor received any benefits from the exploitation of their own rich fisheries resources. The new opinion calls on the European Commission to suspend or amend the EU-Morocco agreement to ensure that “EU-flagged vessels are excluded from the exploitation of the waters of Western Sahara.”
The new opinion was forwarded to the Parliament in July 2009, but finally made public today when tabled for debate in the Parliament’s Fisheries Committee. Read more
Here is the secret legal opinion from the EU Parliament23.02 - 2010 WSRW can today present the 11 page statement from the European Parliament’s Legal Service. The statement – concluding that EU fisheries in occupied Western Sahara under its current shape is in violation of international law - has been kept from the public for 7 months. Read more
Your help is needed to put pressure on the Moroccan authorities to fufil their human rights obligations. Read more
Aminatou allowed to return home18.12 - 2009 Last night, Human Rights Activist Aminatou Haidar arrived home to her family in Western Sahara. A big THANK YOU to everyone who campaigned for her return and helped make this happen.Read more
Vigil for Aminatou as she reaches one month on hunger strike 15.12 - 2009 Supporters held a vigil for Aminatou Haidar at St Martin's Place, near Trafalgar Square, on Monday evening. They handed out flyers to passers-by with Actions on how to support Ms Haidar's campaign.
Campaigners deliver letter to Gordon Brown from Aminatou Haidar11.12 - 2009 On International Human Rights Day, campaigners delivered a hand-signed letter to Gordon Brown from Aminatou Haidar in which she asks for the urgent support of the Labour government and the British people and says “my spirit remains strong but I feel my physical strength is fading fast”. Indeed, she is now unable to stand and the doctor who examined her this week listed her symptoms as hypotension, nausea, anaemia, muscular-skeletal atrophy and gastric haemorrhaging.
UK Campaigners back MPs' calls to save Saharawi Gandhi07.12 - 2009 On Saturday, campaigners protested outside the Moroccan Embassy, calling for the Moroccan authorities to allow the Saharawi human rights activist, Aminatou Haidar, to return home. Join the next protest at the gates of Downing Street on Thursday 10 December at 12pmRead more
Enforced Disappearance of Sahrawi man02.12 - 2009 Ahmed Mahmoud Haddi, a Sahrawi man aged about 32, was abducted on 28 October by people suspected of being members of Moroccan security forces. He may have been subjected to an enforced disappearance, and is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.Read more
"EU must stop allowing exploitation of Western Sahara"20.11 - 2009 "It is a violation of international law for the natural resources of Western Sahara to be exploited in this way. But the EU continues to buy permits from Morocco for EU fishing vessels which allows them to fish in Western Saharan waters. The people of Western Sahara have never given their permission for this to happen", stated MEP Jill Evans Read more
WESTERN SAHARA CAMPAIGN UK
The Western Sahara Campaign works in solidarity with the Saharawi people to generate political support in order to advance their right to self-determination and to promote their human rights.
Our role is to lobby the UK Government and the EU. You can help us to ensure the UK does not ignore the voice of the Saharawi people.
