Red Cross worried by situation of Moroccan POWs in Algeria
Morocco-Algeria, Politics, 5/20/2003

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was "extremely worried by the very long captivity" of Moroccan POWs by the Polisario in Algeria.

"Taking into account the age, health conditions and duration and conditions of captivity of the prisoners as well as the provisions of the international humanitarian law, the ICRC renews its call for the release without delay of all these detainees, by starting with the most vulnerable of them," the ICRC said in a release.

An ICRC delegation, including health personnel, visited April 22 through May 6, the Algerian region of Tindouf, where the Moroccan POWs are detained, the Committee recalled, adding the delegation interviewed individually 707 of the 1157 POWs still detained by the Polisario.

The visit sought to assess the general detention conditions and particularly its impact on their health and psychology. Most of the POWs have been under detention for more than 20 years.

The ICRC said it handed to the prisoners 150 parcels sent by their families and collected 1500 message from these detainees to their loved ones.

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