French rights body accuses Algeria, Polisario of killing, torturing Moroccan pows
Algeria-France, Politics, 8/18/2003

France Liberte, a leading rights body, accused Algeria and its puppet Polisario separatist group of torturing and killing Moroccan POWs in Tindouf (south-western Algeria, and Blida (northern Algeria).

The accusation came in a report published by the foundation at the end of an international investigation mission where the foundation met 700 Moroccan prisoners of war to inquire about their condition.

France Liberte described with details murders, mass executions, torture, physical mutilations and medical experiences conducted on prisoners in addition to the inhumane living conditions they live in.

The foundation, led by Danielle Mitterand, spouse of former French president, Francois Mitterand, deplored that "Polisario and Algeria denied and continue to deny the most basic rights of Moroccan prisoners."

"At least 121 people suffered violent deaths in Tindouf camps" where prisoners are daily subjected to questioning, mass executions and forced labor.

"After they were captured, all prisoners were tortured " during questioning led by Algerian army officers, notes the report that cited names of some of the victims who died in unbearable conditions. Sometimes they were executed because they stole a cigarette or jam," says the report.

"Algeria's involvement in the conflict is well known," underlined the foundation that accused Algeria of committing a serious breach by not liberating all Moroccan prisoners most of whom have been held for over 20 years.

The Moroccan POWs in Tindouf are called by some international organizations the longest-serving Prisoners of war in the world.

The French foundation recommended the European Union to ask "Algerian authorities to respect Human Rights clause while dealing with Moroccan civil and military prisoners, particularly through the immediate release of all Moroccan prisoners."

In the same vein, the foundation revealed the existence of torture and detention centers, notably "Errachid" prison where torture is practiced systematically. As far as 1998, two to three prisoners were buried each night in the jail." The report laments.

France Liberte asked Polisario and Algeria to give it an authorization to make a new assessment mission on detention conditions of Moroccan prisoners in the upcoming months.

During the latest mission, the prisoners expressed astonishment that their testimonies gathered by some European and American associations were not known to them by the international public opinion, said the report, adding that some Moroccan prisoners feel resentment toward some associations of international solidarity that saw and some times filmed the POWs without being affected by their sufferings.

"Prisoners were intimidated and threatened to publicly criticize and insult Morocco, notably before the international press (.) they were also forced to vilify Morocco in programs broadcast by the radio of the separatists and participate in their enemies propaganda," the report goes.

"The mission saw that all prisoners are seriously ill and that their health condition requires a medical transfer (.) but they don't benefit from any adequate care," the report notes.

About the partial liberation of the prisoners, the report goes on, it is contrary to international humanitarian law as it has a negative impact on the emotional state of prisoners and on their families, said the foundation.

Meantime, As a sign of protest against "the use of an illegal and enslaved manpower," France Liberte foundation decided to stop assistance to so-called "development projects" in Tindouf, an Algerian desert rear base, where thousands of Moroccan Sahrawis and POWs are forcibly detained in sub-human conditions.

Previous Stories:
  La Voz de Galicia: French foundation slams detention of Moroccan POWs in Algeria   (8/16/2003)
  Foundation for new Algerian- French relations   (3/4/2003)
  Chirac starts a historical visit to Algeria   (3/3/2003)

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