Southern associations denounce Polisario practices as contrary to ICRC recommendations
Morocco-Algeria, Politics, 1/26/2005

Three local associations in the southern provinces have denounced the Polisario practices as contrary to recommendations of the International Committee of the Red Cross, following the death on Monday of a Moroccan held captive by the separatist group after he was released on Saturday.

The man, Mohamed Lahmadi was repatriated on Saturday by the ICRC from the Tindouf camps, in southern Algeria. The two men were reported to be in very critical health condition.

The three associations urged the international community to take immediate action for the liberation of all Moroccans detained or sequestered in the camps, controlled by the Algeria-backed group. Presently, there are 410 prisoners still held by the Polisario. International organizations are saying they are the world's longest prisoners of war as some of them are imprisoned for over 25 years.

The Polisario group is seeking the separation from the rest of the Kingdom of the Sahara, a former Spanish colony retrieved by Morocco in 1975 under the Madrid agreements concluded with Spain and Mauritania.

The associations urged the international community and humanitarian organizations to denounce this" inhumane and barbarous behavior and interfere for the unconditional release of all those held captive or sequestered, in order to spare them the fate of the late Mohamed Lahmadi."

The associations also held the international community and human rights-advocacy associations responsible for the enforcement of the Geneva convention and the UN resolutions calling for the liberation of all prisoners.

Algeria, which is extending political and diplomatic backing to the Polisario group, was also urged to put an end to the plight of Moroccans sequestered on its territory.

Morocco had strongly deplored that jailers have waited the deterioration of the two men's health to accept to release them and called the international community to make more pressures on parties responsible for this peculiar and critical humanitarian situation so as to put an end to the plight experienced by hundreds of Moroccan prisoners in the Algerian territory.

The two men, aged 57 and 48, were immediately taken to a hospital given their poor health condition.

Previous Stories:
  Moroccan soldier repatriated from Tindouf, dies   (1/25/2005)
  End of HCR visits exchanges between Moroccan families in Southwestern Algeria and those in Morocco   (12/31/2004)
  New visit exchange between families in southern Morocco and Tindouf   (12/25/2004)

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