Sahrawi human rights advocacy association protests Reporters sans frontieres release
Morocco, Politics, 2/7/2005

The Sahrawi human rights advocacy association (ASADEDH) expressed on Saturday "astonishment" and "indignation" over a "reporters sans frontiers" release saying that pro-government news media in Morocco are waging a campaign to disparage journalist Ali Lmrabet.

ASADEH describes the release as partial for it failed to mention its point of view regarding the demonstrations held by several Sahrawi non-governmental organizations to oppose the press reports by Journalist Ali Lamrabet claiming that populations in the Tindouf camps (southern Algeria) enjoy freedom of movement.

"Both Lamrabet and (Abdelhamid) Amine (chairman of the Moroccan human rights association) have omitted in their remarks the forgotten victims of the Sahara conflict," says the association which cites the case of hundreds of prisoners of opinion and people reported missing.

The French association has also omitted to report that the demos, held on Feb.3, were not only meant to protest the two men's statements, but also "the silence of the (Moroccan) parliament, political parties and the government over the fate of these forgotten victims of the conflict."

RSF bias leads us to thinks that "it is actually a campaign to delay truth unveiling and to gag once against the voice of Polisario victims, says the association which expresses strong support to the protest movements held in Rabat in front of the communication ministry, the parliament and the AMDH office.

ASADEH also reports that the French organization has asked for the opinion of its chairman, Ramdan Mesaud Larbi, on the Rabat demonstrations but did not quote him in its release.

"At a time, the (RSF) release denounces the Moroccan national TV channels and newspapers for not getting Lamrabet's viewpoint, RSF is censuring our opinion and only highlights the opinion of a person who has nothing to do with the Sahara, nor with the Sahrawis, and who represents only himself and a ghost association, ASADEDH further deplores.

"Our association strongly deplores and denounces the exploitation of our suffering and the suffering of missing people and of prisoners held in the Tindouf camps. Lamrabet, whom we thought was a freedom of expression advocate, is actually blackmailing his country's authorities.

On behalf of the victims of the Polisario abuses, the association calls anew for shedding light on the fate of hundreds of missing persons in the cells of the Polisario mercenaries.

Previous Stories:
  Lemrabet press statements on Sahrawi populations are inadmissible, Sahrawi associations   (2/5/2005)
  American NGO: Algeria, Polisario bear full responsibility for death of Moroccan POW   (2/3/2005)
  Sahrawi associations strongly denounce 'lies' of Ali Lamrabet   (2/1/2005)

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