Tantan Criminal Court (Morocco): CRIMINAL TRIAL 27/08/2009 (Thursday) D. Ennaâma Asfari, Saharawi human rights activist and co-chair of CORELSO, sentenced to four months in prison As reported, was scheduled for today following the suspension of last Monday 24/08/2009, the conclusion of the criminal trial, the Moroccan judicial proceedings against Mr. Ennaâma Asfari, Saharawi human rights activist and co-chair of CORELSO (Committee for the respect of liberties and human rights in Western Sahara), in the trial today. The circumstances of the arrest and subsequent torture of D. Asfari Ennaâma by the Moroccan police forces, have led, as before, the mobilization of civil society Saharan and human rights advocates, who have traveled from all parts of the Occupied Territories of Western Sahara to be present at the sessions of the trial in the Criminal Court of Tantan.
1. - The circumstances surrounding the arrest and alleged facts
Asfari Ennaâma was arrested on last day 15/08/2009 at 22:00 pm by Moroccan police at a checkpoint north of the gendarmerie of the Moroccan city of Tantan. The checkpoints of the Moroccan police, gendarmerie, Moroccan security forces and military forces, increase in detail from the northern city of Guolimin, and extend to all parts of the Sahara Territory, and shall submit Sahrawi civilians to rigorous examinations and searches that take hours at times.
Being frisked and searched Mr Asfari Ennaâma, was subjected to beatings and torture without any justification or argument, reports from the occupied territories, and was later transferred to police custody, where he continued to torture, according to his own statements in the act of Reckoning.
The next day he was brought before the Attorney (Prosecutor) who agreed to open criminal proceedings against Mr, Asfari Ennaâma. He was not informed of the reasons for his arrest or of the facts against him. He was not allowed the presence of counsel of the detainee in his statements, nor were followed repeated complaints by the arbitrary arrest by the "legal kidnapping" committed against his person, or by the torture he had received.
The Moroccan judicial authorities proceeded to immediately note the date of the Trial against this Sahrawi human rights defender.
2 .- Brief Summary of the Trials.
The first trial date, 17/08/2009, was suspended, noting new date on Monday 24/08/2009
The 2nd trial date - On Monday 24/08/2009,
Much of the Saharawi civilians moved from cities all over the occupied Western Sahara to the city of Tantan, and attends the public hearing of Reckoning, and showing with a peaceful march denounced by the arbitrariness and injustice practiced repeatedly by Morocco with Sahrawi people,
The Moroccan police barred entry to the Court of Sahrawi activists, and filled the courtroom with dozens of Moroccan secret police, plain clothes.
The Saharawi population was threatened by police and gendarmerie that forcefully and coercively forbade access to the court building, and was refused entry to the trial. Given the procedural violation of the principle enshrined and repeat violations carried out by police and during the "direction" of proceedings, counsel for the defense, showed his strong complaint, conducting a detailed complaint to the Court requiring that all should comprise in Minutes, which was refused by the Court., and proceeded to leave the Defenders the courthouse by a "walkout".
The Court decided to unilaterally appoint another defense of their choice, point to which Mr Asfari Ennaâma flatly refused, stating that the only defense was that he accepted that he had appointed, being fully agree with the complaints lodged by their attorneys, and their walkout.
In this situation, and having created a serious tension in the room the Court stayed the trial for Thursday 27/08/2009.
The 3rd trial date - On Thursday 27/08/2009.
Sahrawi activists of human rights defenders and the rest of the Saharawi civil population moved from the cities of the Sahara Territory, to the Tanta criminal court to express their complaint with the illegal occupation of their land by Morocco, and support Mr Asfari Ennaâma, and other Saharawi political prisoners.
The Moroccan military and police barred access to the Court of Saharawi women and men, even to prohibit their entry into the city, detaining, imprisoning and torturing them. So we know who were imprisoned, first thing in the morning, on arrival in the city of Tantan in policing, the president of the ASVDH, Mr. BRAHIM DAHANNE accompanied by Mrs. SULTANA KHAYA vice-president Forum Lavenir Saharawi Women, the member of the General Secretariat of the ASVDH Mr. BRAHIM SABBAR, and Mr. MED MAYARA belonging to the same association, Mr.. AHMED SOUBA and other human rights activists and former Sahrawi prisoners, among whom are HASSANNA ALLAY, LEHBIB ELGASMI HASSAN DAH and ELBACHIR KHEDDA.
The operation of arrests and attacks on Saharawi activists was directed by the famous Moroccan torturer COMMISSIONER MR. MUSTAPHA KAMOUR, which has wreaked and continues to sow terror with their actions in the occupied city of Laayoune.
Several youths were seriously injured as a result of torture, taking one of them to be taken by ambulance to Agadir hospital in serious condition.
The trial was held, with no guarantees, nor respect the right to effective judicial protection, and
Mr Asfari Ennaâma was sentenced to
FOUR MONTHS IN PRISON