Sahrawi Association of Victims of Grave Human Rights Violations Committed by the Moroccan State

Sahrawi Association of Victims of Grave Violations of Human Rights Committed by the Moroccan State
Founded May 7, 2005, El Aaiun, Western Sahara
Type Non-profit
NGO
Location
  • El Aaiun, Western Sahara
Key people
 Brahim Dahane, President; Elghalia Djimi, Vice President
Website Official website (Arabic), (English), (Spanish), (French)

Asociación Saharaui de Víctimas de Violaciones Graves de los Derechos Humanos Cometidas por el Estado Marroquí (Spanish for the Sahrawi Association of Victims of Grave Violations of Human Rights Committed by the Moroccan State; Arabic,جمعية الصحراوية لضحايا الانتهاكات الجسيمة لحقوق الإنسان المرتكبة من طرف الدولة المغربية; French, Association Sahraouie des Victimes des Violations Graves des Droits Humains Commises par l’Etat Marocain), or ASVDH, is a Sahrawi human rights organization operating in the Moroccan-occupied parts of Western Sahara (by Morocco considered the kingdom's "Southern Provinces").

Objectives

ASVDH objectives are:[1]

History

ASVDH was founded in Laayoune on May 7, 2005, by Sahrawi activists, including its President, Brahim Dahane, a former prisoner of conscience. Although the association had completed all the procedures under the Moroccan Law of Public Associations, it has been refused permission to operate by the Moroccan authorities, and is thus forced to operate illegally, with very limited means at its disposal.[1] Its activities have consisted of documenting abuses by interviewing alleged victims of persecution, and releasing documentation and photographs of demonstrations, police interventions and torture scars on the Internet.

ASVDH has been outspoken in its defence of jailed Sahrawi human rights defenders and independence activists, such as Aminatou Haidar and Ali Salem Tamek, during the presently ongoing anti-occupation protests that broke out in El Aaiun in May 2005, which ASVDH refers to as Western Sahara's "Independence Intifada".

This has resulted in harassment and police action against its members. Dahane was detained on October 30, 2005, and later charged with "belonging to an illegal organization", namely ASVDH. This was condemned by Amnesty International and other international human rights organizations, who campaigned for Dahane's release.[2] As part of a general royal pardon, Dahane and other members of ASVDH were set free on April 22, 2006.[3]

The organization applied for official government recognition in 2006 and the following year a court ruled that the government must recognize it, but this did not happen until 2015.[4][5] Moroccan authorities continue to interfere with its work in monitoring human rights abuses.[6] The Moroccan government has called independence movements, such as ASVDH, a threat to security in the region.[7]

Its work has been cited by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch,[8] and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "About ASVDH". ASVDH. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  2. ↑ "MOROCCO/WESTERN SAHARA: Human rights defenders imprisoned". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 13 August 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  3. ↑ "Morocco/Western Sahara: Sahrawi human rights defender on trial". Amnesty International. 3 April 2006. Archived from the original on 17 December 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  4. ↑ "Morocco and Western Sahara: Events of 2015". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
  5. ↑ Weiss, Brennan (6 October 2015). "Students Protests for Western Sahara Independence Draw Crackdowns". Al-Fanar Media. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  6. ↑ "Morocco/Western Sahara 2015/2016". Amnesty International. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
  7. ↑ Abelson, Jenn (16 June 2013). "Western Sahara: Why Africa's Last Colony Can't Break Free". Boston Globe. Retrieved 17 October 2016. (registration required (help)).
  8. ↑ "Open Letter to ECOSOC regarding the Committee on NGOs". 24 May 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  9. ↑ Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2007. House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. 2007. p. 2002. Retrieved 2016-10-16.

External links

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