Esta entrada también está disponible en: Español (Spanish) Português (Portuguese (Portugal))
PUSL.- This Sunday 21st of February, Mr. Haddi reached the 40th day of his hunger strike in Tiflet2 prison in Morocco where he is currently detained.
Mr. Haddi , saharawi political prisoner of the Gdeim Izik Group, started the hunger strike on the 13th of January, his last communication with his family was last Monday 15th of February. According to his family he informed that he was extremely weak and in the very short call they could barely hear his voice.
The Moroccan authorities in blatant disrespect of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and the Moroccan Prison law have so far not given any medical attention to Mr. Haddi.
According to medical studies on Hunger strike and its physical impact after more than a month of fasting, or when more than 18 percent of body weight is lost, severe and permanent medical complications can occur. It can become very difficult to swallow water, hearing and vision loss can occur, breathing can become labored and organ failure can start to set in.
Beyond 45 days, death is a very real risk, due to cardiovascular collapse or severe infection.
The lack of any medical supervision of Mr. Haddi since the 13th of January by the Moroccan prison administration mounts to intent of causing harm added to intentional medical neglect.
Maitre Olfa Ouled informed that although the Prison administration continues to state that they have no knowledge about the Hunger strike, this is not possible since she has sent a complaint to the prosecutor of the King last 16th of January, with copies to the DGARP (Moroccan General Delegation of the Penitentiaries and Reinsertion Administration) and the CNDH(Moroccan National Human Rights Council) which also acts as “national mechanism for prevention of torture”.and the Moroccan Ministry of Justice.
The complaint that was sent by Maître Ouled to the prosecutor of Khemisset to ask for an investigation and the respect of the law notably for a prisoner who is in hunger strike was also sent to the director of Tiflet prison, The prosecutor received the complaint the 2nd of February according to the acknowledge of receipt that was returned to Maître Ouled by the Postal services.
But even so the Prison director did nothing regarding Mr. Haddi.
On the 19th of January Mr. Haddi was visited by a representative of the DGAPR to whom Haddi transmitted that he refused to stop the hunger strike until he is in another prison and nearer to his family
The information was also transmitted to the Moroccan representation in Geneva by the UN Committee against Torture.
Over the years the International Committee of the Red Cross received numerous appeals from all over the world to visit the Saharawi Political Prisoners, as is in Mr. Haddi case, without any positive response so far from the ICRC.
A hunger strike is a time-honored but desperate way for prisoners and political activists to attract attention to their cause or conditions, and is a last resort.
The political prisoners from the Gdeim Izik group have made numerous lengthy hunger strikes since their arbitrary detention in 2010.