PUSL.- At the end of yesterday the Saharawi activist Ali Saadoni was sentenced to 7 months in prison and a fine of 5000 Dirham (480Euros).
Access to the trial was restricted, assisting the mother and sister of Saadoni but the Saharawi activists were prevented from entering as well as the translator of two Spanish lawyers accredited by the Spanish lawyer Bar Association.
The defense lawyer denounced the various violations of law procedures and asserts that it was not a trial with the necessary guarantees to be considered a fair and impartial trial.
Saadoni denounced once again that he was a victim of torture and ill-treatment by the Moroccan authorities and denied all the accusations.
The trial of Sahrawi activist Zein Abidin Salek “Bounaaje” who is also accused of possessing narcotics has been postponed at the request of his defense lawyer.
The court of El Aaiun was surrounded by agents of the Moroccan occupation forces who prevented access to the Saharawis who wanted to attend the trials and demonstrate their solidarity.
On the same day there were demonstrations of support for the two activists on the streets “Mizouar” and “La Visite” and on the Mekka avenue in El Aaiun that were aggressively dispersed by the Moroccan authorities causing several injured among the demonstrators. Among those injured are well-known human rights activists, the president of an association for disabled people, and Saharawi journalists.
These events were organized by the Coordination of Gdeim Izik and several groups of Saharawi women who hoisted national flags of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and singing slogans for the self-determination of Western Sahara. These actions are considered by Morocco an attack on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the kingdom and punished.
In fact, both Saadoni and Bounaaje were detained precisely for hoisting flags and defending Western Sahara’s self-determination in accordance with United Nations resolutions and later accused of possession of narcotics and other false accusations.
