PUSL / Jornal Tornado .- M’barek Mohamed Bani, a 14-year-old Saharawi student was victim of arbitrary arrest last Saturday, 25th of May 2019.
M’barek was participating in peaceful demonstration in the city of El Aaiun in occupied Western Sahara when the police arrested him without cause. He was never shown any arrest warrant or informed about the reasons of his detention and taken to the Police Station in Boucraa street.
After arriving there, the Moroccan occupation forces took his phone and viewed its content. When they saw that he used the Flag of the Saharawi Arabic Democratic Republic as a profile picture they started to spit in his face. Seeing that he had also pictures of the POLISARIO Front they started to beat him with their fists. The young student tried to protect his head and face as good as he could, whilst one of the police men hold him down and the other beat him.
After 4 hours of beatings, insults and menaces they released M’barek without any explanation, but before they had forced him to sign a paper saying that he had thrown stones. M’Barek denounces this document as false accusation but was forced to sign it under extreme ill treatment and duress.
The young 7th grader affirms that he did not throw stones and that he only participated in peaceful demonstrations demanding the release of his father Mohamed Bani. His father is one of the Saharawi political prisoners of the Gdeim Izik Group and was convicted to life imprisonment.
Testemony of M’barek Mohamed Bani, 14 years old about his arbitrary arrest on 25th of May 2019 given to Equipe Media
My name is M’barek Mohamed Bani
I’m 14 years old
I am the son of the Saharawi Political Prisoner
Mohamed Bani detained with the Gdeim Izik Group
I’m in the 7th grade
I was participating in a peaceful demonstration
When the Moroccan police arrested me
They took me to the police station
In Boucraa street
The place where they’re making the ID’s
They took my cellphone and switched it on
And found that I use the SADR (Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic) Flag in my profile
Then they spat in my face
They also found photos of Polisario
And struck me with their fists
I bowed like this and let them beat me up
One dragged me down while the other slapped me
I tried to protect my head and my face as well as I could
My cellphone was smashed
I was accused of stone throwing
I never thrown stones
I only participate in peaceful demonstrations
To call for the release of my dad
