Morocco/Western Sahara
14.06.00
Urgent Interventions
'Morocco: arrests
URGENT APPEAL-THE OBSERVATORY
MAR 001 / 0006 / OBS 051
Arrests
Morocco
14 June 2000
The Observatory for the protection of human rights defenders, joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, urges you to intervene immediately regarding the following situation in Morocco:
Brief Description of the situation
The Observatory has been informed of the arrests of Mr. Amine Abdelhamid, vice president of the Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH, member of the FIDH) and leader of the Moroccan Worker's Union (UMT), Abderrahim Handouf, general secretary of the National Federation of the Agricultural Sector affiliated with the UMT and about ten other demonstrators.
These arrests took place on 13th June 2000 following a peaceful demonstration of unemployed workers, all of which possess a diploma, who aimed to organise a long march through the streets of Rabat in order to affirm their rights to work and to demand regularisation of the legal situation of their association.
The police were deployed in the streets of the capital and they proceeded to arrest about ten demonstrators and then encircled the premises of the UMT. Mr. Amine Abdelhamid was questioned while he was leaving the premises of the UMT. He was taken to the Second Police Station of Rabat where he is still held to this day (14th June at 14H30).
According to information received, Mr Abdelhamid and Mr. Handouf are to be called before the Tribunal at 15H00 (local time); This is the case for about thirty other detainees. Local associations were neither supplied with precise information regarding the exact names of all these targeted persons, nor with the charges that are held against them.
The Observatory remarks that recently, several demonstrations by human rights defenders, from trade unionists to academics, were brutally dispersed by Moroccan Police Forces and several demonstrators were, on these occasions, injured. Among those injured was Mr. Amine Abdelhamid.
The Observatory considers that these recent events conflict with the international engagements subscribed to by Morocco, in particular the International Pact relative to Civil and Political Rights which guarantees liberty of expression, of association and of reunion, as well as the Declaration on the defenders of Human Rights adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in December 1998.
Action Requested:
Please write to the Moroccan authorities urging that they:
i. Order the immediate release of these detained persons and drop all charges against them;
ii. conform to the dispositions of the Declaration on the Defenders of Human Rights, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on the 9th December 1998, in particular the first article which stipulates that "Everyone has the right, individually and with others, to promote and to strive for the protection ad realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levals" and article 5a) which states that "everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, at the national and international levels to meet and assemble peacefully";
iii. to conform more generally to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international and regional instruments for teh protection of Human Rights.
Addresses:
Mr. Abderrahmane Youssoufi, Prime Minister of Morocco:
fax: 002527 76 99 95/76 17 77
Geneva-Paris, 14 June 2000
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory, a joint FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.
To contact the Observatory, call the Emergency line : Fax : 33 (0) 1 55 80 83 92
Tel FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 OMCT + 41 22 809 49 39
E.Mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch
MAR 001 / 0006 / OBS 051
Arrests
Morocco
14 June 2000
The Observatory for the protection of human rights defenders, joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, urges you to intervene immediately regarding the following situation in Morocco:
Brief Description of the situation
The Observatory has been informed of the arrests of Mr. Amine Abdelhamid, vice president of the Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH, member of the FIDH) and leader of the Moroccan Worker's Union (UMT), Abderrahim Handouf, general secretary of the National Federation of the Agricultural Sector affiliated with the UMT and about ten other demonstrators.
These arrests took place on 13th June 2000 following a peaceful demonstration of unemployed workers, all of which possess a diploma, who aimed to organise a long march through the streets of Rabat in order to affirm their rights to work and to demand regularisation of the legal situation of their association.
The police were deployed in the streets of the capital and they proceeded to arrest about ten demonstrators and then encircled the premises of the UMT. Mr. Amine Abdelhamid was questioned while he was leaving the premises of the UMT. He was taken to the Second Police Station of Rabat where he is still held to this day (14th June at 14H30).
According to information received, Mr Abdelhamid and Mr. Handouf are to be called before the Tribunal at 15H00 (local time); This is the case for about thirty other detainees. Local associations were neither supplied with precise information regarding the exact names of all these targeted persons, nor with the charges that are held against them.
The Observatory remarks that recently, several demonstrations by human rights defenders, from trade unionists to academics, were brutally dispersed by Moroccan Police Forces and several demonstrators were, on these occasions, injured. Among those injured was Mr. Amine Abdelhamid.
The Observatory considers that these recent events conflict with the international engagements subscribed to by Morocco, in particular the International Pact relative to Civil and Political Rights which guarantees liberty of expression, of association and of reunion, as well as the Declaration on the defenders of Human Rights adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in December 1998.
Action Requested:
Please write to the Moroccan authorities urging that they:
i. Order the immediate release of these detained persons and drop all charges against them;
ii. conform to the dispositions of the Declaration on the Defenders of Human Rights, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on the 9th December 1998, in particular the first article which stipulates that "Everyone has the right, individually and with others, to promote and to strive for the protection ad realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levals" and article 5a) which states that "everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, at the national and international levels to meet and assemble peacefully";
iii. to conform more generally to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international and regional instruments for teh protection of Human Rights.
Addresses:
Mr. Abderrahmane Youssoufi, Prime Minister of Morocco:
fax: 002527 76 99 95/76 17 77
Geneva-Paris, 14 June 2000
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code number of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory, a joint FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.
To contact the Observatory, call the Emergency line : Fax : 33 (0) 1 55 80 83 92
Tel FIDH 33 (0) 1 43 55 20 11 OMCT + 41 22 809 49 39
E.Mail : observatoire@iprolink.ch