29.6.07

Political Prisoners Trial - Jugement en appel de prisonniers politiques

News from the CODESA
Trial: 5 years imprisonment to two Sahrawi political prisoners, 10 months to a HR activist
On Tuesday, June 26th, 2007, the Moroccan Court of Appeal in El Aaiun, Western Sahara sentenced the two Sahrawi political prisoners Amidane Elwali ( a member of the CODESA ) and Bachri Ben Taleb to five years´ imprisonment, the same verdict that had been sentenced against them in the Court of Instance a few months ago.
The Sahrawi human rights activist, Yahdih Etarrouzi´s verdict was reduced to 10 months´ imprisonment as it had been 12 months in the Court of Instance.
All of the three political prisoners have defended their opinions concerning the Western Sahara issue and called for the Sahrawi people´s right to self-determination and independence, chanting pro-independence slogans during the trial.
Many defence Sahrawi lawyers were there to defend them, as well as two representatives of the Spanish Lawyers High Council.
The court was under complete police control and almost all the Sahrawi detainees´ relatives and other citizens were forbidden to attend the trial sessions.
--> The full report of the trial.

Procès du 26 juin 2007, devant la cour de 2ème degré d'El Ayoun:
- ELWALI AMIDANE (membre du CODESA) et BACHRI BEN TALEB: confirmation de leur peine de 5 ans d'emprisonnement ferme prononcée en premier degrès par la chambre criminelle de la cour d'appel .
- ETTAROUZI YAHDIH (membre du CODESA): réduction à 10 mois de la peine prononcée en premier degrès par la chambre criminelle de la cour d'appel de 1 an.
--> rapport détaillé