The Sahrawi Association of Victims of Grave Violations of Human Rights Committed by the Moroccan State ( es, Asociación Saharaui de Víctimas de Violaciones Graves de los Derechos Humanos Cometidas por el Estado Marroquí; ar, جمعية الصحراوية لضحايا الانتهاكات الجسيمة لحقوق الإنسان المرتكبة من طرف الدولة المغربية ; french: Association Sahraouie des Victimes des Violations Graves des Droits Humains Commises par l’Etat Marocain), or ASVDH, is a Sahrawi human rights organization in the Moroccan-

occupied ' (Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 October 2 ...

areas of

Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...

(considered the Southern Provinces by Morocco).

Objectives

Objectives of the ASVDH are: *To respect and defend human rights *To uncover the truth about grave human-rights violations *To find unaccounted victims of

forced disappearance An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organiza ...

in Morocco *To return to their families the remains of Sahrawis who died in secret Moroccan prisons *To press for the release of Sahrawi political prisoners and the right to material and moral compensation and physical rehabilitation for victims and relatives in accordance with international human-rights law and international jurisprudence *To end impunity and urge the prosecution of violations of crimes against humanity related to the Moroccan occupation in Western Sahara *To protect the community against arbitrary arrest and detention, forced disappearance,

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...

, murder and other forms of degradation, and attacks on human dignity *To establish a culture of peaceful respect for human rights in Western Sahara, based on the principles of international human-rights agreements

History

ASVDH was founded in

El Aaiun Laâyoune ( , also , ) or El Aaiún ( , ; Hassaniya Arabic: , romanized: ; ber, ⵍⵄⵢⵓⵏ, Leɛyun; ar, label= Literary Arabic, العيون, al-ʿUyūn/el-ʿUyūn, lit=The Springs) is the largest city of the disputed territory of W ...

on May 7, 2005 by Sahrawi activists, including its president Brahim Dahane (a former prisoner of conscience). Although the association has complied with the Moroccan Law of Public Associations, it has been refused permission to operate by the Moroccan authorities and operates illegally with limited means. Its activities consist of researching and recording abuses by interviewing alleged victims of persecution and posting documentation (including

photograph A photograph (also known as a photo, image, or picture) is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor, such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are now create ...

s) of

demonstrations Demonstration may refer to: * Demonstration (acting), part of the Brechtian approach to acting * Demonstration (military), an attack or show of force on a front where a decision is not sought * Demonstration (political), a political rally or prote ...

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

interventions and

on the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

. ASVDH has been outspoken in its defense of jailed Sahrawi human-rights and

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

activists, such as

Aminatou Haidar Aminatou Ali Ahmed Haidar ( ar, أحمد علي حيدر أميناتو; born 24 July 1966), sometimes known as ''Aminetou'', ''Aminatu'' or ''Aminetu'', is a Sahrawi human rights activist and an advocate of the independence of Western Sahara. ...

and

Ali Salem Tamek Ali Salem Tamek ( ar, علي سالم التامك; born on December 24, 1973) is a Sahrawi independence activist and trade unionist. Ali Salem Tamek was born in Assa, southern Morocco. He has emerged as one of the most outspoken Sahrawi dissid ...

. They were arrested during the

Second Sahrawi Intifada The Independence Intifada or the Second Sahrawi Intifada (''intifada'' is Arabic for "uprising") and also May Intifada is a Sahrawi activist term for a series of disturbances, demonstrations and riots that broke out in May 2005 in the Moroccan ...

, an activist term for May 2005 anti-occupation protests in El Aaiun. As a result of this, the organization has been the subject of harassment and police action. President Brahim Dahane was detained on October 30, 2005, and charged with "belonging to an illegal organization" (ASVDH). The charge was condemned by

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

and other international human-rights organizations, which campaigned for Dahane's release. As part of a general royal pardon, Dahane and other members of ASVDH were freed on April 22, 2006. ASVDH applied for government recognition in 2006, and the following year a court ruled that the organization needed to be recognized by the government. It received government recognition in 2015, but Moroccan authorities continue to interfere with ASVDH's monitoring of human-rights abuses. The Moroccan government has called independence movements such as ASVDH a threat to regional security. The organization's work has been cited by

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

References

External links

*
تقرير أحداث اقتحام وتفكيك مخيم النازحين الصحراويين بأكديم ازيك مخيم أكديم ازيك أسباب النشأة وتداعيات التفكيك
(PDF). ASVDH, 4 January 2011
''Rapport de l’ASVDH sur le campement de Gdeim Izik et les événements qui ont suivi son démantèlement'' (PDF)
ASVDH, 4 January 2011
''Informe ASVDH sobre el campamento de Gdeim Izik y los acontecimientos que siguieron a su desmantelamiento''
Scribd {{Authority control 2005 establishments in Western Sahara Human rights organizations based in Western Sahara

Objectives

History

See also

References

External links