Saharawis and Norwegians demonstrated today against the last days of human rights violations in Western Sahara. The protesters also carried out a demonstration in front of the French cultural centre. "Sarkozy, stop blocking human rights", the Sahrawis asked.
10 November 2010, some 30 people demonstrated in front of the Moroccan embassy of Oslo against the human rights violations committed in Western Sahara over the last days.
Also the role of France was brought up, as the Centre Culturel Francais is the Moroccan embassy's neighbour. France is using its position in the UN Security Council to work against the human rights in Western Sahara. The UN peace force in Western Sahara is the only in the world that is not mandated to observe human rights violations, and France is every year vetoing the question as it is raised. In the Security Council this spring, France's double standards when it comes to human rights was noted by the Chinese representative to the UN.
The demonstration was covered on Norwegian national TV in the evening.
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has ruled in favour of the two Saharawi sisters Sultana and Luara Khaya.
The torture and detention of 10 Saharawi students by Moroccan authorities must be investigated and denounced. This is the demand in a complaint submitted today to the UN Special Procedures.
A 16 day-long campaign will shed light on violence committed against women in occupied Western Sahara.
One film festival in the world is different from all others. Read Asria Taleb's encounter with a festival audience in the Saharawi refugee camps in Algeria - including her connection with a complete stranger.