The following resolution was adopted at joint national board meeting of The National Union of Students in Norway (Norsk Studentunion, NSU) and the Norwegian Association of Students (Studentenes Landsforbund), held on Nov. 30-Dec. 1 2007.
Published 03 December 2007
This is the text that was adopted on December 1st 2007:
Background
The Sahrawi people in the occupied Western Sahara suffer constant human rights violations. A number of Sahrawi students in both occupied Western Sahara and Morocco have, on numerous occasions in the past few years, been subjected to arrest, assaults and torture.
Since there are no universities in Western Sahara, Sahrawi students have no other options for study except in the neighbouring country of Morocco. There they encounter various forms of discrimination and violence. Politically active Sahrawis have, on several occasions, been arrested or expelled from universities. Additionally, their personal security is often threatened at their place of study as witnessed by the numerous occasions in which Sahrawi students have been subjected to violent attacks by Moroccan students and police officers.
The National Union of Students in Norway and The Norwegian Association of Students,
Stand in solidarity with Sahrawi students in the occupied Western Sahara and Morocco;
Condemn the use of violence against student activists in the struggle for self-determination, democratic change and a better future for their people;
Support the Sahrawi students in their struggle for student rights, academic freedom, right of assembly and freedom of speech;
Express our concern by the continued intimidation, harassment, ill-treatment and arbitrary arrest of students, and families of students pursuing these rights;
Call on the Moroccan authorities to take urgent steps to independently investigate all allegations of violations committed by police officers against students, for the results to be made public, and those guilty to be brought to justice;
Call on the Norwegian government to remain alert to the development in Western Sahara and to exert pressure on the government of Morocco to respect human rights; including the the rights of association, expression and assembly;
Call on the African Union (AU) to remain alert to the developments in Western Sahara and to exert pressure on Morocco to honour their obligations to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, that protects the freedom of association, expression and assembly.