Two Moroccan policemen imprisoned for the murder of Sahrawi man in 2005 have been released after a court, this week, reduced their sentences from 10 to 2 years.
Photo above: From Lembarki's funeral.
Sahrawi, Hamdi Lembarki (below right), was beaten to death, in full public view, by two policemen on 29th October 2005 on a street in the town of El Aauin.
The two policemen, Abdurrahim Lemsaoud and Mustapha Rochdi, were initially sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for the murder.
An Appeal Court judgement handed down in El Aaiun on 4th March of this year reduced their sentences from 10 to 2 years. As they had already served 2 years of their sentence they have now been released from prison.
The two policemen served their prison term in the so-called Black Prison in El Aaiun; in a special cell isolated from other prisoners.
Lembarki has, since 2005, become an important symbol for the Sahrawi people.
Sahrawi civil society welcomes a new report from the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearance, and urges exhumations and identification of victims in the Morocco-occupied Western Sahara.
This week, Morocco is for the first time placed under review in the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances.
At least 520 families are said to have been evacuated in the Dakhla camp this week after heavy rains.
The Norwegian-owned 'Caroline Theresa' called at two ports in the occupied territories last week.