Now the French wife is arrested too
Article image

She travelled to Morocco to be present at the trial against her husband, who is falsely changed by a Moroccan court with a series of charges. Today, French Claude Mangin was arrested too -and she is now threatened with expulsion from Morocco.

Published 24 April 2008

The French Claude Mangin and her husband Enaama Asfari are close friends of the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara. 

This morning, she was arrested by civilian clothed police in Morocco. So was her father, and Frédérique Lellouche from the French NGO L'Association contre la torture et pour l'abolition de la Peine de mort.

This text was released by the Sahrawi human rights organisation ASVDH Thursday night: 

El-Ayoune - Western Sahara
Thursday, April 24, 2008

French Activists arrested at Tan-Tan south of Morocco

Mrs. Claude MANGIN, wife of the Sahrawi activist Mr. Ennaama ASFARI, Mrs. Frédérique LELLOUCHE, mission Maghreb ACAT (Christians Action the Abolition of Torture), Mrs. Mureille BRUN and Mr. Pierre-Alain ROUSSEN, are visiting Morocco and Western Sahara. This French group, who arrived yesterday Wednesday, April 23 2008 to the town of Tan-Tan, was all the time by pursued by police officers. Today Thursday, April 24, 2008, the group was arrested at 10: 45 GMT, in front of Mr. Abdi ASFARI's house (father of Mr. Ennaama ASFARI) and was taken to the police. Since then, this group is subjected to interrogation and has even been threatened to be expelled for supporting the "enemies of Morocco". The Embassy of France in Rabat and French consulates in Agadir and Marrakech have been notified but until this group is still at the police station. Ms. LELLOUCHE was informed that the group may be released but Ms. Claude MANGIN will be deported because she is accused of supporting the "enemies of Morocco". Likewise, Mr. ASFARI Abdi was also questioned by police and subjected to exhaustive questioning about the intentions of the French group’s visit to Tan-Tan and cities of Western Sahara. He was released after more than an hour of questioning.
 

UN body deemed Sultana's house arrest arbitrary

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has ruled in favour of the two Saharawi sisters Sultana and Luara Khaya. 

07 March 2023

Complaint submitted against Morocco on behalf of 10 imprisoned Saharawi students

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.

14 December 2022

End violence against Saharawi women!

A 16 day-long campaign will shed light on violence committed against women in occupied Western Sahara.  

24 November 2022

10 reasons why to attend the most authentic film festival around

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.

23 October 2022