Three Saharawis kidnapped
Three young Saharawis – Mujahid Mayara, lmahjob Khatari Ahmidi and Arbas Salim Dahha – were kidnapped by Moroccan special police forces on the early morning of 28th March, following a raid in two houses in El Aiun, including the house of the family of “Ali Boya Ahl Mayara” and “Larabas Slaima”, who had been kidnapped in the past. Their families have not been informed of the charges against them, who was responsible for their detention, or where the three young men are being detained.
According to information Adala UK received from Mujahid Mayara’s family, several Moroccan police cars surrounded their house at 6am on 28th March. A group of masked police officers then attacked members of the family inside their house in order to detain their son, who was beaten in front of his family.
A possible reason why the Moroccan authorities are starting to arrest young Saharawis might be protests by Saharawis groups on the outskirts of El Aiun on 27th March, when a group of demonstrators carried Western Saharan flags and signs demanding the right to self-determination.
Adala UK fears that the three young men have been taken to an unknown location where they are at risk of torture.
We urge the Moroccan authorities to initiate an immediate investigation into the disappearance of the 3 Saharawis and to publish its results; to guarantee the physical safety of the three men and not to subject them to torture or other inhumane treatment.