Mother of Saharawi political prisoner launches appeal for release of her son in Moroccan Salé prison:

Salé (Morocco), April 5, 2010 - The mother of the Saharawi political prisoner Brahim Dahhane, president of ASVDH, Lalla Belaamech, has called urgently upon the international community and international public opinion to support her son, currently in hunger strike in Salé prison and all Saharawi political prisoners.

Following is the full text of the appeal:

"It’s been more than 2 weeks since my son and his colleagues in Salé and Tiznit prisons started a hunger strike which seriously jeopardizes their lives. My son’s health was already fragile to begin with, as he has always suffered stomach aches.

All his life, Brahim has been a peaceful activist, also in his political stances which he has always expressed in a peaceful way. However, it’s due to his political views that he and dozens of others were kidnapped and put in secret detention centers during the eighties. After his release he engaged in a joined protest with other Saharawi activists claiming human rights, as enshrined in the UN declarations, yet denied to them by the Moroccan authorities.

Brahim was again arrested in 2005, after requesting an investigation into the murder of a Saharawi civilian by Moroccan police officers. Upon his arrival from family visit to the Saharawi refugee camps in Algeria, my son and six of his colleagues were arrested and referred to a military court. This was not the end of our family’s ordeal as his older sister was arrested shortly after while trying to visit Brahim in prison.

Today, on the 18th day of the hunger strike I would like to call upon all the democratic forces, the international community and the international organizations to intervene by demanding the unconditional release of my son and all Saharawi political prisoners.

Lalla Belaamech, Mother of the Saharawi human rights defender Brahim Dahhane, president of ASVDH."