Daniel F. Rivera
Published in The Majalla,  Monday 24 January 2011
Morocco’s November assault on the Saharan refugee camp known as Gadaym Izik marked a new phase in the US and EU policies toward Morocco. As the conflict in the Western Sahara moves to the forefront of Morocco’s priorities, international opinion has become more critical of Rabat than ever.

THE RFK CENTER FINDS EVIDENCE OF ESCALATING ABUSE, TORTURE, AND ARBITRARY IMPRISONMENT IN WESTERN SAHARA
1/19/2011

WASHINGTON (January 18, 2011) – Torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, failure to follow criminal procedures, and repression of civilians by Moroccan government forces are all too common in Western Sahara, according to the findings of a recent visit to El Aaiun by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights.

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Morocco/Western Sahara: Rights Trampled: Protests, violence and repression in Western Sahara
Violent confrontations broke out in November 2010 when Moroccan security forces sought to forcibly remove people from a tented “protest camp.”

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Press Release: 3rd December, 2010 – IMMEDIATE
“Sun, sea, sand and torture”
Western Sahara activists launch ‘Don’t Go To Morocco’ campaign

Following the Moroccan government’s announcement this week that it plans to double its tourism in the next 10 years activists today launched a new campaign aimed at highlighting human rights abuses in occupied Western Sahara and asking tourists to boycott holidaying in Morocco. The new action – Don’t Go Morocco – was launched in London today
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Holding company run by King Mohammed VI extracts bribes and concessions from real estate developers, businesses complain

Ian Black, Middle East editor , guardian.co.uk, Monday 6 December 2010

Mohammed VI has worked to weed out corruption in the royal family but through their interests they retain a powerful grip on big business in the country, the WikiLeaks cables say. Photograph: Jalil Bounhar/AP

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Our friends in the desert, by David Keene – 12/06/10 

Americans like to imagine that most conflicts are waged by good guys against bad guys and respond to trigger words to decide who falls into which camp. Linking one’s opponents to terrorism, Osama bin Laden or Muslim extremism is a sure way to win the sympathy and support of many who remain unwilling or unable to look beyond the complexities of a high-school football game.

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In the early hours of Monday 8th November the Moroccan army and security forces attacked an estimated 20,000 Saharawi civilian protesters from the makeshift protest camp at Gadaym Izik near Laayoune. The forces killed unarmed men, women, the elderly and young children – reports suggest that about 30 people were killed.

The Saharawi people were protesting about their living conditions in the territory, occupied by Morocco since 1975……(cont.)

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Clashes in Morocco defy U.N. peacekeeping
By Stefan Simanowitz
The Washington Times  Friday, November 26, 2010
Last month, while on a tour of the region ahead of a new round of informal talks between the two sides in one of the world’s longest-running conflicts, United Nations Special Envoy for the Western Sahara Christopher Ross stressed that there was a “need to lessen tensions and avoid any incident that could worsen the situation or hamper discussions.”

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Letters were sent by the Australian Council of Trade Unions to the Australian Foreign Minister, The Moroccan Ambassador and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Text of letters…..(cont.)
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