Algerian Radio
The Catalan Association of Friends of the Sahrawi People condemned, on Friday, the Makhzen authorities' prevention of the President of the Sahrawi Body Against the Moroccan Occupation, Aminatou Haidar, from traveling to Madrid via the airport of the occupied city of Dakhla, despite her having completed all procedures.
In a statement, the association denounced the Moroccan occupation authorities blocking Aminatou Haidar's travel from occupied Western Sahara to Madrid after she had completed check-in procedures at the occupied Dakhla airport. It decried her subjection to "a humiliating and degrading body search, in a clear obstruction of her freedom of movement and freedom of expression, within the framework of a systematic pattern of repression against Sahrawi activists."
It also condemned the "use of administrative procedures as a tool for political repression," considering this a "violation of fundamental rights such as freedom of movement, freedom of protest, and freedom to communicate with international bodies."
From this standpoint, the association demanded that the Makhzen authorities "put an end to the criminalization and repression of Sahrawi activists and respect their internationally recognized civil and political rights," and that "Aminatou Haidar regain her full freedom of movement and communication without threats or restrictions."
While calling for action from the international community, the European Union, and Spain against these violations, the association stressed the need to "guarantee, without delay or pretexts, the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination through a genuine democratic process under the supervision of the United Nations."
The Catalan Association of Friends of the Sahrawi People considered that attempts to silence voices like that of Aminatou Haidar "clearly show how the occupation continues to deny fundamental rights and obstruct every effort aimed at exposing the reality of repression imposed on the Sahrawi people."
It is worth recalling that media sources quoted Aminatou Haidar as saying that the Moroccan occupation authorities prevented her and her daughter from boarding the plane. They required them to undergo a thorough inspection with a special luggage scanner, then enter a private room for a full body search involving undressing—a procedure Haidar described as "insulting and humiliating."
She noted that this measure was not applied to any of the other passengers, confirming that it was "systematic targeting and discrimination based on identity and due to human rights activism." She indicated that "the airline employee initially refused to hand over her boarding pass before handing it to her late after severe insistence, causing her to miss her flight."
It is noted that the Sahrawi activist had arrived in the occupied city of Dakhla days earlier to visit a sick relative and was placed under strict surveillance by occupation authorities throughout her stay, surveillance that continued until the moment she arrived at the airport.
