Aminatou Haidar
Encyclopedia
Aminatou Ali Ahmed Haidar , sometimes known as Aminetou,
Aminatu or Aminetu, is a Sahrawi human rights defender and political activist. She is a leading activist for the independence of Western Sahara
. She is sometimes called the "Sahrawi Gandhi" for her nonviolent protests, including hunger strike
s, in the support of the independence of Western Sahara. She is the president of the Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA).
her grandmother's town. She spent her childhood in her parents town, Tan-Tan
. She lives in El Aaiún
in Western Sahara
, with her two children (Muhammad and Hayat), is divorce
d, and holds a baccalaureate
in modern literature
. She is not member of the Polisario Front
, although she considers the movement as the only representative of the Sahrawi people.
, as well as other health problems), she was finally released on 19 June 1991.
She had been held in prison for nearly four years without any charges or trial, in secret detention centres. The Moroccan authorities have never provided a formal reason for her arrest and "disappearance", but it is believed that she was targeted for peacefully demanding the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination.
She had been held in prison for nearly four years without any charges or trial, in secret detention centres. The Moroccan authorities have never provided a formal reason for her arrest and "disappearance", but it is believed that she was targeted for peacefully demanding the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination.
on 17 June 2005, after having been arrested in a hospital where she was receiving treatment for injuries inflicted by Moroccan police
, during a peaceful demonstration in the Western Sahara Independence Intifada. Reportedly, she was torture
d during interrogation
s. Amnesty International
has expressed great concern about the situation of Sahrawi prisoners in Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara
, and specifically taken an interest in the case of Aminatou Haidar, expressing fear that her right to a fair trial might not be respected, and stating that she may be a prisoner of conscience
.
On 14 December 2005, Aminatou Haidar was sentenced to seven months in prison by a Moroccan court in El Aaiún. Amnesty, which had sent an observer to cover the trial, declared that "the trial...may have been unfair. The organization is consequently strengthened in its belief that the seven human rights defenders may be prisoners of conscience".
There was an international campaign for Aminatou Haidar's release supported by 178 members of the European Parliament
. The EU parliament also called for her immediate release with the rest of Sahrawi political prisoners in a 27 October 2005 resolution.
.
After this discharge, Aminatou Haidar was granted compensation of 45,000 euros from the Equity and Reconciliation Commission
(IER) established by the Moroccan government to compensate the victims of arbitrary arrest.
She later declared that she was not visiting Morocco but Western Sahara. She refuses to accept that Western Sahara is a part of Morocco. "They want to compel me to recognize that Western Sahara belongs to Morocco," she declared to journalists on 14 November.
Haidar arrived at El-Aaiún airport from Gran Canaria
in the Canary Islands. She was with two Spanish journalists, Pedro Barbadillo and Pedro Guillén, who accompanied her with the intention of making a documentary about human rights abuses in Western Sahara. The two journalists were detained for trespassing and filming in the airport without prior authorisation. The Moroccan authorities claim that Haidar declared she was renouncing her Moroccan citizenship and that she voluntarily signed the renunciation documents, and surrendered her passport and national ID card. Following this alleged renunciation, she was deported, along with the two journalists that accompanied her, to Lanzarote
in the Canary Islands. Barbadillo, who was with her when she completed the entry documents to travel to Western Sahara, claims that the Moroccan government's version of events is false and declared he saw her completing the form himself. Documents that were retrieved and published in the Spanish newspaper "El Pais" show that the Moroccan government had made three different flight reservations for Haidar, indicating that they had planned to expel her from the country days in advance of her actual arrival. Because they did not know with certainty when she would be arriving, they booked seats in her name on three different flights, so they could deport her whenever she arrived.
According to El Pais, Haidar informed the pilot on her flight back to Spanish territory that she did not have documents to travel and was being held against her will. The pilot was doubtful, but finally took off after receiving a call from Spanish authorities. The party finally arrived at Lanzarote about noon on Saturday evening, and Haidar sought the urgent intervention of the United Nations Secretary General to "ensure personal protection" and declined to leave the departure terminal at Lanzarote airport, claiming that the Spanish authorities had kidnapped her by declining to allow her to board another international flight (to El-Aaiún) because she was unable to produce her passport. She was apparently entitled to travel within Spanish territory. Mohamed Salem, delegate of the POLISARIO in the Canary Islands, claimed that she intended to remain at the terminal of Lanzarote airport, and engage in a hunger strike in protest against her kidnap by the Spanish authorities.
On 17 November, while on hunger strike, she was told by the Spanish authorities to appear in court on public order charges.A fine of 180 euros was imposed by the Spanish court for public order disturbance.
, Mohamed Cheikh Biadillah
, visited Spain in early December 2009. He insisted that the Sahrawi people are fully integrated into Moroccan society and occupy some of the highest offices in Moroccan institutions. He insisted that no country would accept the return of a person who had "thrown away their passport" and "has renounced their nationality".
Biadillah later met with Jorge Moragas, coordinator of the main opposition People's Party
, which intends to bring an action against the (socialist led)
Spanish Government, alleging it violated two articles of the law on foreigners by implicitly assisting Morocco to force Haidar to cross the Spanish border on 14 November in Lanzarote.
-winning writer José Saramago
who has a home in Lanzarote, sent her a letter of support, saying that "If I were in Lanzarote, I would be with you" (he was away from the island) and stating "We would all be poorer without Haidar". About Morocco he declared "Whoever is confident about its past doesn't need to expropiate its neighbour to express a greatness that no one will never recognize".
Later, on 1 December, Saramago finally met Haidar at Lanzarote's airport to show her his "respect and admiration". He also declared that "It's time for the international community to pressure Morocco to comply with the accords about the Sahara".
Eduardo Galeano
and Javier Bardem
are among the personalities that have asked both governments to put an end to this situation whish they describe as an injustice. Bardem published an open letter in the Spanish newspaper El Mundo
in which he expressed his "support and respect for the human rights campaigner and representative of the Sahrawi people." His letter criticizes the Spanish government as "blind" Galeano has also shown his solidarity with Haidar. He has thanked her for her "bravery". He also said in his letter: "People like you help us confirm that a fight for another world is not and will never be a useless passion. Thank you very much. Lots of people love you, and I am one of them.". Writer Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa
also give Haidar his support.
Argentinian Nobel Peace laureate
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel
asked for a "humanitarian and political exit" for Haidar, and called the Spanish and Moroccan governments to undertake dialogue to see "in what ways could the European Union
, Council of Europe
or even the United Nations
intervene to avoid a tragic outcome and try to save her life, but not at any cost.".
British film-makers Ken Loach
and Paul Laverty
sent two letters to newspapers, one to El País and another to The Guardian
. In the first one they draw a parallel between the figure of Haidar and the figure of Rosa Parks
, and stated "What tragedy would be for the non-violent resistance, and for the possibility of a pacific solution, that we let her die.". They asked the Spanish government to guarantee her safe return home.
In the other one, they began by referring to a collective letter sent to Juan Carlos I, asking for his mediation with the Moroccan Sultan, and their belief that begging won't bring a solution. Then they blamed Mohamed IV for "Mohammed VI's foreign policy is crude and stinks to high heaven. The subtext to any challenge is to threaten Spain with unleashing untold numbers of desperate, impoverished Moroccans across the straits into Europe. Or worse, to stop co-operating on questions of "terrorism". In other words, turning a blind eye to Islamic fundamentalists." They finally highlighted the non-violent resistance of Haidar, and demand justice as human beings.
On 10 December 2009, a letter was sent to the King of Spain, asking him to intercede for Haidar with Morocco. The letter was signed by three Nobel laureates - (Günter Grass
, Dario Fo
and José Saramago) - as well as other international personalities including Pedro Almodóvar
, Mario Vargas Llosa
, Penélope Cruz
, Antonio Gala
, Almudena Grandes
, Carlos Fuentes
and Ignacio Ramonet
among others from India
, Puerto Rico
, Portugal
, Colombia
, Brazil
and Angola
.
On 29 December, a free concert showing solidarity with Aminetou Haidar was held in Rivas Vaciamadrid, on the outskirts of the Spanish capital, with performances by Bebe
, Kiko Veneno
, Macaco
, Amaral, Pedro Guerra
, Mariem Hassan
, Conchita
, Miguel Ríos
and Ismael Serrano
among others.
and European Union leaders were seeking a means of applying some effective pressure on Morocco. The solution, according to some diplomatic sources, might be a US intervention that went beyond the statement it released on 26 November, in which the State Department
expressed "concern" about the health of Haidar and called for respect of her rights.
According to El País, the US finally entered the crisis, triggered by the expulsion of Aminatou Haidar, by contributing more international pressure on the king of Morocco to allow the return of Sahrawi activist to the city where she lived with her family.
US Secretary of State
, Hillary Clinton
, has contacted the Moroccan Foreign Minister
Taieb Fassi-Fihri, according to diplomatic sources in Brussels. Spanish diplomats welcomed the move, but say it has not been made at their behest.
On 11 December 2009 Haidar entered her 25th day of hunger strike in the airport of Lanzarote and Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos announced he was to make an ad-hoc trip to Washington three days later for talks with his counterpart.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke with Moroccan Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri asking him to allow Aminatou to return to her home in El Aaiun
.
since her release from prison in 2006, for humanitarian reasons. Haidar was in poor health, as she suffered anaemia and stomach ulcer, consequence of her imprisonment and the 2009 hunger strike. Amnesty International released a communiqué denouncing that Haidar and her family were under constant surveillance of Moroccan security forces, stating that
.
On March 7, Haidar broke the silence she had kept since her return to Western Sahara. It was during the "International Conference of Support to the Sahrawi People", parallel to the European Union-Morocco summit in Granada
(Spain), that, according to Haidar, "denied the suffering of the Sahrawis". At a conference in the University of Granada
, Haidar accused the EU of bowing to the "totalitarian regime" of Morocco, and the Spanish government of maintaing a "resounding silence" and a "blind following" in their relations with the Kingdom of Morocco. She stated that the UE and Spain put before the economic interest instead human rights respect and defence of the Sahrawi people.
On March 24, Haidar declared during a visit to Washington D.C. that "before reaching a final settlement, a political solution, we must put pressure on Morocco to respect human rights". During an interview she stated that she's ready to die for a "just cause" and that "It's not fair that after 35 years, a people who are illegally occupied by Morocco are divided by a wall and its population suffers daily repression for defending their right to freedom". She emphasizes "We need the help of the United States, like any other country in the world", during reunions with US Department of State officials and US representatives.
On October 15, Haidar appeared in a Casablanca
court
with dozens of Sahrawi activist leaders and twenty foreign observers, during the trial
of seven Sahrawi activists (known as "The Casablanca 7") detained months ago after travelling to the Sahrawi refugee camps, and accused by the Moroccan government of "threaten the safety of the state". One of them was Ali Salem Tamek
, vicepresident of Haidar's human rights association CODESA. The presence of Haidar caused a stir in the vicinity of the court, while Haidar declared:
.
Haidar said that Moroccan government accussations had no foundation, denouncing the violation of the freedom of expression and circulation of the detained. She also made hard critics on the Spanish government, wich she accussed of being guilty of the Sahrawi people situation. "The Spanish government violate international law by denying the Saharawi people their legitimate right to self-determination" she stated.
On 29 October 2011, the son of Haidar was threatened with a beating that would cause him permanent disability and sexual violation by a couple of Moroccan policemen in El Aaiun, according to CODESA.
, and in 2006 she was nominated by the US branch of Amnesty International
to the Ginetta Sagan Fund Award.
In May 2006 Haidar was awarded the V Juan Maria Bandres award for Human Rights (Spain), and in October 2007 she received the European Parliament
Silver Rose Award (Austria)
In February 2008, the American Friends Service Committee
announced it had proposed Haidar as a Nobel Peace Prize
nominee.
In May 2008, she was awarded the Special Prize City of Castelldefels (Spain), given by the city council
.
Haidar won the 2008 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award
(US). In addition to the prize (which includes a financial component), the RFK Memorial Center offers to partner with recipients in their work.
Haidar was awarded the 2009 Civil Courage Prize
(US) on 20 October 2009 at an award ceremony in New York City.
In January 2010, the Italian municipality of Sesto Fiorentino
appointed Haidar as "Honorary Citizen" of the village, for her "non-violent struggle for Liberty and Human Rights for her people". Days later , another Italian municipality, Campi Bisenzio
, decided by a majority to grant her "Honorary Citizenship".
On 30 July 2010, another ten towns from the Italian province of Lucca
decided to give the "Honorary Citizenship" to Haidar (one of them, Stazzema
, gave her also the "Gold Medal of Resistance"). A further 20 Italian towns have appointed Aminatou Haidar as "Honorary Citizen".
Haidar has been also awarded in 2010 with the I Jovellanos 'Resistance & Freedom' International Award (Spain), the "Liberty, Peace & Solidarity" prize on the XXXIV "The Best of 2009" awards, given by the Spanish weekly magazine Cambio 16
& the VI Dolores Ibárruri Prize (Spain).
She has been nominated again by more than 40 European parliamentarians to the Sakharov Prize, in its 2010 edition, and also to the "African Personality 2010" prix, given by the Nigerian newspaper Daily Trust. Few days after, europarlamentarian Willy Meyer Pleite
denounced a campaign of letters by Morocco to avoid the concession of the prize to Haidar.
In November, Haidar was awarded with the "University of Coimbra Medal", given by the Portuguese educational institution for her attitude and civic actuations in defense of human rights in Western Sahara. That month, she also received the "International Prize Trojan Horse of Guacales" (Mexico) at the UNAM
, during the "Revolutionary Women's Day".
In March 1, 2011, she was awarded with the "Jesús Andrés López Gallardo" cooperation prize, given by the San Fernando de Henares city council, recognizing her reinvindication of Sahrawi human rights and her implication in the attempt of building a democratic republic in Western Sahara. In July 27, Haidar was appointed as "Honorary Citizen" of the Italian comune
of Montespertoli
, being the first person granted with that award, as a "concrete gesture of condemnation of the violence being perpetrated by the Moroccan authorities", and with the hope of bringing the Sahrawi people issue to the attention of the entire public. In November 10, she was awarded with the René Cassin
Human Rights Prize, given by the Justice
department of the Basque Country
government. The jury
highlighted that the defense of the rights of the Sahrawi people "is more complicated and risky for the Sahrawi women that, from their fundamental role in the development of traditional life, had been and are subject of serious abuses to their human rights", and the figure of Haidar as a representative of the collective of "Human Rights activists in the Occupied Territories of Western Sahara". The prize consist on a honorific
distinction, a public ceremony and an economic dotation of 16,550 euros.
Aminatu or Aminetu, is a Sahrawi human rights defender and political activist. She is a leading activist for the independence of Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
. She is sometimes called the "Sahrawi Gandhi" for her nonviolent protests, including hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
s, in the support of the independence of Western Sahara. She is the president of the Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA).
Biography
Aminatou was born in 1966 in Akka, MoroccoAkka, Morocco
Akka, Morocco is a town in Tata Province, Guelmim-Es Semara, Morocco. According to the 2004 census it had a population of 7,102.-References:...
her grandmother's town. She spent her childhood in her parents town, Tan-Tan
Tan-Tan
Tan-Tan is a city in Tan-Tan Province in southern Morocco. It is a desert town with a small population, with only few claims to fame:*The nearby port, Tan-Tan Plage, or Port of Tan-Tan, about 25 kilometres away from Tan-Tan itself...
. She lives in El Aaiún
El Aaiún
El-Aaiún , is a city in Western Sahara founded by the Spanish in 1928. Administered by Morocco since 1976, El-Aaiún is the capital of what the Moroccan government call the region of Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra, and POLISARIO call Occupied Territories...
in Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
, with her two children (Muhammad and Hayat), is divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d, and holds a baccalaureate
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in modern literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
. She is not member of the Polisario Front
Polisario Front
The POLISARIO, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro is a Sahrawi rebel national liberation movement working for the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco...
, although she considers the movement as the only representative of the Sahrawi people.
"Disappeared", 1987–1991
On 21 November 1987, she became one of the hundreds of Sahrawis who 'disappeared' in Moroccan prisons. After years of torture and interrogation (she spent her entire imprisonment blindfolded, because of which she suffers photophobiaPhotophobia
Photophobia is a symptom of abnormal intolerance to visual perception of light. As a medical symptom photophobia is not a morbid fear or phobia, but an experience of discomfort or pain to the eyes due to light exposure or by presence of actual physical photosensitivity of the eyes, though the term...
, as well as other health problems), she was finally released on 19 June 1991.
She had been held in prison for nearly four years without any charges or trial, in secret detention centres. The Moroccan authorities have never provided a formal reason for her arrest and "disappearance", but it is believed that she was targeted for peacefully demanding the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination.
She had been held in prison for nearly four years without any charges or trial, in secret detention centres. The Moroccan authorities have never provided a formal reason for her arrest and "disappearance", but it is believed that she was targeted for peacefully demanding the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination.
Imprisonment, trial and sentence, 2005
She was incarcerated for the second time in the Black Prison of El AaiúnEl Aaiún
El-Aaiún , is a city in Western Sahara founded by the Spanish in 1928. Administered by Morocco since 1976, El-Aaiún is the capital of what the Moroccan government call the region of Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra, and POLISARIO call Occupied Territories...
on 17 June 2005, after having been arrested in a hospital where she was receiving treatment for injuries inflicted by Moroccan police
Law enforcement in Morocco
The Moroccan police, La Direction Générale de la Sûreté Nationale is the authoritative and main State police body of Morocco. The Sûreté Nationale is tasked with upholding the law and public order...
, during a peaceful demonstration in the Western Sahara Independence Intifada. Reportedly, she was torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d during interrogation
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
s. Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
has expressed great concern about the situation of Sahrawi prisoners in Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
, and specifically taken an interest in the case of Aminatou Haidar, expressing fear that her right to a fair trial might not be respected, and stating that she may be a prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience is a term defined in Peter Benenson's 1961 article "The Forgotten Prisoners" often used by the human rights group Amnesty International. It can refer to anyone imprisoned because of their race, religion, or political views...
.
On 14 December 2005, Aminatou Haidar was sentenced to seven months in prison by a Moroccan court in El Aaiún. Amnesty, which had sent an observer to cover the trial, declared that "the trial...may have been unfair. The organization is consequently strengthened in its belief that the seven human rights defenders may be prisoners of conscience".
There was an international campaign for Aminatou Haidar's release supported by 178 members of the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. The EU parliament also called for her immediate release with the rest of Sahrawi political prisoners in a 27 October 2005 resolution.
Release from prison, 2006
On 17 January 2006, Aminatou Haidar was released at the end of her sentence. A demonstration received her in Lemleihess (35 km. east of El-Aaiun), because Moroccan authorities didn't allowed her family to receive her in their own house. She reportedly commented that.
After this discharge, Aminatou Haidar was granted compensation of 45,000 euros from the Equity and Reconciliation Commission
Equity and Reconciliation Commission
The Equity and Reconciliation Commission is a Moroccan human rights and truth commission created on January 7, 2004 by King Mohammed VI in order to reconcile victims of human rights abuses, such as torture and atrocities committed by Makhzen during the Years of lead, with the State.IER is...
(IER) established by the Moroccan government to compensate the victims of arbitrary arrest.
Detention and deportation from El-Aaiún, 2009
On 13 November 2009, Aminatou Haidar was arrested on her return to El-Aaiún for allegedly refusing to enter "Morocco" in the "Country" box on her entry card, instead leaving the citizenship line blank on her customs form, and writing "Western Sahara" — the disputed territory where she lives — in the address line. She had done the same many times previously without problems.She later declared that she was not visiting Morocco but Western Sahara. She refuses to accept that Western Sahara is a part of Morocco. "They want to compel me to recognize that Western Sahara belongs to Morocco," she declared to journalists on 14 November.
Haidar arrived at El-Aaiún airport from Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria is the second most populous island of the Canary Islands, with a population of 838,397 which constitutes approximately 40% of the population of the archipelago...
in the Canary Islands. She was with two Spanish journalists, Pedro Barbadillo and Pedro Guillén, who accompanied her with the intention of making a documentary about human rights abuses in Western Sahara. The two journalists were detained for trespassing and filming in the airport without prior authorisation. The Moroccan authorities claim that Haidar declared she was renouncing her Moroccan citizenship and that she voluntarily signed the renunciation documents, and surrendered her passport and national ID card. Following this alleged renunciation, she was deported, along with the two journalists that accompanied her, to Lanzarote
Lanzarote
Lanzarote , a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...
in the Canary Islands. Barbadillo, who was with her when she completed the entry documents to travel to Western Sahara, claims that the Moroccan government's version of events is false and declared he saw her completing the form himself. Documents that were retrieved and published in the Spanish newspaper "El Pais" show that the Moroccan government had made three different flight reservations for Haidar, indicating that they had planned to expel her from the country days in advance of her actual arrival. Because they did not know with certainty when she would be arriving, they booked seats in her name on three different flights, so they could deport her whenever she arrived.
According to El Pais, Haidar informed the pilot on her flight back to Spanish territory that she did not have documents to travel and was being held against her will. The pilot was doubtful, but finally took off after receiving a call from Spanish authorities. The party finally arrived at Lanzarote about noon on Saturday evening, and Haidar sought the urgent intervention of the United Nations Secretary General to "ensure personal protection" and declined to leave the departure terminal at Lanzarote airport, claiming that the Spanish authorities had kidnapped her by declining to allow her to board another international flight (to El-Aaiún) because she was unable to produce her passport. She was apparently entitled to travel within Spanish territory. Mohamed Salem, delegate of the POLISARIO in the Canary Islands, claimed that she intended to remain at the terminal of Lanzarote airport, and engage in a hunger strike in protest against her kidnap by the Spanish authorities.
On 17 November, while on hunger strike, she was told by the Spanish authorities to appear in court on public order charges.A fine of 180 euros was imposed by the Spanish court for public order disturbance.
Moroccan delegation visits Spain
Spanish newspaper El País reported that a Moroccan delegation led by the President of the Moroccan SenateAssembly of Councillors
The Assembly of Councillors is the upper house of the Parliament of Morocco and has 270 members, elected for a nine year term, elected by local councils , professional chambers and wage-earners ....
, Mohamed Cheikh Biadillah
Mohamed Cheikh Biadillah
Mohamed Cheikh Biadillah is a Moroccan gastroenterologist and politician. He served as Minister of Health in the government of Driss Jettou from 2002 to 2007...
, visited Spain in early December 2009. He insisted that the Sahrawi people are fully integrated into Moroccan society and occupy some of the highest offices in Moroccan institutions. He insisted that no country would accept the return of a person who had "thrown away their passport" and "has renounced their nationality".
Biadillah later met with Jorge Moragas, coordinator of the main opposition People's Party
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
, which intends to bring an action against the (socialist led)
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...
Spanish Government, alleging it violated two articles of the law on foreigners by implicitly assisting Morocco to force Haidar to cross the Spanish border on 14 November in Lanzarote.
International public figures show support for Haidar
Ever since Haidar was deported, numerous actors, writers, musicians, politicians, human rights activists and personalities have shown support for her cause and have asked both the Moroccan and Spanish governments to resolve the situation. In November, Portuguese Nobel PrizeNobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
-winning writer José Saramago
José Saramago
José de Sousa Saramago, GColSE was a Nobel-laureate Portuguese novelist, poet, playwright and journalist. His works, some of which can be seen as allegories, commonly present subversive perspectives on historic events, emphasizing the human factor. Harold Bloom has described Saramago as "a...
who has a home in Lanzarote, sent her a letter of support, saying that "If I were in Lanzarote, I would be with you" (he was away from the island) and stating "We would all be poorer without Haidar". About Morocco he declared "Whoever is confident about its past doesn't need to expropiate its neighbour to express a greatness that no one will never recognize".
Later, on 1 December, Saramago finally met Haidar at Lanzarote's airport to show her his "respect and admiration". He also declared that "It's time for the international community to pressure Morocco to comply with the accords about the Sahara".
Eduardo Galeano
Eduardo Galeano
Eduardo Hughes Galeano is a Uruguayan journalist, writer and novelist. His best known works are Memoria del fuego and Las venas abiertas de América Latina which have been translated into twenty languages and transcend orthodox genres: combining fiction, journalism, political analysis, and...
and Javier Bardem
Javier Bardem
Javier Ángel Encinas Bardem is a Spanish actor. In 2007 he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as sociopathic assassin Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, and has also garnered critical acclaim for roles in films such as Jamón, jamón, Carne trémula, Boca a boca, Los...
are among the personalities that have asked both governments to put an end to this situation whish they describe as an injustice. Bardem published an open letter in the Spanish newspaper El Mundo
El Mundo (Spain)
El Mundo is the second largest printed and the largest digital daily newspaper in Spain and one of the newspapers of record in that country, with a daily circulation topping 300,000 readers for the printed edition and 24 million unique web visitors per month for the...
in which he expressed his "support and respect for the human rights campaigner and representative of the Sahrawi people." His letter criticizes the Spanish government as "blind" Galeano has also shown his solidarity with Haidar. He has thanked her for her "bravery". He also said in his letter: "People like you help us confirm that a fight for another world is not and will never be a useless passion. Thank you very much. Lots of people love you, and I am one of them.". Writer Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa
Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa
Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa is a Spanish novelist. His novels have sold over 25 million copies worldwide.-Biography:...
also give Haidar his support.
Argentinian Nobel Peace laureate
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel is an Argentine sculptor, architect and pacifist. He was the recipient of the 1980 Nobel Peace Prize.-Biography:Pérez Esquivel was born in Buenos Aires to a Spanish fisherman who emigrated to Argentina...
asked for a "humanitarian and political exit" for Haidar, and called the Spanish and Moroccan governments to undertake dialogue to see "in what ways could the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
or even the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
intervene to avoid a tragic outcome and try to save her life, but not at any cost.".
British film-makers Ken Loach
Ken Loach
Kenneth "Ken" Loach is a Palme D'Or winning English film and television director.He is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialist beliefs, which are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as homelessness , labour rights and child abuse at the...
and Paul Laverty
Paul Laverty
Paul Laverty is a Scottish lawyer and scriptwriter.-Birth and early career:Paul Laverty was born in Calcutta, India, to an Irish mother and Scottish father. He obtained a Philosophy degree at the Gregorian University in Rome...
sent two letters to newspapers, one to El País and another to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. In the first one they draw a parallel between the figure of Haidar and the figure of Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress called "the first lady of civil rights", and "the mother of the freedom movement"....
, and stated "What tragedy would be for the non-violent resistance, and for the possibility of a pacific solution, that we let her die.". They asked the Spanish government to guarantee her safe return home.
In the other one, they began by referring to a collective letter sent to Juan Carlos I, asking for his mediation with the Moroccan Sultan, and their belief that begging won't bring a solution. Then they blamed Mohamed IV for "Mohammed VI's foreign policy is crude and stinks to high heaven. The subtext to any challenge is to threaten Spain with unleashing untold numbers of desperate, impoverished Moroccans across the straits into Europe. Or worse, to stop co-operating on questions of "terrorism". In other words, turning a blind eye to Islamic fundamentalists." They finally highlighted the non-violent resistance of Haidar, and demand justice as human beings.
On 10 December 2009, a letter was sent to the King of Spain, asking him to intercede for Haidar with Morocco. The letter was signed by three Nobel laureates - (Günter Grass
Günter Grass
Günter Wilhelm Grass is a Nobel Prize-winning German author, poet, playwright, sculptor and artist.He was born in the Free City of Danzig...
, Dario Fo
Dario Fo
Dario Fo is an Italian satirist, playwright, theater director, actor and composer. His dramatic work employs comedic methods of the ancient Italian commedia dell'arte, a theatrical style popular with the working classes. He currently owns and operates a theatre company with his wife, actress...
and José Saramago) - as well as other international personalities including Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer.Almodóvar is arguably the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation. His films, marked by complex narratives, employ the codes of melodrama and use elements of pop culture, popular...
, Mario Vargas Llosa
Mario Vargas Llosa
Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquis of Vargas Llosa is a Peruvian-Spanish writer, politician, journalist, essayist, and Nobel Prize laureate. Vargas Llosa is one of Latin America's most significant novelists and essayists, and one of the leading authors of his generation...
, Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz Sánchez is a Spanish actress. Signed by an agent at age 15, she made her acting debut at 16 on television and her feature film debut the following year in Jamón, jamón , to critical acclaim...
, Antonio Gala
Antonio Gala
Antonio Gala Velasco is a Spanish poet, playwright, novelist and writer.Gala was born in Brazatortas, Ciudad Real , although he moved very soon to Córdoba and is widely considered an Andalusian....
, Almudena Grandes
Almudena Grandes
Almudena Grandes Hernández is a Spanish writer.She studied Geography and History at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She is married to the poet Luis García Montero. In 1989 she won the La Sonrisa Vertical prize with her erotic novel Las edades de Lulú, which has been translated into several...
, Carlos Fuentes
Carlos Fuentes
Carlos Fuentes Macías is a Mexican writer and one of the best-known living novelists and essayists in the Spanish-speaking world. He has influenced contemporary Latin American literature, and his works have been widely translated into English and other languages.-Biography:Fuentes was born in...
and Ignacio Ramonet
Ignacio Ramonet
Ignacio Ramonet is a Spanish journalist and writer.He was the editor-in-chief of Le Monde diplomatique from 1991 until March 2008....
among others from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
.
On 29 December, a free concert showing solidarity with Aminetou Haidar was held in Rivas Vaciamadrid, on the outskirts of the Spanish capital, with performances by Bebe
Bebe (entertainer)
Bebe is a Spanish singer and actress.-Biography:Bebe was born María Nieves Rebolledo Vila in Valencia de Alcántara, Spain. Her parents were members of the Extremaduran folk group Surberina...
, Kiko Veneno
Kiko Veneno
José María López Sanfeliu born in Figueres, Girona is a Spanish musician better known by his stage name Kiko Veneno-Biography:...
, Macaco
Macaco (band)
Macaco is a musical band from Barcelona, Spain formed in 1997 by Dani Carbonell, who was also one of the original lead singers of the new flamenco group Ojos de Brujo...
, Amaral, Pedro Guerra
Pedro Guerra
Pedro Manuel Guerra Mansito is a Spanish singer-songwriter.- Biography :Guerra is the son of Pedro Guerra Cabrera the first President of the Canarian parliament....
, Mariem Hassan
Mariem Hassan
-Life:She was born in 1958 in the Ued Tazua, 20 km. away from Smara . She was the third of a total of 10 siblings of a nomadic family. Although they weren't a Igaouen family, music and poetry was important in the family, as various relatives were singers, poets or dancers...
, Conchita
Conchita (musician)
Conchita is a Spanish singer.- Discography :- Singles :- External links :...
, Miguel Ríos
Miguel Ríos
Miguel Ríos is a Spanish singer, composer, actor. He is one of the pioneers of rock and roll in Spain.-Biography:...
and Ismael Serrano
Ismael Serrano
Ismael Serrano is a Singer/songwriter and guitarist from Spain, popular in Spain and Latin America, known for his insightful and often political lyrics and eclectic musical influences.-Early life:...
among others.
United States involvement
Ban Ki-moonBan Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
and European Union leaders were seeking a means of applying some effective pressure on Morocco. The solution, according to some diplomatic sources, might be a US intervention that went beyond the statement it released on 26 November, in which the State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
expressed "concern" about the health of Haidar and called for respect of her rights.
According to El País, the US finally entered the crisis, triggered by the expulsion of Aminatou Haidar, by contributing more international pressure on the king of Morocco to allow the return of Sahrawi activist to the city where she lived with her family.
US Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
, Hillary Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
, has contacted the Moroccan Foreign Minister
Foreign relations of Morocco
Morocco is a member of the United Nations and belongs to the Arab League, Arab Maghreb Union , Organisation of Islamic Cooperation , the Non-Aligned Movement and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States . Morocco’s relationships vary greatly between African, Arab, and Western states. Morocco has had...
Taieb Fassi-Fihri, according to diplomatic sources in Brussels. Spanish diplomats welcomed the move, but say it has not been made at their behest.
On 11 December 2009 Haidar entered her 25th day of hunger strike in the airport of Lanzarote and Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos announced he was to make an ad-hoc trip to Washington three days later for talks with his counterpart.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke with Moroccan Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri asking him to allow Aminatou to return to her home in El Aaiun
El Aaiún
El-Aaiún , is a city in Western Sahara founded by the Spanish in 1928. Administered by Morocco since 1976, El-Aaiún is the capital of what the Moroccan government call the region of Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra, and POLISARIO call Occupied Territories...
.
Return home
On 18 December 2009, following 32 days on hunger strike and a brief admission to the intensive care unit of Lanzarote hospital, the BBC reported Haidar returned home following interventions by the US and France. Upon her return, Haidar was placed under house arrest by Moroccan police.Public appearances in Spain, United States and Morocco, 2010
On 19 January 2010, Haidar returned to Spain, to have medical exams in La Paz hospital in Madrid. Haidar has an Spanish residence cardResidence Card
European Economic Area citizens have the right of free movement and residence throughout the EEA. This right also extends to certain family members, even if they are not EEA citizens. A Residence card of a family member of Union citizen is issued to the family member to confirm this right of...
since her release from prison in 2006, for humanitarian reasons. Haidar was in poor health, as she suffered anaemia and stomach ulcer, consequence of her imprisonment and the 2009 hunger strike. Amnesty International released a communiqué denouncing that Haidar and her family were under constant surveillance of Moroccan security forces, stating that
.
On March 7, Haidar broke the silence she had kept since her return to Western Sahara. It was during the "International Conference of Support to the Sahrawi People", parallel to the European Union-Morocco summit in Granada
Granada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
(Spain), that, according to Haidar, "denied the suffering of the Sahrawis". At a conference in the University of Granada
University of Granada
The University of Granada is a public university located in Granada, Spain that enrolls approximately 80,000 students. The university also has campuses in Ceuta and Melilla. Every year, over 2,000 European students enroll in the UGR through the Erasmus Programme, making it the most popular...
, Haidar accused the EU of bowing to the "totalitarian regime" of Morocco, and the Spanish government of maintaing a "resounding silence" and a "blind following" in their relations with the Kingdom of Morocco. She stated that the UE and Spain put before the economic interest instead human rights respect and defence of the Sahrawi people.
On March 24, Haidar declared during a visit to Washington D.C. that "before reaching a final settlement, a political solution, we must put pressure on Morocco to respect human rights". During an interview she stated that she's ready to die for a "just cause" and that "It's not fair that after 35 years, a people who are illegally occupied by Morocco are divided by a wall and its population suffers daily repression for defending their right to freedom". She emphasizes "We need the help of the United States, like any other country in the world", during reunions with US Department of State officials and US representatives.
On October 15, Haidar appeared in a Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
with dozens of Sahrawi activist leaders and twenty foreign observers, during the trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
of seven Sahrawi activists (known as "The Casablanca 7") detained months ago after travelling to the Sahrawi refugee camps, and accused by the Moroccan government of "threaten the safety of the state". One of them was Ali Salem Tamek
Ali Salem Tamek
Ali Salem Tamek is a Moroccan Sahrawi independence activist, human rights defender and trade unionist.Ali Salem Tamek was born in Assa, southern Morocco. He has emerged as one of the most outspoken Sahrawi dissidents under Moroccan rule. He is vice president of the Collective Of Sahrawi Human...
, vicepresident of Haidar's human rights association CODESA. The presence of Haidar caused a stir in the vicinity of the court, while Haidar declared:
.
Haidar said that Moroccan government accussations had no foundation, denouncing the violation of the freedom of expression and circulation of the detained. She also made hard critics on the Spanish government, wich she accussed of being guilty of the Sahrawi people situation. "The Spanish government violate international law by denying the Saharawi people their legitimate right to self-determination" she stated.
On 29 October 2011, the son of Haidar was threatened with a beating that would cause him permanent disability and sexual violation by a couple of Moroccan policemen in El Aaiun, according to CODESA.
Awards and nominations
In 2005 she was nominated for the Sakharov PrizeSakharov Prize
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, named after Soviet scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, was established in December 1988 by the European Parliament as a means to honour individuals or organisations who have dedicated their lives to the defence of human rights and freedom of thought...
, and in 2006 she was nominated by the US branch of Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
to the Ginetta Sagan Fund Award.
In May 2006 Haidar was awarded the V Juan Maria Bandres award for Human Rights (Spain), and in October 2007 she received the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
Silver Rose Award (Austria)
In February 2008, the American Friends Service Committee
American Friends Service Committee
The American Friends Service Committee is a Religious Society of Friends affiliated organization which works for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world...
announced it had proposed Haidar as a Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
nominee.
In May 2008, she was awarded the Special Prize City of Castelldefels (Spain), given by the city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
.
Haidar won the 2008 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award
The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award was created by the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial in 1984 to honour individuals around the world who show courage and have made a significant contribution to human rights in their country....
(US). In addition to the prize (which includes a financial component), the RFK Memorial Center offers to partner with recipients in their work.
Haidar was awarded the 2009 Civil Courage Prize
Civil Courage Prize
The Civil Courage Prize is a human rights award which is awarded to "steadfast resistance to evil at great personal risk — rather than military valor." It is awarded by the Trustees of The Train Foundation annually and may be awarded posthumously....
(US) on 20 October 2009 at an award ceremony in New York City.
In January 2010, the Italian municipality of Sesto Fiorentino
Sesto Fiorentino
Sesto Fiorentino is a municipality in the province of Florence, Tuscany, central Italy. It has c. 46,700 inhabitants.- History :The oldest known human settlement in the area dates from the Mesolithic...
appointed Haidar as "Honorary Citizen" of the village, for her "non-violent struggle for Liberty and Human Rights for her people". Days later , another Italian municipality, Campi Bisenzio
Campi Bisenzio
Campi Bisenzio is a comune in the Province of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 10 km northwest of Florence.-History:...
, decided by a majority to grant her "Honorary Citizenship".
On 30 July 2010, another ten towns from the Italian province of Lucca
Lucca
Lucca is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plainnear the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca...
decided to give the "Honorary Citizenship" to Haidar (one of them, Stazzema
Stazzema
Stazzema is a comune in the Province of Lucca in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 80 km northwest of Florence and about 25 km northwest of Lucca.-Geography:...
, gave her also the "Gold Medal of Resistance"). A further 20 Italian towns have appointed Aminatou Haidar as "Honorary Citizen".
Haidar has been also awarded in 2010 with the I Jovellanos 'Resistance & Freedom' International Award (Spain), the "Liberty, Peace & Solidarity" prize on the XXXIV "The Best of 2009" awards, given by the Spanish weekly magazine Cambio 16
Cambio 16
Cambio 16 is a general Spanish language magazine published in Spain by "Group 16". It was established on 22 September 1971 and played an important media role during the Spanish political transition from the Francisco Franco dictatorship to democracy....
& the VI Dolores Ibárruri Prize (Spain).
She has been nominated again by more than 40 European parliamentarians to the Sakharov Prize, in its 2010 edition, and also to the "African Personality 2010" prix, given by the Nigerian newspaper Daily Trust. Few days after, europarlamentarian Willy Meyer Pleite
Willy Meyer Pleite
Willy Meyer Pleite is a Spanish politician and Member of the European Parliament with the Izquierda Unida . He is a member of the bureau of the European United Left–Nordic Green Left and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries, Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on...
denounced a campaign of letters by Morocco to avoid the concession of the prize to Haidar.
In November, Haidar was awarded with the "University of Coimbra Medal", given by the Portuguese educational institution for her attitude and civic actuations in defense of human rights in Western Sahara. That month, she also received the "International Prize Trojan Horse of Guacales" (Mexico) at the UNAM
Unam
UNAM or UNaM may refer to:* National University of Misiones, a National University in Posadas, Argentina*National Autonomous University of Mexico , the large public autonomous university based in Mexico City...
, during the "Revolutionary Women's Day".
In March 1, 2011, she was awarded with the "Jesús Andrés López Gallardo" cooperation prize, given by the San Fernando de Henares city council, recognizing her reinvindication of Sahrawi human rights and her implication in the attempt of building a democratic republic in Western Sahara. In July 27, Haidar was appointed as "Honorary Citizen" of the Italian comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of Montespertoli
Montespertoli
Montespertoli is a comune in the Province of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 20 km southwest of Florence....
, being the first person granted with that award, as a "concrete gesture of condemnation of the violence being perpetrated by the Moroccan authorities", and with the hope of bringing the Sahrawi people issue to the attention of the entire public. In November 10, she was awarded with the René Cassin
René Cassin
René Samuel Cassin was a French jurist, law professor and judge. A soldier in World War I, he later went on to form the Union Fédérale, a leftist, pacifist Veterans organisation...
Human Rights Prize, given by the Justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
department of the Basque Country
Basque Country
The Basque Country may refer to one of three areas inhabited by the Basque people:*The Basque Country , an autonomous community of Spain *The Basque Country , the approximate cultural area of...
government. The jury
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
highlighted that the defense of the rights of the Sahrawi people "is more complicated and risky for the Sahrawi women that, from their fundamental role in the development of traditional life, had been and are subject of serious abuses to their human rights", and the figure of Haidar as a representative of the collective of "Human Rights activists in the Occupied Territories of Western Sahara". The prize consist on a honorific
Honorific
An honorific is a word or expression with connotations conveying esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term is used not quite correctly to refer to an honorary title...
distinction, a public ceremony and an economic dotation of 16,550 euros.
See also
- Years of leadYears of Lead (Morocco)The Years of Lead is the term used especially by former opponents to the rule of King Hassan II of Morocco to describe a period of his rule marked by state violence against dissidents and democracy activists.-Timeframe:...
- Ali Salem TamekAli Salem TamekAli Salem Tamek is a Moroccan Sahrawi independence activist, human rights defender and trade unionist.Ali Salem Tamek was born in Assa, southern Morocco. He has emerged as one of the most outspoken Sahrawi dissidents under Moroccan rule. He is vice president of the Collective Of Sahrawi Human...
- Mohamed ElmoutaoikilMohamed ElmoutaoikilMohamed Cheikh Elmoutaoikil is a Moroccan Sahrawi human rights defender active in Western Sahara and Morocco. He is the father of three children. He holds a degree in Geology...
- Mohamed Daddach
- Brahim DahaneBrahim DahaneBrahim Dahane is a Sahrawi human rights activist and President of the Sahrawi Association of Victims of Grave Human Rights Violations Committed by the Moroccan State, a human rights organization banned by Morocco...
- History of Western SaharaHistory of Western SaharaThe history of Western Sahara can be traced back to the times of Carthaginian explorer Hanno the Navigator in the 5th century BC. Though few historical records are left from that period, Western Sahara's modern history has its roots linked to some nomadic groups such as the Sanhaja group and the...
External links
- Police report after she was expelled to Spain
- Letter from Aminatou Haidar children asking for help to save their mother's life
- Testimony on her "disappearance" (1987-91) by Aminatou Haidar (2002)
- Testimony on her beating and detention by Moroccan police by Aminatou Haidar (2005)
- Aminatou Haidar Biography - Association de soutien à un Référendum libre et régulier au Sahara Occidental
- Aminatou Haidar Demands Moroccan Authorities Allow Her Return to Occupied Homeland - video report by Democracy Now!Democracy Now!Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
- Gallery of photos of Aminatou Haidar in the U.S. Senate (Washington D.C.) and receiving the RFK award by Ronniha (FlickrFlickrFlickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
)