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of Human Rights Defenders

28 November 2011

On 14 November 2011, the Moroccan police forces arrested Western Saharan human rights defender Mr Atiqu Barrai near his family home in the town of Dakhla.

Further Information

He has been remanded in custody by the investigating magistrate pending detailed interrogation at a later date.

Following his arrest on 14 November 2011, Atiqu Barrai was held in detention for two days during which he was denied access to his family and lawyer. On 16 November, he was referred to the investigating magistrate in the city of El Ayoune in connection with violent events during the last week of September 2011 in Dakhla. He was questioned in the presence of his lawyer. Following his interrogation, the human rights defender was remanded in custody in Al-Kuhl prison in El Ayoune where he continues to be held.

The arrest of Atiqu Barrai comes six weeks after his family home was raided on 3 October by the police who were seeking his arrest, but he was not on the premises at the time. Atiqu Barrai has been arrested a number of times in the past in connection with his human rights work in Western Sahara.

These arrests are believed to be part of an ongoing crackdown on human rights defenders in Western Sahara. On 2 and 3 October 2011, human rights defenders, Messrs Kamal Al Tarayh, Abd Al Aziz Barrai, Al Mahjoub Awlad Al Cheih and Mohamed Manolo were arrested by the Moroccan authorities in different areas of Dakhla. They remain in detention in Al-Kuhl prison.

Front Line believes that the arrest and detention of Atiqu Barrai are directly related to his legitimate work in defence of human rights, particularly with regard to his advocacy in favour of the self-determination of Moroccan-administered Western Sahara.