UPDATE ON CONDITIONS IN LAAYOUNE AND SEVEN

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 000041 SIPDIS DEPT FOR DRL/NESCA AND NEA/MAG E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/14/2020 TAGS: PHUM PGOV SOCI WI MO SUBJECT: UPDATE ON CONDITIONS IN LAAYOUNE AND SEVEN ARRESTED SAHRAWI ACTIVISTS REF: A. USUN 0020 ¶B. RABAT 0849 ¶C. RABAT 0990 ¶D. RABAT 0977 ¶E. RABAT 0971 Classified By: Political Counselor Gregory Thome for reasons 1.4 (b) an d (d). ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Throughout late December and early January, PolOff met with various Sahrawi and human rights activists to confirm that the seven Sahrawis arrested in Casablanca in October (Ref B) who were placed in the Sale prison near Rabat are no longer in solitary confinement and are enjoying improving prison conditions. Our Sahrawi contacts also provided an update on the atmosphere in Laayoune since Aminatou Haidar's return (Ref C). Our contacts report a significant security presence around Haidar's neighborhood, as well as checkpoints on Haidar's street, limiting circulation to those who live or work in the area. Until she departed for medical treatment in Spain on January 20, access to Haidar had been limited to relatives. Moroccan security services appear to have been keeping tabs on Haidar's movements at all times. There was one instance soon after Haidar's return when teenagers hoisted up the Polisario flag; yet police seem to have been warned by local authorities to act with caution and were able to dispel the situation without violence. End Summary. ¶2. (C) In separate meetings with El Ghalia Djimi, Vice-President of the Sahrawi Association of Victims of Grave Human Rights Violations (ASVDH); another Sahrawi activist and long-time embassy contact; and Khadija Marouazi (Strictly Protect),Secretary-General of the NGO Mediator For Democracy and Human Rights (MediateurDDH),PolOff learned that the seven Sahrawis arrested in Casablanca on October 8 have been removed from solitary confinement and placed in normal prison cells. PolOff was also informed of improving prison conditions for the seven and of the current atmosphere in Laayoune since the return of Sahrawi activist Haidar. -------------- Prison Conditions and Access -------------- ¶3. (SBU) During their December trip to Laayoune),PolCouns and PolOff learned from ASVDH and CODESA members of Degja Lachgar's deteriorating mental state due to her placement in solitary confinement. Lachgar was the only female arrested for her involvement in the October trip to Tindouf. During a follow-up December 30 meeting with Djimi in Rabat, PolOff heard further details of Lachgar's mental situation. Djimi was visiting Rabat from Laayoune with the express hope of visiting the seven and had earlier that day received verbal confirmation from prison authorities that she would be permitted to visit with both Lachgar and Ali Salem Tamek, Vice-President of Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA). (Note: Haidar is the President of CODESA. End Note.) Djimi also described how various family members of the seven prisoners had complained that during past visits, prisoners were separated from each other by a metal mesh and had not been left alone during their short 15-minute visits. Djimi later informed PolOff that during January exchanges, family meetings had become less formal in rooms where prisoners could physically interact with their visitors. Family members have also been able to take the prisoners food, hotplates to cook their food with, and newspapers on a regular basis. (Note: Prisons do provide meals three times a day, but the quality of the food is very low. End Note.) ¶4. (C) Marouazi, a friend of Djimi's, met with PolOff on January 8 to share details of her visit to the prison in Sale. Marouazi and her NGO's focus with the seven Sahrawis has primarily been on the medical condition of Lachgar. On January 4, Marouazi accompanied Lachgar's sister and two doctors to the Sale prison in order to produce a medical report. They were allowed to meet in the office of the director of the Sale prison for over three and a half hours, during which time the doctors concluded that Lachgar is suffering from mental stress. ¶5. (C) PolOff questioned why the solitary confinement was considered necessary by security forces and Marouazi clarified that when Lachgar had initially been placed in prison, she had been very vocal about her pro-separatist views. Many of the female Moroccan prisoners were offended by her, as the majority of Moroccans believe that Western Sahara is a part of Morocco. For her safety, prison officials moved her to solitary confinement. Later, Lacghar is said to have requested being placed with other Sahrawi inmates. Marouazi and Djimi joked with Lacghar during a visit that the only way that would be possible would be if Djimi were to get herself arrested. Soon after Marouazi's visit with the doctors, Lacghar was moved from solitary confinement to a cell with five other female prisoners. All reports indicate that Lacghar's mental and physical condition has begun to improve. However, human rights and Sahrawi activists are hoping that her medical reports might help her receive an early release. ¶6. (C) Noting PolOff's surprise that a non-family member had visited a politically sensitive prisoner, Marouazi clarified that legally both family and friends are allowed to visit prisoners. She noted that though Moulay Hafidh Benhachem, the Delegate General or Head of the Prison Administration, has not been very receptive to civil society involvement with prison administration, he is flexible with NGOs with which he has built rapport. She noted that there are NGOs in Morocco who "make a lot of noise", and then there are NGOs that like to focus on the small concrete steps that can improve people's lives; she expressed her desire to focus on the latter. She explained that she often refuses interviews with the media in the hopes of not arousing mistrust or anger from prison officials. Marouazi apparently had her first personal exchange with Benhachem in a three hour meeting yesterday to discuss Lachgar's medical condition and next steps she hopes to see after her submission of the medical report to the Ministry of Justice. ¶7. (U) This same week, Benhachem released statistics indicating that about 20,100 visits were paid to Moroccan jails in 2009; 900 by the judiciary authorities and 600 by NGO's and associations. Regional and local committees, headed by governors are said to have paid 30 visits to penitentiaries. Benhachem went on to clarify that they are managing between 55,000 and 60,000 inmates nationwide and that the budget amount per inmate was just increased to 15 Dirham (2 USD) per day; this amount covers food, medical care, and utilities. However, Benhachem complained that water and electricity costs are putting stress on the budget as prisoners insist on having individual electric heaters and hotplates. -------------- Atmosphere in Laayoune -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Djimi's statements confirmed previous reports by a long-time embassy contact that things have remained calm since Haidar's return. Both activists reported a spontaneous gathering of people the night of Haidar's return and noted the significant security presence around Haidar's neighborhood. They also reported the establishment of checkpoints onto Haidar's street, limiting circulation to those who live or work in the area. Haidar's house is located in a populated part of Laayoune next to various small shops and Djimi noted that some business owners have been upset by the disruption to their businesses. There was one incident soon after Haidar's return when teenagers hoisted the Polisario flag; yet police seem to have been warned by local authorities to act with caution and were able to dispel the situation without usage of violence; jostling and shoving was also reported, which is to be expected with any large gathering of people. ¶9. (C) According to our sources, until Haidar departed for Spain on January 20, security forces were only allowing relatives of Haidar to visit. Djimi recounted how she sat in the middle of a car filled with Haidar's relatives in the hopes of sneaking past; yet the police noticed her and asked her to step out; one of Haidar's cousins from her maternal side stopped by to visit, but because her last name was different from Haidar's, she was not allowed access. In another instance, one of Haidar's relatives came to pick up Haidar to take her to the local hammam (Moroccan bathhouse). The police stopped her and informed her that from now on, they would need to fill out forms detailing where and with whom Haidar would be travelling - even when simply around Laayoune. After filling out some forms, they were allowed to proceed to the hammam, but were apparently followed by four vehicles. -------------- To be Pro-Morocco and Pro-Sahrawi? -------------- ¶10. (C) Surprisingly, Marouazi is not an ethnic Sahrawi, and lives in the urban neighborhood of Agdal in Rabat. However, she is very close to many Sahrawi activists. She noted that though she may disagree with her Sahrawi friends and firmly believes that Western Sahara is part of Morocco, she also believes that everyone's human rights must be respected. With a chuckle, she described how every encounter with El Ghalia has ended in a disagreement over politics; yet she confided that the two women, who have known each other for quite a while, respect each other one hundred percent. She believes that at the grassroots level, there is a great sense of brotherhood amongst the Sahrawis and the Moroccans, but she worried that the longer the conflict continues, the better the government might become at dividing the people, in order to strengthen itself. In various conversations with Moroccans, PolOff has heard variations of anti-Sahrawi sentiments that are almost always based on the fiscal burden that Western Sahara poses on the Moroccan Government. In some instances, many older Moroccans seem to believe that before Morocco 'took over' Western Sahara, unemployment was non-existent in Morocco; they believe that some of the blame for the current economic condition in Morocco can be blamed on the Sahara conflict. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶11. (C) The Mission will continue to follow the trials of the seven Sahrawis arrested in Casablanca and events in Laayoune. PolCouns plans on visiting Laayoune within the month to confirm conditions in Laayoune since Haidar's return. End Comment. ***************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Moro cco ***************************************** KAPLAN