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French NGO ACAT asks French president to address in Morocco Gdeim Izik prisoners affairs

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Paris, June 15, 2017 (SPS) - The French organization ACAT asked the French president, Emanuel Macron, through a communiqué to include in his agenda in Morocco, the issue of Saharawi political prisoners, especially the group of Gdeim Izik.
The organization said that it had submitted multiple documents to international rapporteurs, denouncing the trial of Gdeim Izik's group, drawing attention to the fact that the evidence was based on statements obtained under torture.
The head of the Middle East and North Africa in the organization, clarified that "President Macron has to address the issue of human rights in Western Sahara" adding that "if Morocco is an important ally for France, that does not means, to stop asking it about human rights."
In its statement, ACAT denounced the fact that the court does not respect procedural rules, which is a violation of the Istanbul protocol and international humanitarian law, citing the case of Nama Asfari, who suffered torture, as reported by the UN Anti-Torture Committee in its 2012 report.
In the same regard, the human rights organization expressed its concern about the limits imposed by Morocco to prevent the defense of prisoners from doing their work under legal conditions.SPS
 
125/090/TRA