Sahrawi people live a nightmare in Morocco’s torture secret centers

Makouna and Aghdar prisons in Morocco hide detainees who undergo terrible and barbaric acts. Most of the Sahrawi political prisoners passed by them by virtue of long-term military sentences. They still have them in mind and body.

Sahrawi political prisoners and human rights activists told Echorouk about torture nightmare and psychological terror they experienced in secret detention centers. They were taken to investigation cells of no more than 1 square meter area. This first phase of “slow death” is finished with either diseases or psychological pathology for all their life. This happened with prisoner Mohamed Dedeche nicknamed Mandela. He spent around 25 years in prison sentenced to death.

They were nervous when they started remembering the torture they had undergone. They could not describe some repressive scenes and said they could talk about the reality of they had lived in those dark underground cells.

Mohamed Dechdeche spent 24 years and 7 months in prison

On April 7^th, 1980, a military tribunal in Rabat sentenced Dechdeche to death. Then, the sentence was reduced to life sentence in 1994. He remained in his exile until November 7^th, 2001.

In 1989, the Chairman of Amnesty International visited the prison. A campaign was led by the organization, the association of the prisoners’ parents and other human rights organizations. He was released on November 7^th, 2001.

“I had not seen the sun only for an hour for 24 years. I was inside a close cell. Prisoners suffer from diseases. There was a media blackout and they were far from their family. We were oppressed,” said Dechdeche.

“Human rights commission were absent. International pressure was put on Morocco to free prisoners. Rabat does not allow anyone to talk about the situation of its detainees,” he added.

He also said people sentenced to life in prison in Morocco are charged following political decisions as they did not commit any crime.

Former political prisoner: Moroccan Kings tortured our wives

Mohamed Salah, a former prisoner, said all the international treaties were violated in prison.

He spent 14 years in prison and underwent all forms of psychological terror.

“I was arrested by Moroccan security forces along with 20 others. We had been tortured in a secret centers for 18 days. We did not know where we were,” he said.

“It was an underground prison. We could not see the sun. We were tortured in a slow way. We did not get enough food and oxygen,” he added.

Makhzen tortured more than 2,000 Sahrawi people

Chairman of the Defence Commission of Sahrawi Political Prisoners Abdesselam Omar told Echorouk the situation in Moroccan prisons and the worst ever.

“Mal treatment in prisons caused the death of 214 human rights and political activists. They did not get medical care. Familes were jailed because one of their members had information about horrible crimes perpetrated by Makhzen,” he added.

Speaking about collective tombs, he said an investigation is underway with the help of international organizations and Sahrawi human rights associations. They were discovered for the first time in 2012. More than 60 people were buried alive.

“About 2,000 people were released on bail without trial after they had been were tortured,” he added.

He believes that it is time to put pressure on Morocco via the UN and international organizations to release Sahrawi detainee without any condition.

Chairman of Sahrawi Anti-Torture Organization: more than 5,000 disappeared

Chairman of Sahrawi Anti-Torture Organization Omar Salem Mami said most of the Sahrawi political and human rights activists had experienced torture for 40 years. Moroccan intelligence department jailed around 500 of them in mysterious conditions. Nobody knows their whereabouts.

“In spite of claims made by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, Morocco still violate all the international law. Today, there are more than 70 political prisoners. They still undergo torture,” he added.

He also said he was tortured many times and was kicked out to Mauritania.