Africa's last colony -Western Sahara: W. Sahara: EP condemns repression of Saharawi people - Europe - ANSAMed.it

(ANSAmed) - STRASBOURG, APRIL 19 - The European Parliament "condemns the ongoing repression of the Saharawi people in occupied territories". This is the message from the Strasbourg Assembly, where the report on human rights around the world has been approved by a large majority.

"After the UN resolutions, the document approved in Strasbourg is the most significant victory recorded yet for the Saharawi cause," said the Euro MP Pino Arlacchi (Democratic Party), who said that the text expresses a "clear position in favour of independence".

Euro MPs are demanding that basic rights be respected in Western Sahara, including freedom of association and expression, but have also called for the release of 80 Saharawi political prisoners and, in particular, "of the 23 prisoners without trial in the prison of Salé, following the dismantling of the Gdeim Izik camp".

The European Parliament has repeated its calls for the creation of an international monitoring mechanism of human rights in the region and for a lasting solution to the conflict "based on the right of self-determination for the Saharawi people", in line with the UN resolutions.

Arlacchi said that the European Parliament had taken a "clear stance in favour of the independence of Western Sahara" and that this would "certainly affect ongoing negotiations, with the aim of ending the last remaining case of colonial oppression in Africa". (ANSAmed).