allAfrica.com: Morocco: On Eve of Arrival of UN Special Rapporteur On Torture - Occupied El Aaiun Witnesses Tight Security Encirclement

El Aaiun — Moroccan occupation authorities started a huge security and military deployment to streets of the occupied city of El Aaiun, capital of Western Sahara, on the eve of the expected arrival of the UN Special Rapporteur on torture Juan E. Mendez in the city, part of a visit to Morocco and occupied Western Sahara that started Saturday, informed Saharawi media source.

At least 20 cars belong to Moroccan police and auxiliary forces, as well as 5 big tracks to transport soldiers have been observed entering the occupied city of El Aaiun from the north, said the same source.

On the same relevant, Moroccan authorities of occupation has taken out dozens of Saharawi prisoners off the Black Jail in occupied El Aaiun. In addition, they have sent a delegation including representatives of Human Rights Council to visit the Saharawi prisoners in the same Prison in a desperate attempt to calm them down before the expected visit of the UN Rapporteur on torture, added the same source.

At the end of last month, a U.S. human rights delegation, led by the President of RFK Centre for Justice and Human Rights Ms. Kerry Kennedy and includes 4 international rights organizations, made, after an assessment visit to occupied Western Sahara and Saharawi refugee camps, preliminary observations condemning Morocco's repression to human rights in the occupied territories of Western Sahara.

It is also expected that a delegation of African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights to visit the Territory in the end of current month.

On other hand, the Director of Middle East and North Africa Division at Human Rights Watch, Eric Goldstein, has pointed out, in statements quoted Saturday by the Spanish News Agency EFE, Morocco has not achieved "significant evolution" with regard ro the respect for human rights.

He also indicated that more than 20 Saharawi detainees are currently awaiting a military trail on the ground of Gdeim Izik events on October 2010.