The Saharawi non-violent activist Aminetou Haidar, confined in the Lanzarote airport in Spain on hunger strike
Nacho Martín, Spain
Photos: Man Chagaf
The Saharawi non-violent activist Aminatou Haidar, who is also known as the Saharawi people’s Gandhi and recognized with the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in 2008, remains since last Sunday on a hunger strike confined to the Lanzarote airport (Spain) after that Morocco expulsed her by force from the Western Sahara Occupied Territories last Saturday. The facts have been reported by human rights organizations sources, the Spanish police, the NGO Communicators for Peace and the Saharawi Journalist and Writers Union (UPES).
Despite of the fact that doctors are afraid for her health, since she suffers a stomach ulcer, Haidar assures that she is not going to abandon her demonstration until the Spanish Government allows her to take a flight to return to his home in El Aaiun, Saharaui Territories’ capital invaded by Morocco since 1975 violating the United Nations resolutions and the international law.
Haidar states that she feels kidnapped in the Lanzarote Airport and denounce a connivance between the Spanish Government and Morocco to expulse her from Western Sahara when she was returning from the US. Moroccan authorities stripped her passport and all her documentation. Subsequently, Spain accepted her entrance to the country without any document.
Haidar told the captain of the aircraft that she was forced to take the flight and she did not want to go to Spain, but to Western Sahara, one of the last African colonies according United Nations resolutions. Currently, the Spanish Government forbids her to take any flight to Western Sahara or to other airport where she could get access to other flight to come back home.
Morocco deported Aminetou Haidar to Lanzarote after the police tried to force her to sign a document admitting that Western Sahara is a Moroccan territory. Haidar refused to sign and argued that Western Sahara is a territory under the United Nations custody waiting for a decolonization process. The United Nations resolutions and the International Law back up the Saharawi activist, but Morocco considered that her refuse to sign was enough reason to deport her without any argument or judicial guarantee.
Now, Haidar is sleeping on the street in front of the airport because the Spanish police forbids her to sleep at night inside the airport. Haidar is being supported at the airport by Saharawi and Spanish organizations and pacifists. Next to her, the Saharawi journalist Man Chagaf is backing her and helped us to translate the Haidar words in a short interview which could not be longer due to her health problems.
Journalist-¿When is going to end your hunger strike?
Haidar- I am going to continue until the Spanish Government permits me to go home. I will not stop the hunger strike. Although my health problems, I am going to continue. Yesterday night, the police (Guardia Civil) vacated me and I had to sleep on the street. But I want to continue.
Journalist-¿Do you believe that the non-violent struggle is going to have any result? ¿What would you say to the Saharawi population that is suffering the exile and the occupation?
Haidar -I am very grateful to all the kindness and affection signs. I am receiving calls and messages from all over the world. I believe firmly that the Saharawi peaceful struggle is a fair cause and, as Gandhi did, I have absolute faith in non-violence for a better world and for a real peace.
