Sahrawi Association of Victims of Grave Human Rights Violations Committed by the Moroccan State

Asociación Saharaui de Víctimas de Violaciones Graves de los Derechos Humanos Cometidas por el Estado Marroquí (Spanish for the "Sahrawi Association of Victims of Grave Violations of Human Rights Committed by the Moroccan State"; Arabic,جمعية الصحراوية لضحايا الانتهاكات الجسيمة لحقوق الإنسان المرتكبة من طرف الدولة المغربية; French, "Association Sahraouie des Victimes des Violations Graves des Droits Humains Commises par l’Etat Marocain"), or ASVDH, is a Sahrawi human rights organization operating in the Moroccan-occupied parts of Western Sahara (by Morocco considered the kingdom's "Southern Provinces").

ASVDH was founded in El Aaiun on May 7, 2005, by Sahrawi activists, including its President, Brahim Dahane, a former prisoner of conscience. It has been refused permission to operate by the Moroccan authorities, and is thus forced to operate illegally, with very limited means at its disposal. Its activities has consisted in documenting abuses by interviewing alleged victims of persecution, and releasing documentation and photographs of illegal demonstrations, police interventions and torture scars on the Internet.

ASVDH has been outspoken in its defence of jailed Sahrawi human rights defenders and independence activists, such as Aminatou Haidar and Ali Salem Tamek, during the presently ongoing anti-occupation protests that broke out in El Aaiun in May 2005, which ASVDH refers to as Western Sahara's "Independence Intifada".

This has resulted in harassment and police action against its members. Dahane was detained on October 30, 2005, and later charged with "belonging to an illegal organization", namely ASVDH. This was condemned by Amnesty International and other international human rights organizations, who campaigned for Dahane's release. [http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE290072006?open&of=ENG-2MD] As part of a general royal pardon, Dahane and other members of ASVDH were set free on April 22, 2006. [http://web.amnesty.org/appeals/index/mar-010306-wwa-eng]

External links

* [http://www.asvdh.net/ ASVDH] - official website

See also

* Human rights in Western Sahara
* Human rights in Western Sahara
* History of Western Sahara
* AFAPREDESA
* BIRDHSO