March 12, 2024 – In a café in the Al-Huda neighborhood near the campus of Ibn Zohr University
23 year-old. Arrested on fabricated charges and jailed
- Last update: 16:39 - First published
Two Sahrawi students have been arbitrarily sentenced to two years in prison by a court of the Moroccan occupation authorities in Agadir, Sahrawi human rights activists told SPS.
According to the same sources, the Sahrawi students and political prisoners, Hussein Bourekba and Ayman Al-Yathribi, who are in detention, were charged by the Moroccan occupation court with false and fabricated charges, including unlawful assembly, assault on civil rights protesters, theft, , participation in a robbery, and physical assault, along with other criminal and political charges, even though some witnesses renounced their testimonies and the two Sahrawi students categorically denied all the accusations.
On June 6, 2024, the Court of First Instance of the Moroccan city of Agadir issued its unjust preliminary ruling against the two Sahrawi political prisoners, Hussein Bourekba and Ayman Al-Yathribi, with a sentence of up to ten years of effective imprisonment, in the context of their student activity and their political positions that claim the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination and independence. However, the court was unable to present any credible evidence supporting the charges against them, as witnesses testified in court that they did not recognize the accused, contradicting their earlier statements in police records that had been used as the basis for the convictions.
The two Sahrawi students and political prisoners were arrested on January 23, 2024, and March 12, 2024, following a heated debate and provocation by Moroccan students who sought to impose their views on the official Moroccan position regarding the occupied Western Sahara.
Both students were subjected to ill-treatment during their detention and went on multiple hunger strikes in protest of their harsh conditions.
Physical violence
| X | Arrest |
| X | Detention / Custody |
| Hustle / Projection | |
| Prone position / lying flat on the stomach / ventral decubitus | |
| “Folding” (holding a person in a seated position with their head resting on their knees) | |
| Painful armlock | |
| Kicks, punches, slaps | |
| Feet / knees on the nape of the neck, chest or face | |
| Blows to the victim while under control and/or on the ground | |
| Blows to the ears | |
| Strangulation / chokehold | |
| Fingers forced backwards | |
| Spraying with water | |
| Dog bites | |
| Hair pulling | |
| Painful tightening of colson ties or handcuffs | |
| Painfully pulling by colson ties or handcuffs | |
| Sexual abuse | |
| Striking with a police vehicle | |
| Electric shocks | |
| Use of gloves | |
| Use of firearm | |
| Use of “Bean bags” (a coton sack containing tiny lead bullets) | |
| Use of FlashBall weapon | |
| Use of sound grenade | |
| Use of dispersal grenade | |
| Use of teargas grenade | |
| Use of rubber bullets weapon (LBD40 type) | |
| Use of batons | |
| Use of Pepper Spray | |
| Use of Taser gun | |
| Use of tranquillisers | |
| Torture / Inhumane and degrading treatment | |
| Execution | |
| Kidnapping | |
| Disappearance |
Psychological violence
| Charge of disturbing public order | |
| Charge of rebellion | |
| X | Accusation of beatings to officer |
| Charge of threatening officer | |
| Charge of insulting an officer | |
| Charge of disrespect | |
| Charge of resisting arrest | |
| Aggressive behaviour, disrespect, insults | |
| Intimidation, blackmail, threats | |
| Vexing or intimidating identity check | |
| Mock execution | |
| Intimidation or arrest of witnesses | |
| Prevented from taking photographs or from filming the scene | |
| Calls to end torment remained unheeded | |
| Prolonged uncomfortable position | |
| Failure to assist a person in danger | |
| Photographs, fingerprints, DNA | |
| Threat with a weapon | |
| Shooting in the back | |
| Charging without warning | |
| Kettling (corraling protestors to isolate them from the rest of the demonstration) | |
| Car chase | |
| Sexist remarks | |
| Homophobic remarks | |
| Racist comments | |
| Intervention in a private place | |
| At the police station | |
| Mental health issues | |
| Harassment | |
| Body search | |
| Home search | |
| Violence by fellow police officers | |
| Passivity of police colleagues | |
| Lack or refusal of the police officer to identify him or herself | |
| Refusal to notify someone or to telephone | |
| Refusal to administer a breathalyzer | |
| Refusal to fasten the seatbelt during transport | |
| Refusal to file a complaint | |
| Refusal to allow medical care or medication | |
| Lies, cover-ups, disappearance of evidence | |
| Undress before witnesses of the opposite sex | |
| Bend down naked in front of witnesses | |
| Lack of surveillance or monitoring during detention | |
| Lack of signature in the Personal Effects Register during detention | |
| Deprivation during detention (water, food) | |
| Inappropriate sanitary conditions during detention (temperature, hygiene, light) | |
| Sleep deprivation | |
| Confiscation, deterioration, destruction of personal effects | |
| Pressure to sign documents | |
| Absence of a report | |
| Complacency of doctors |
- 07.01.2025 – Sentenced to 2 years in prison by Court of Appeal in Agadir
- 06.06.2024 – Preliminary ruling by Court of First Instance of the Moroccan city of Agadir
- 12.03.2024 – Arrest of Hussein
- Sahara Republic
- No te olvidades del Sahara occidental / Sahara Press Service (SPS)
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