Appel urgent

Appel urgent
The CODESA launches an international campaign to save the life of the Sahrawi human rights defender, YAHYA MOHAMED ELHAFED IAAZZA

Owing to the fact that the Sahrawi human rights defender, YAHYA MOHAMED ELHAFED IAAZZA and a group of Sahrawi political prisoners in the local prisons of INEZEGANE and AIT MELLOUL, Morocco, have been going on an unlimited hunger strike since April 04th, 2009, which resulted in a serious degradation of their health, (especially YAHYA MOHAMED ELHAFED IAAZZA),
And due to the Moroccan state's reluctance to cater for the prisoners' demands and to react positively towards the families' complaints and the international organizations’ appeals,
The Executive Board of the CODESA, the Collective of the Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders
- Declares the launching of The International Campaign for Saving the Life of YAHYA MOHAMED ELHAFED IAAZZA.
- Appeals the international organizations and human rights actors to join this campaign in order to prevent the occurrence of a human catastrophe.
The International Campaign Email : saveyahyaslife@gmail.com

BACKGROUND:
- YAHYA MOHAMED ELHAFED IAAZZA is a member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights- Tantan Branch and the Collective of the Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders-CODESA, based in El Aaiun, Western Sahara.
-He was arrested on February 29th, 2008, in Tan-Tan, South of Morocco and was subjected to torture in the police station because of his position concerning the Western Sahara conflict and his human rights activities.
-He was sentenced to a hard, unjust verdict, 15 years imprisonment, in the court of appeal in Agadir, south of Morocco on September 09th, 2008.
- He has been in an individual cell and complete isolation from the outside world, for more than 26 days, in the local prison of Ait Melloul, Morocco. This was as a revenge and punishment act after the expression of his political beliefs during the trial.
-He was abducted twice for political reasons , in 2005 and 2006.
- YAHYA MOHAMED ELHAFED IAAZZA, 43 years old, is a father of three children (FATIMATOU, 11, ELHAIBA, 08, and MAIMOUNA, 1 and about six months). He suffers from various diseases: Asthma, stomackache, rheumatism, haemorrhoids… He is also the person in charge of his family and taking care of his old, both arm-handicapped blind father.

The Executive Board of the CODESA,
El Aaiun, Western Sahara,
May 04th, 2009.