Sahrawi teenager raped by police officers

The 16-year-old was undressed and raped during interrogation.

Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara

24.02 - 2009

Last Sunday night, on the way out of her family's house in al Quds
street in El Aaiun, the 16 year old pupil was stopped by the police.

According to her own testimony to the Sahrawi human rights
organizations ASVDH and ODS, she was handcuffed and her face was
covered with a dirty cloth. She was then taken into a police car,
where she was beaten. The police took her to an unknown location.

Shortly after being taken out of the car, two police officers
arrived. The victim has been able to identify and name both of them
to the Sahrawi human rights organizations. They interrogated her
about Western Sahara flags that have been distributed around El
Aaiun, and about Western Sahara graffiti that has been painted on
come school buildings recently.

When she said she did not recognize the allegations, the two police
officers undressed and raped her. During interrogation she was
threatened that if she didn't give the police the information they
sought, her younger siblings would be kidnapped as well.

As the interrogation ended, she she was threatened that she would be
killed if she publicized the story.

But she did it anyway. Both the victim's name, descriptions of the
rape method and photos of her have been distributed by email by human
rights groups in Western Sahara this week.

"This is terrible. I know her well", said the winner of the Student
Peace Prize 2009, Rabab Amidane.

Amidane is now in Trondheim, Norway, and is going to receive the
award this Friday. When the Norwegian Support Committee for Western
Sahara called Rabab on Tuesday morning, she had not yet heard of the
episode.

She said the victim is a close friend of her family.

"She often comes to our house to drink tea or eat dinner. She is one
of my little sister's best friends", said Amidane.
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Source: http://www.vest-sahara.no/index.php?
parse_news=single&cat=49&art=1163

See also:
- ESU: Reaching out to the Sahrawi people: Student Peace Prize for
Human Rights Activist, Feb 23, 2009
- Press Release: Student Peace Prize awarded to activist from Western
Sahara, Feb 4, 2009
- HRW: Morocco: Suppressing Rights in Western Sahara, Dec 21, 2008
- afrol News: Agadir student killings trigger protests, Dec 3, 2008