A delegation of American human rights activists from the “Just Visit Western Sahara” network was prevented yesterday, Monday, from entering the occupied territories of Western Sahara to visit Sahrawi activist, Sultana Khaya, who is under house arrest in her residence in occupied Boujdour, as the Moroccan occupation authorities forcibly transferred them to the airport of occupied El-Ayoun, according to the American feminist rights delegation.
The Moroccan authorities have not given compelling reasons for denying entry to the US feminist delegation, which includes Adrian Kane, the former president of Veterans for Peace, Wayne Kaufman, a professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law, and Laxana Peters, a retired teacher, into the occupied Sahrawi territories, according to the Saharawi News Agency, quoting the delegation.
The agency said that “the Moroccan occupation authorities were unable to provide any legal justification for denying entry to these American visitors, and fore using verbal and physical violence against them.”
The American women’s delegation was supposed to meet with Tim Blotta and Ruth McDonough, two American human rights defenders who have been with Sultana Khaya’s family at her home since March 15, in solidarity with her during the siege and violence she is subjected to by the Moroccan occupation forces.
Despite the presence of these American activists with Sultana Khaya, the Moroccan occupation forces continued to isolate the Khaya family by force, while threatening anyone who wanted to visit her or provide her with food or support, according to the agency.
Sultana Khaya’s house was the scene of an attack carried out by the Moroccan occupation forces last week, when a large truck tried, late at night, to demolish her house, in order to intimidate defenseless Sahrawi citizens and discourage them from continuing their peaceful struggle for independence.
Sultana Khaya, her sister and their mother have been under a tight siege for more than 18 months because of their continuous struggle for human rights in Western Sahara and their demand for the self-determination of the Saharawi people.
Wayne Kaufman has denounced the repression practiced by the Moroccan occupation forces against foreign visitors. In this context, she said: “If we (the American women’s delegation) are treated in this way, you can imagine how Sahrawi women are treated in the occupied territories.”
It’s worth noting that “Just Visit Western Sahara” is a network launched by a group of Americans, whose mission is to defend peace and justice, protect human rights, break the siege on the occupied part of Western Sahara, and raise awareness of the reality of the Moroccan occupation and its repressive policy against defenseless Saharawis.
The network encourages Americans and foreigners to visit the occupied areas of Western Sahara to learn more about the reality on the ground.
