Aminatou Haidar
Aminatou Haidar | |
---|---|
أميناتو حيدر | |
Born | Akka, Morocco | 24 July 1966
Occupation | Human rights defender |
Years active | 1987–present |
Organization | Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders |
Known for | forced disappearance, hunger strikes |
Children | Hayat Mohammed |
Parent(s) | Ali Haidar (father) Darya Mohamed Fadel Lorosi Busaula (mother) |
Awards | Solidar Silver Rose Award (2007) Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award (2008) Civil Courage Prize (2009) Right Livelihood Award (2019) |
Aminatou Ali Ahmed Haidar (
Background
While her parents lived in Tan-Tan, a small city in southern Morocco with significant Sahrawi population (and former Spanish Cape Juby) where she passed her childhood, Aminatou was born in 1966 in Akka, in the Moroccan province of Tata, her grandmother's town, due to a bedouin tradition.[4][5][6] She is not a member of the Polisario Front, although she considers the movement as the only representative of the Sahrawi people.[7] She is divorced with two children, Hayat and Mohammed.[6][8]
1987–1991 forced disappearance
In 1987, Haidar participated in a nonviolent demonstration against Moroccan administration of Western Sahara. Along with many other attendees, she was subjected to
Moroccan authorities gave no explanation for her detention. Amnesty International (AI) stated that she appeared to have been held for her peaceful advocacy for Western Sahara self-determination.[6]
2005–2006 imprisonment
On 17 June 2005, Haidar was attacked by police on her way to a demonstration in
On 14 December, she was sentenced to seven months in prison by the El Aaiún Court of Appeal. AI, which had sent an observer to cover the trial, declared that "the trial ... may have been unfair. The organization is consequently strengthened in its belief that the seven human rights defenders may be prisoners of conscience".[11] The European Parliament also called for her immediate release along with that of Ali Salem Tamek and 37 other "political prisoners" in a 27 October 2005 resolution.[12]
On 17 January 2006, Aminatou Haidar was released at the end of her sentence.[10] She stated that "the joy is incomplete without the release of all Saharawi political prisoners, and without the liberation of all the territories of the homeland still under the occupation of the oppressor".[9]
2009 Lanzarote Airport hunger strike
On 13 November 2009, Haidar was detained by Moroccan authorities at the airport in El-Aaiún when she attempted to return from a trip to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, Spain, to collect a prize. Under citizenship, she had refused to state her nationality as "Moroccan".[13] The authorities denied her re-entry, confiscated her passport, and sent her back to the Canary Islands without it.[14] Two Spanish journalists who had accompanied her were also detained for several hours.[15] A Moroccan official called her refusal to call herself Moroccan as "an act of treason" and stated that Haidar would not be allowed to return to El-Aaiún until she apologized.[13] The Spanish newspaper El País later published documents demonstrating that the Moroccan government made three different flight reservations for Haidar prior to her return, indicating that they had planned to expel her in advance.[16]
On arriving at
International support
A number of activists and celebrities also expressed support for Haidar during her strike. Portuguese Nobel Prize-winning writer José Saramago, who owned a home in Lanzarote, sent her a letter in November stating that "If I were in Lanzarote, I would be with you".[20] On 1 December, he met her at the airport, stating, "It's time for the international community to pressure Morocco to comply with the accords about the Sahara".[21]
Argentinian
On 29 November, a group of Spanish singers and musicians gave a free concert in support of Haidar in
Diplomatic resolution
Spanish foreign minister
By 7 December, three weeks into her hunger strike, Haidar had become too weak to stand and slipped in and out of consciousness. A Lanzarote Hospital doctor reported that she might have only hours to live. Spain attempted again to apply for her re-entry to the country, but backed down when Morocco threatened to end cooperation on illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and other issues. On 11 December,
On 17 December, after being unable to swallow liquid for two days, Haidar was admitted to the hospital. She continued to refuse to break her fast. Late that night, Moroccan authorities relented, and Haidar was allowed on a plane back to El-Aaiún. The Spanish foreign ministry attributed the resolution to "a co-ordinated effort between Spain, France and the US" to persuade Moroccan government that its refusal to re-admit Haidar was counterproductive. Appearing before a crowd in the El-Aaiún airport, Haidar stated, "This is a triumph, a victory for human rights, for international justice and for the cause of Western Sahara ... And it's all thanks to your pressure."[30] Moroccan officials stated that the government was "committed to respecting human rights in Western Sahara and elsewhere in the country" but refused to comment on Haidar's case.[31]
Upon her return, Haidar was placed under house arrest by Moroccan police, and journalists were blocked from speaking with her.[31]
Post hunger-strike work
On 19 January 2010, Haidar returned to Spain to have medical exams in La Paz hospital in Madrid. Haidar has a Spanish
On 7 March, Haidar spoke at a conference at the
On 15 October, Haidar appeared in a
On 29 October 2011, Haidar's son was threatened with sexual violation and a beating that would cause him permanent disability by a couple of Moroccan policemen in El Aaiun, according to CODESA.
On 1 November 2012, the same day she met UN Special Commissioner for the Western Sahara
In January 2024, after a period during which the Spanish authorities refused to allow her re-entry in Spain, the Spanish
Awards and recognition
Haidar has won several international awards in recognition of her human rights work. In December 2005, she won the V Juan María Bandrés Award of the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid (CEAR).
In 2010, 40 members of the European Parliament nominated Haidar for the organization's
Haidar has also been named an honorary citizen or otherwise decorated by numerous Spanish and Italian institutions. In October 2006, she was named "Honorary Citizen" by the town council of Naples for her activity on defending human rights.[59][60] In May 2008, she was awarded a Special Prize by the city council of Castelldefels, Spain.[61] In January 2010, the Italian municipality of Sesto Fiorentino appointed Haidar as "Honorary Citizen" of the village, for her "non-violent struggle for liberty and human rights for her people".[62][63] Days later, another Italian municipality, Campi Bisenzio, decided by a majority to grant her the "Honorary Citizenship".[64] In February, it was the Tuscan town of Signa who decided to confer Haidar the honorary citizenship.[65] In March, the town of Leganés, Spain, awarded her its Dolores Ibárruri Prize.[66] On 13 April, the comune of Pontedera gave her honorary citizenship.[67] On 30 July, another ten towns from the Italian province of Lucca gave honorary citizenship to Haidar. One of them, Stazzema, also gave her the "Gold Medal of Resistance". A further 20 Italian towns later declared Aminatou Haidar an "Honorary Citizen".[68] On 27 July 2011, Haidar was made an honorary citizen of the Italian commune of Montespertoli as a "concrete gesture of condemnation of the violence being perpetrated by the Moroccan authorities".[69] The city council of San Fernando de Henares, Spain, awarded her its Jesús Andrés López Gallardo prize.[70] On 10 November 2011, she was awarded the
In May 2013, Haidar travelled to
Aminatou Haidar has won the Right Livelihood Award in 2019 "for her steadfast nonviolent action, despite imprisonment and torture, in pursuit of justice and self-determination for the people of Western Sahara."[77]
See also
References
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- ^ "Spanish Police Report" (PDF). Saharalibre.es. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
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- ^ a b "La activista Aminetu Haidar sale de prisión tras cumplir condena y es recibida por cientos de saharauis". El Mundo (in Spanish). 17 January 2006. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
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- ^ "Haidar, condenada a pagar una multa de 180 euros por alterar el orden público". El País (in Spanish). 30 November 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- ^ "Morocco: Reverse Expulsion of Sahrawi Activist". Human Rights Watch. 19 November 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ "Morocco/Western Sahara: Expulsion of human rights defender reflects growing intolerance". Amnesty International. 17 November 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ "José Saramago: 'Todos seríamos más pobres sin Aminatu Haidar'". Las Provincias (in Spanish). 23 November 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
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- ^ a b "Concert backs 'Gandhi of Sahara'". BBC News. 29 November 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
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- ^ Ignacio Cembrero and Miguel González (3 December 2009). "España no se merece lo que le está haciendo Marruecos". El País. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ Sarah Rainsford (18 December 2009). "Hunger striker Aminatou Haidar returns to W Sahara". BBC News. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Western Sahara activist faces curbs". Al Jazeera English. 25 December 2009. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2010.
- ^ "Haidar regresa a España para someterse a una revisión médica en Madrid". El País (in Spanish). 19 January 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ^ "Sahrawi human rights defender returns home: Aminatou Haidar". Amnesty International. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ "Haidar critica el 'seguidismo ciego' de España con Marruecos". Público (in Spanish). 7 March 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ^ "Haidar acusa a España y a la UE de plegarse al 'régimen totalitario' marroquí". El Mundo (in Spanish). 7 March 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ^ Elvira Palomo (24 March 2010). "Haidar: "Los derechos humanos en el Sahara van antes que la solución política"". El Día (EFE (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ^ "Aminetu Haidar pisa Marruecos durante el juicio a los siete saharauis". Público (in Spanish). 15 October 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ^ Enrique Rubio (15 October 2010). "Aminatu Haidar reaparece en Marruecos en el juicio contra siete saharauis". El Día (in Spanish). EFE. Archived from the original on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ^ Erena Calvo (15 October 2010). "Aminatu Haidar acusa a España de negar a los saharauis su derecho de autodeterminación". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- Europa Press. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- ^ "Son of Sahrawi human rights defender Aminatou Haidar threatened with rape". SPS. 8 November 2011. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- ^ "Attack on children of Saharawi activist Aminatou Haidar". SPS. 8 July 2012. Archived from the original on 6 June 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
- Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. 10 July 2012. Archived from the originalon 31 August 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
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- ^ "Human Rights Defender Brutally Attacked by Moroccan Police". RFKcenter.org. 2 November 2012. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ "Western Sahara: Police beating of human rights defender Ms Aminatou Haidar" (in Spanish). Front Line Defenders. 6 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2 December 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ "Fernando Maura (UPyD) "Con la agresión a Aminetu, Marruecos vuelve a pisotear los Derechos Humanos y se burla de la ONU, de visita en el Sahara Occidental"" (in Spanish). Union, Progress and Democracy. 2 November 2012. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ "Interior concede la prórroga de residencia a Aminatu Haidar, que podrá regresar a España". EFE. 19 January 2024.
- ^ "La defensora saharaui de los derechos humanos Aminetu Haidar, premio Juan María Bandrés". El Mundo (in Spanish). 19 December 2005. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
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- ^ Past Winners Archive 2000–2008 Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine Solidar.org
- Frontline Defenders. 25 July 2007. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
- ^ Stephen Zunes (9 October 2008). "Haidar's Struggle". Foreign Policy in Focus. Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ "Western Sahara Human Rights Defender wins 10th Annual Civil Courage Prize". Civil Courage Prize. 10 September 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ "Fariñas y Aminatu Haidar, candidatos al Premio Sajarov de la Eurocámara". El Mundo (in Spanish). 22 September 2010. Archived from the original on 31 October 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ "Meyer denuncia campaña de Marruecos para evitar que Haidar reciba premio". El Norte de Castilla (EFE) (in Spanish). 7 October 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
- ^ "Cuba dissident Farinas awarded Sakharov Prize by EU". BBC News. 21 October 2010. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ "Comunicato Stampa della Giunta del 26/10/2006 – Cittadinanza onoraria alla signora Aminattou Haidar" (in Italian). Comune di Napoli. 26 October 2006. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
- ASVDH, 3 December 2009 (in French)
- ^ "El municipio entrega los Premios Ciutat de Castelldefels 2008" (in Spanish). castelldefels.org. 12 May 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ "Cittadinanza onoraria alla pacifista Aminatou Haidar" (in Italian). Comune di Sesto Fiorentino. 14 January 2010. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- Europa Press. 16 January 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
- ^ "Cittadinanza onoraria alla pacifista Aminatou Haidar" (in Italian). Comune Campi Bisenzio. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
- ^ "Consiglio Comunale del 1 febbraio 2010 – esito" (in Italian). Comune di Signa. 1 February 2010. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
- ^ "Spain: 'Dolores Ibarruri' award to Sahrawi activist Aminatou Haidar". Algeria Press Service. 25 March 2010. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2012. (Subscription required)
- ^ "Consiglio Comunale del 13 aprile 2010" (in Italian). Comune di Pontedura. 12 January 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
- ^ "Aminetou intestata" (in Italian). Assoziacione di solidarietà con il popolo Saharawi "Ban Slout Larbi". 4 August 2010. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
- ^ "Haidar, simbolo del Saharawi cittadina onoraria di Montespertoli". Il Tirreno (in Italian). 27 July 2011. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ^ Sergio de la Cruz (2 March 2011). "El municipio premia la labor de Aminatu Haidar" (in Spanish). Ensanfernandodehenares.es. Archived from the original on 5 March 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
- ^ "El Gobierno vasco concede el premio René Cassin 2011 a Aminetu Haidar". El Mundo (in Spanish). 10 November 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ "La activista saharaui Aminetu Haidar recibe el Premio René Cassin de Derechos Humanos". Gara (in Spanish). 10 November 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ La comunicazione del sindaco sull’aeroporto, la cittadinanza onoraria ad Aminatou Haidar, realizzazioni parcheggi alle Due Strade e via del Pratellino nel Consiglio di lunedì Comune di Firenze, 2 March 2013 (in Italian)
- ^ "El Gobierno del Estado de Bremen concede premio a Aminetu Haidar" (in Spanish). SPS. 30 March 2013. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
- ^ "Activist Aminatou Haidar awarded Bremen Solidarity Award". SPS. 30 October 2013. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ^ "Activist Aminatou Haidar, AU guest of honor at OAU 50th Anniversary". SPS. 25 May 2013. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
- ^ Right Livelihood Foundation (25 September 2019). "2019 Right Livelihood Award Laureates Announced" (Press release). Stockholm, Sweden. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
External links
- Aminatou Haidar, the “Gandhi of Western Sahara,” Wins Right Livelihood Award – interview by Amy Goodman on 25 September 2019