Mohammed Daddach
Encyclopedia
Sidi
Mohammed Daddach (b. 1957 in Guelta Zemmur
, Western Sahara
) is a Sahrawi human rights
defender & political activist, and former political prisoner
for 24 years, being the second longest-condemn of a political prisoner in Africa
, after Nelson Mandela
. For that reason he's often called "North African Mandela" or "Sahrawi Mandela".
Imprisoned for more than two decade
s by the Moroccan
authorities, Daddach has become an important symbol of Western Sahara
’s struggle for self-determination
, as the Sahrawi activist who has spent more years in Moroccan prisons. He has spoken forcefully about Morocco
’s human rights violations
, and drawn the world's attention to the hundreds of Sahrawis who have "disappeared" after the Moroccan invasion in 1975.
In 1973 he joined the Polisario Front
, the Western Sahara national liberation movement
. In early 1976, as the Moroccan & Mauritanian troops invaded Western Sahara, Daddach fled with some friends trying to reach Tindouf to join the Polisario Front
troops (Sahrawi People's Liberation Army), but their jeep was gunned & intercepted by Moroccan troops near Amgala
. After two years of imprisonment (first in a militar base in Marrakech
, then in a subterranean cell), he was forced to join the Moroccan Army.
Daddach was again arrested & badly injured in August 1979, when he tried to defect with other soldiers, and sentenced to death on April 7, 1980 for alleged "high treason
". He was imprisoned in Kenitra
prison. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment
in 1994. On November 7, 2001, he was released by a royal amnesty
, after years of campaigning for his liberation by Amnesty International
(who declared him prisoner of conscience
in 1997) and other human rights organizations, such as the Sahrawi group AFAPREDESA.
In 2002 he was awarded the Rafto Prize for his efforts, and after some difficulties obtaining a passport
, he was finally able to go to collect the prize in Norway
, where he also met his mother for the first time since 1975 - she presently lives in exile
in the refugee camp
s of Tindouf
, Algeria
-.
In 2009, he was awarded with the Human Rights Award of the Badajoz
Bar Association, for his defense of Human Rights. The prize was given by Guillermo Fernández Vara
, president of Extremadura
.
He is one of very few leading human rights
-activists who have not been jailed during the political protests that began in May 2005, dubbed the "Independence Intifada
" by Sahrawi sympathizers. Still, he has been repeatedly pressured and harassed by Moroccan security services since his release.
Sidi
Sidi is a masculine title of respect, meaning "my master" in Western Arabic language and Egyptian Arabic equivalent to modern popular usage of the English Mr....
Mohammed Daddach (b. 1957 in Guelta Zemmur
Guelta Zemmur
Guelta Zemmur is a small town or village in the Moroccan-administered territory of Western Sahara.The town is based around a guelta or oasis, retaining rain water for long periods...
, Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
) is a Sahrawi human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
defender & political activist, and former political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
for 24 years, being the second longest-condemn of a political prisoner in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, after Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
. For that reason he's often called "North African Mandela" or "Sahrawi Mandela".
Imprisoned for more than two decade
Decade
A decade is a period of 10 years. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek dekas which means ten. This etymology is sometime confused with the Latin decas and dies , which is not correct....
s by the Moroccan
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
authorities, Daddach has become an important symbol of Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
’s struggle for self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
, as the Sahrawi activist who has spent more years in Moroccan prisons. He has spoken forcefully about Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
’s human rights violations
Human rights in Western Sahara
Morocco sees Western Sahara as its Southern Provinces. Morocco considers the Polisario Front as a separatist movement given the Moroccan origins of many of its leaders, and a puppet in the hands of Algeria....
, and drawn the world's attention to the hundreds of Sahrawis who have "disappeared" after the Moroccan invasion in 1975.
In 1973 he joined the Polisario Front
Polisario Front
The POLISARIO, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro is a Sahrawi rebel national liberation movement working for the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco...
, the Western Sahara national liberation movement
National Liberation Movement
A national liberation movement is an organization engaged in a war of national liberation.National Liberation Movement may also refer to:* Movement of National Liberation, a leftist party founded by former Mexican President Lázaro Cárdenas...
. In early 1976, as the Moroccan & Mauritanian troops invaded Western Sahara, Daddach fled with some friends trying to reach Tindouf to join the Polisario Front
Polisario Front
The POLISARIO, Polisario Front, or Frente Polisario, from the Spanish abbreviation of Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro is a Sahrawi rebel national liberation movement working for the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco...
troops (Sahrawi People's Liberation Army), but their jeep was gunned & intercepted by Moroccan troops near Amgala
Amgala
Amgala is an oasis in Western Sahara. It is situated between Tifariti, Smara and Meharrize, close to the east of the Moroccan Wall, in the POLISARIO-held part of Western Sahara.Its population was estimated in 2,000 inhabitants in 1975....
. After two years of imprisonment (first in a militar base in Marrakech
Marrakech
Marrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...
, then in a subterranean cell), he was forced to join the Moroccan Army.
Daddach was again arrested & badly injured in August 1979, when he tried to defect with other soldiers, and sentenced to death on April 7, 1980 for alleged "high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
". He was imprisoned in Kenitra
Kenitra
Kenitra is a city in Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey. It is a port on the Sebou River, has a population in 2004 of 359,142 and is the capital of the Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen region. During the Cold War Kenitra's U.S...
prison. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
in 1994. On November 7, 2001, he was released by a royal amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
, after years of campaigning for his liberation by Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
(who declared him prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience is a term defined in Peter Benenson's 1961 article "The Forgotten Prisoners" often used by the human rights group Amnesty International. It can refer to anyone imprisoned because of their race, religion, or political views...
in 1997) and other human rights organizations, such as the Sahrawi group AFAPREDESA.
In 2002 he was awarded the Rafto Prize for his efforts, and after some difficulties obtaining a passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
, he was finally able to go to collect the prize in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, where he also met his mother for the first time since 1975 - she presently lives in exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
in the refugee camp
Refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
s of Tindouf
Tindouf Province
Tindouf, also written Tinduf, is the westernmost province of Algeria, having a population of 58,193 as of the 2008 census. Despite the barren landscape, Tindouf is a resource-rich province, with important quantities of iron ore located in the Gara Djebilet area close to the border with Mali...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
-.
In 2009, he was awarded with the Human Rights Award of the Badajoz
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257....
Bar Association, for his defense of Human Rights. The prize was given by Guillermo Fernández Vara
Guillermo Fernández Vara
Guillermo Fernández Vara is a Spanish politician from the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party who served as the President of Extremadura from 2007 to 2011. Fernández had previously served as Minister for Health and Social Security in Extremaduran regional governments.He studied medicine at...
, president of Extremadura
Extremadura
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west...
.
He is one of very few leading human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
-activists who have not been jailed during the political protests that began in May 2005, dubbed the "Independence Intifada
Independence Intifada
The Independence Intifada is a Saharawi Polisario activist coinage for a series of disturbances, demonstrations and riots that broke out in May 2005 in the Moroccan-held parts of Western Sahara. This event has also been called "The El-Aaiun Intifada" by the same sources...
" by Sahrawi sympathizers. Still, he has been repeatedly pressured and harassed by Moroccan security services since his release.
See also
- History of Western SaharaHistory of Western SaharaThe history of Western Sahara can be traced back to the times of Carthaginian explorer Hanno the Navigator in the 5th century BC. Though few historical records are left from that period, Western Sahara's modern history has its roots linked to some nomadic groups such as the Sanhaja group and the...
- Mohamed ElmoutaoikilMohamed ElmoutaoikilMohamed Cheikh Elmoutaoikil is a Moroccan Sahrawi human rights defender active in Western Sahara and Morocco. He is the father of three children. He holds a degree in Geology...
- Aminatou HaidarAminatou HaidarAminatou Ali Ahmed Haidar , sometimes known as Aminetou,Aminatu or Aminetu, is a Sahrawi human rights defender and political activist. She is a leading activist for the independence of Western Sahara. She is sometimes called the "Sahrawi Gandhi" for her nonviolent protests, including hunger...
- Ali Salem TamekAli Salem TamekAli Salem Tamek is a Moroccan Sahrawi independence activist, human rights defender and trade unionist.Ali Salem Tamek was born in Assa, southern Morocco. He has emerged as one of the most outspoken Sahrawi dissidents under Moroccan rule. He is vice president of the Collective Of Sahrawi Human...
- Brahim DahaneBrahim DahaneBrahim Dahane is a Sahrawi human rights activist and President of the Sahrawi Association of Victims of Grave Human Rights Violations Committed by the Moroccan State, a human rights organization banned by Morocco...
External links
- Sidi Mohammed Daddach, Activista Saharaui:«Me han robado mi vida, pero me incentiva que no haya sido en vano»
- Interview with Sidi Mohammad Daddach - by Afrol News
- Letters of gratitude from Mohammed Daddach & his mother to the EUCOCO
- Campaign for the release of Mohammad Daddach and all Sahrawi political prisoners - old homepage