Mohamed Elmoutaoikil
Encyclopedia
Mohamed Cheikh Elmoutaoikil ' onMouseout='HidePop("30005")' href="/topics/Assa,_Morocco">Assa
, Morocco
) (also transliterated as Mohammad al-Mutawakil) 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
. He is a member of the Collective Of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA).
". He was previously jailed in 1992 for one year, and has been arrested several times since then. He worked as a civil servant in Casablanca (he was the secretary general of the municipality
of Ben Msik, in Casablanca, in 2001). Previously, he had been secretary general of Assa's municipality, before being forced by Moroccan authorities to fled from Assa to Casablanca.
In 1992, he was sentenced to a year's imprisonment, for participating in the September 24 peaceful political demonstration to demand self-determination for the people of Western Sahara, in his hometown of Assa. He passed his sentence at Inzegane prison.
He had been a member of the Sahrawi branch of the human rights organization Forum for Truth and Justice until its illegalization and dissolution by the Moroccan authorities. He is currently a member of the Casablanca-based Forum for Truth and Justice section, that remains a legally registered association.
On December 14, 2005, Elmoutaoikil was sentenced to 10 months in prison by a Moroccan court in El-Aaiun, in a mass trial with 13 other Sahrawi activists. He had been arrested in his house in Casablanca, on July 20, with the human rights activist Mohamed Fadel Gaoudi, and taken to a police station. They were questioned about the ongoing events
in Western Sahara, and then transferred to another police station in El Aaiún
. Just before the trial, Amnesty International
and Human Rights Watch
issued reports that expressed concerns that he was not getting fair trials, and may be a prisoner of conscience
. After the trial, Amnesty reiterated strong criticisms, and said that it was strengthened in its claim that Elmoutaoikil and the others are probable prisoners of conscience. Later, they were all released after a royal pardon.
Assa, Morocco
Assa is a small town in Southern Morocco, about 100 km south-east of Guelmim and 80 km south-west of Foum-Zguid. It lies in a desert area north of the Jbel Ouarkziz and is part of the Sahrawi-inhabitated region of Morocco. It is part of the province of Assa-Zag in the region Guelmim-Es...
, 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...
) (also transliterated as Mohammad al-Mutawakil) is a 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...
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 active in 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...
and 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...
. He is the father of three children. He holds a degree in Geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
. He is a member of the Collective Of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA).
Background
He was jailed after he was arrested during the 2005 "Independence IntifadaIndependence 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...
". He was previously jailed in 1992 for one year, and has been arrested several times since then. He worked as a civil servant in Casablanca (he was the secretary general of the municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Ben Msik, in Casablanca, in 2001). Previously, he had been secretary general of Assa's municipality, before being forced by Moroccan authorities to fled from Assa to Casablanca.
In 1992, he was sentenced to a year's imprisonment, for participating in the September 24 peaceful political demonstration to demand self-determination for the people of Western Sahara, in his hometown of Assa. He passed his sentence at Inzegane prison.
He had been a member of the Sahrawi branch of the human rights organization Forum for Truth and Justice until its illegalization and dissolution by the Moroccan authorities. He is currently a member of the Casablanca-based Forum for Truth and Justice section, that remains a legally registered association.
On December 14, 2005, Elmoutaoikil was sentenced to 10 months in prison by a Moroccan court in El-Aaiun, in a mass trial with 13 other Sahrawi activists. He had been arrested in his house in Casablanca, on July 20, with the human rights activist Mohamed Fadel Gaoudi, and taken to a police station. They were questioned about the ongoing events
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...
in Western Sahara, and then transferred to another police station in El Aaiún
El Aaiún
El-Aaiún , is a city in Western Sahara founded by the Spanish in 1928. Administered by Morocco since 1976, El-Aaiún is the capital of what the Moroccan government call the region of Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra, and POLISARIO call Occupied Territories...
. Just before the trial, 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...
and Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
issued reports that expressed concerns that he was not getting fair trials, and may be a 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...
. After the trial, Amnesty reiterated strong criticisms, and said that it was strengthened in its claim that Elmoutaoikil and the others are probable prisoners of conscience. Later, they were all released after a royal pardon.