Gi passet tilbake til Daddach!

His Excellency, Minister of the Interior

Several activists informed the delegation that passports of some Sahrawis have been confiscated by Moroccan officials at international airports, preventing them from traveling abroad (6). The delegation raised this issue with Ministry of Interior officials, who indicated that all such cases, if any existed, would be solved immediately and that people concerned could recover their passports at any time. In Laayoune, the delegation presented a list of nine specific cases of confiscation of passports to the Wali, who indicated that he would inquire about the passports and hand them over to their owners within a few days. However, one month after the mission returned to Geneva, the passports were still withheld. "

We are also aware that the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has brought the issue of Daddach's passport to your government's attention on repeated occasions, but has to date not received a clear reply.

Therefore, the undersigned organizations wish to appeal to the government of Morocco to return Daddach's passport to him and allow him to travel to Norway to participate in the Rafto anniversary celebrations. We sincerely believe that failing to do so would further damage Morocco's reputation internationally and detract from the image of a country intent on ending entrenched practices of authoritarianism and oppression of voices of dissent.

Daddach's voice is a moderate and responsible one, demanding respect for the basic rights of his people, but at the same time seeking to build bridges with Moroccan society. There is no legal reason that he should not be allowed to travel to Bergen this weekend, and we believe it is also in Morocco's best interest to let him travel. You can make it happen by making sure that the passport is to be immediately returned to Daddach, and that no other formal or informal travel restrictions are to be imposed on him. We would also like to stress that it is our opinion that the passport never should have been confiscated in the first place.

Sir, please be assured of our highest consideration and sincere greetings.

Sincerely,

The Rafto Foundation (Raftostiftelsen)
Norwegian Refugee Council (Flyktninghjelpen, NRC)
Norwegian People's Aid (Norsk Folkehjelp, NPA)
Norwegian Church Aid (Kirkens Nødhjelp, NCA)
Amnesty International Norway (Amnesty International Norge)
The Human Rights House Foundation
The Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara (Støttekomiteen for Vest-Sahara)
The Norwegian Council for Africa (Fellesrådet for Afrika)
Norwegian Association of Students (Studentenes Landsforbund, StL)
Norwegian Students' and Academics' International Assistance Fund (SAIH)
The Norwegian Forum for Environment and Development (Forum for Utvikling og Miljø)
The Norwegian Helsinki Committee (Den norske Helsingforskomité )
Union of Education Norway (Utdanningsforbunde t)
Trade Union for Industry and Energy (Fagforbundet for industri og energi)
Norwegian Labour Youth (Arbeidernes Ungdomsfylking, AUF)
Norwegian Center Youth (Senterungdommen)
Young Liberals of Norway (Unge Venstre)
Progress Party Youth (Fremskrittspartiet s Ungdom, FpU)
Norwegian Young Conservatives (Unge Høyres Landsforbund)
Socialist Youth Link Norway (Sosialistisk Ungdom, SU)
Christian Democratic Youth of Norway (Kristelig Folkepartis Ungdom)
Red Youth Norway (Rød Ungdom, RU)
Future in Our Hands (Framtiden i våre hender, FIVH)
Attac Norge (Attac Norway)
Palestine Committee in Tromsø (Palestinakomiteen, Tromsø)
The Norwegian Council for the Rights of the Kurdish People (Det norske råd for kurdernes rettigheter)
Norwegian Tibet Committee (Den norske Tibet Komité)
The Norwegian Peace Association (Norges Fredslag)
Tvibit Youth Centre
War Resisters International –Norway (Folkereisning mot krig)
The Norwegian Burma Committee (Den norske Burmakomité)

Copy sent to:
The Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Mohamed Benaissa
The Moroccan Minister of Justice, Mohamed Bouzoubaa
Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco, Oslo

The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Rabat, Morocco
The Norwegian Delegation to the United Nations, New York
The Norwegian Delegation to the United Nations, Geneva

Moroccan and International press
Human Rights organizations: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF), International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)