After spending more than 11 months in prison, yesterday Saharawi activists Ali Salem Tamek, Brahim Dahan and Hamadi Naciri began a 48-hour hunger strike to protest their detention without trial. The human rights activists were arrested on 9 October 2009 on their return from a humanitarian visit to Saharawi refugee camps in South-West Algeria, Tindouf.

Attached is the letter sent by the activists addressed to Mr. Christopher Ross, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General for Western Sahara and Ms. Catherine Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, PC, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union.

The Saharawi human rights defenders are protesting against the serious human rights abuses committed in the Occupied Territory of Western Sahara. The activists are also working to raise awareness of Morocco’s seizure of the territory’s natural resources.