ABIDJAN
The International Committee of the Red Cross, which completed an assessment of prisons in Western Sahara, has appealed for the release of nearly 1,500 prisoners in Western Sahara, saying it is concerned over the long periods for which they have been detained.
The ICRC visited the prisons in late November to examine the conditions in which they were being detained and the psychological impact of the long periods of detention - in some cases over two decades. During the two-week mission, it visited 680 prisoners held by the Polisario Front in eight detention centres.
This trip was the second of a two-leg mission during which the organisation was able to review the cases of 1,477 prisoners, including some civilians. Though the organisation did not give details on detention conditions and health, it said it was "extremely concerned" about the long periods of detention. Some 99 pairs of glasses and 180 kg of medical of medical supplies were distributed during the visit, ICRC said.
In total, 1,028 of the prisoners have already spent 20 years in detention. The oldest detainee was found to be starting his 27th year in captivity.
"In view of the age and health of the prisoners, the time for which they have been held, and the requirements of international humanitarian law, the ICRC repeats its call for all prisoners to be released immediately, starting with the most vulnerable," the international humanitarian body said.
These prisoners, and thousand of others, are casualties of the 26-year conflict between the Polisario Front, which is fighting for the right to self-rule for Western Sahara, and Morocco, which annexed the former Spanish colony in 1975 after Spain pulled out.
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