On 17th December Aminatou Haidar ended her hunger strike after the Moroccans backed down and permitted her to fly home to her family in Western Sahara without acknowledging Moroccan sovereignty that over the territory that they have occupied unlawfully for over 35 years. On 21st January she arrived in iin Madrid for medical checkups.


Q. Did you feel you were in house arrest at your house in Laayoune since you cease your hunger strike?


A. Yes, during 31 days there were police members for 24 hours closing the street where I live as well as the surrounding streets. Nobody can go by; even the family members who hold the name Haidar are sometimes prevented to pass by. The three or four times I left the house I was pursued by the police to the point that I feared that they would imprison me again when I go to the airport or would take off my passport as happened to other activists.


Q. But finally, the Moroccan authorities let you travel without major problems.


A. After waiting 15 minutes, the Moroccan police were instructed to let me travel. I'm sure that the authorization was from Rabat although the officers did not say anything and gave me the passport. The head of the airport police made a call and later they let me get on the plane.


Q. Do you think they can repeat the same problems when you want to enter Laayoune as it had happened last time?


A. I'm always ready for the worst; particularly, as Morocco has changed its strategy and prevented other human rights activists to leave Laayoune. There are two specific cases: the case of the activists who were unable to leave or unable to renew their passport and the case of the seven activists detained in Salé prison in a very tough situation waiting to be brought before the military court, facing a possible sentence to death.


Q: Prime Minister Zapatero said in Brussels that Morocco is a strategic partner for the EU and Sahara conflict is to be resolved by the UN. What you think?


A. It is true that Sahara conflict is to be solved through the UN but also that the Spanish Government has a responsibility because as far as the international law is concerned the occupying country of Sahara remains Spain and the legal administration is the Spanish administration. So the Spanish government must assume its responsibility in everything that happens daily to these people who are suffering torture, daily repression and imprisonment. Waiting reaching a final settlement, Morocco must respect human rights and have to stop the systematic human rights violations of the Saharawi people. Spain has to exert pressure today on Morocco to respect human rights especially that the Spanish government assumes the EU presidency. While Morocco says it has advanced statute of autonomy for Sahara, it continues to carry out its strategy of continuous violations of human rights not only against Saharawis but also against Moroccan activists, associations and journalists. The latest report of Amnesty International shows that Morocco has not done anything to improve the human rights situation in its territory or in Sahara because the situation is worse and activists who struggle for human rights are being repressed.


Q. Given this situation, would resort to an action similar to that of Lanzarote?


A. I can not talk about something that has not happened yet. My resistance is peaceful and I have to use many means to claim my rights and to condemn not only hunger strike.


Q. Do you think the area would go an armed conflict as POLISARIO has threatened?


A. I can not answer this question because I'm not a POLISARIO Front member. It is POLISARIO that has to answer this question.