Sultana Khaya
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Sultana Sidi Brahim Khaya (Arabic: سلطانة سيدي براهيم خيا), also known as Sultana Khaya (Arabic: سلطانة خيا), is a Sahrawi human rights activist and an advocate of the independence of Western Sahara and Self-determination.[1][2][3] Sultana Khaya is the president of an organisation called the ‘League for the Defence of Human Rights and against Plunder of Natural Resources’ and is known for her vocal activism in defence of the right of self-determination for the Sahrawi people. She is also a member of the Sahrawi Organ against Moroccan Repression (ISACOM). According to a UN press release published in July 2021, Sultana has been "repeatedly harassed by Moroccan authorities and lost an eye when attacked by a police officer in 2007"[4] In February 2021 On 30 November 2021, Amnesty international issued an urgent action call "to put an immediate end to the brutal attacks against Sultana Khaya and her family and to carry out a prompt, thorough, independent, impartial, transparent and effective investigation into the security forces’ abusive force and attacks against her and her family, including the report of rape and sexual assault, and ensure that those suspected to be responsible are brought to justice in fair trials".[5]
Omar Hilale specifically denounced Sultana Khaya as "a supporter of violence" and for using "human rights for political ends", when he presented a letter to the UN on behalf of Morocco, alleging that the Polisario Front fabricated reports of armed conflict and human rights violations against the Sahrawi people and incited violence in league with Algerian state media.[6][7][third-party source needed] Moroccan authorities have kept her under de facto house arrest since November 2020,[8][9] and Khaya has been repeatedly attacked, experiencing sexual assault and raids on her house.[10] For example, in one incident on 15 November 2021, plainclothes Moroccan security forces broke into Khaya's home, raped Khaya, and sexually assaulted her sisters and mother, as reported by Amnesty International.[8]
On 5 December 2021, Khaya reported on her personal Twitter feed that her house had come under attack, that all members of her family had been attacked, including her mother, and that she had been injected with an unknown substance. She attributed the attack to Moroccan [security] services.[11]
In March 2022, a delegation of US-based volunteers, which included the acting president of the Veterans for Peace, broke the 482-day siege of Khaya's home in Western Sahara by visiting her.[12]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "Sakharov Prize 2021: the nominees". europarl.europa. 27 September 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-12-08. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ "Morocco/Western Sahara: Further information: Sahrawi activist raped by Moroccan forces: Sultana Khaya". amnesty. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ "SULTANA KHAYA". Front Line Defenders. Archived from the original on 2021-12-08.
- ^ "Morocco: UN human rights expert decries "clampdown" on human rights defenders".
- ^ "Morocco/Western Sahara: Further information: Sahrawi activist raped by Moroccan forces: Sultana Khaya". Amnesty International. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
- ^ Hatim, Yahia (2021-02-25). "Morocco Exposes Polisario, Algeria's Propaganda in Letter to UN". Morocco World News. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Kasraoui, Safaa (2021-10-15). "Sakharov Prize: EU Rejects Candidacy of Polisario Activist Sultana Khaya". Morocco World News. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Morocco/Western Sahara: Further information: Sahrawi activist raped by Moroccan forces: Sultana Khaya". Amnesty International. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
- ^ "Western Sahara: Harassment of Independence Activist". Human Rights Watch. 2021-03-05. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
- ^ "Sultana Khaya". Front Line Defenders. 2021-02-05. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
- ^ "personal twitter feed of Sultana Khaya". Twitter. 2021-12-05. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
- ^ "U.S. Delegation Breaks Siege on Family of Activists in Western Sahara". Democracy Now. 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
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- Sahrawi human rights activists
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