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consequence, a number of individuals who were involved, or suspected of
involvement, in these activities were detained.
In 1988, following the release of some detainees, it was revealed that some
violations and ill-treatment had been perpetrated against some of them. In light of
this, the director of Sahrawi Security was dismissed, and some substantial
amendments were enacted within the [security] apparatus and within the detention
system, including the closure of the er-Rachid prison, which was converted into an
automotive repair shop. This issue triggered a comprehensive discussion, which
culminated at the seventh conference of Polisario Front held in Sa’ifa in 1989.
The Seventh Conference unanimously approved an internal document, which
includes:
• acknowledging the violations that took place, issuing an apology to the
victims and their families, and issuing a comprehensive amnesty and
releasing all detainees.
• exonerating all those injured and aggrieved, securing their return to their
places of employment, considering their years in prison as years of service,
committing to making reparations, material and moral, based on the rules
that apply in the situations of war injuries and victims of war.
• establishing a law governing prisons and putting in place mechanisms that
allow monitoring and punishing abuses, to the extent that this is possible in
this environment.
• forming a human rights monitoring committee.
And indeed, the Executive Committee (the supreme leadership of the Polisario Front,
at the time) took practical measures to implement the decisions of the Seventh
Conference within the framework of strengthening national reconciliation. The
human rights monitoring committee was established, headed by the prime minister,
and went right to work, documenting and resolving 318 cases. It submitted a review
that was adopted by the Eighth Conference of the Front in July 1991.
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