BUENOS AIRES – A significant step forward in strengthening international solidarity for the Western Sahara issue and highlighting the role of the press has been made in Argentina. The 2nd International Conference of Journalists and Media Professionals in Solidarity with the Cause of Western Sahara successfully concluded, with the official announcement of the establishment of the ‘Latin American Network of Journalists and Media in Solidarity with the Cause of Western Sahara’.
The conference, held from May 28 to 30, proceeded under the slogan "Journalism and Action for the Decolonization of Western Sahara." It was jointly organized by the Union of Journalists, Writers, and Artists of Western Sahara and the Argentine Federation Branch, with various trade unions and solidarity organizations collaborating to ensure the event's success.
Buenos Aires Declaration: Building a Latin American Network
The 'Buenos Aires Declaration', the final outcome of the conference, adopted the establishment of the Latin American network as its main resolution. This network aims to strengthen existing efforts regarding the Western Sahara conflict and effectively coordinate journalistic activities across the entire region. Western Sahara remains the last colony in Africa, awaiting decolonization. This network is expected to play a crucial role in raising awareness, providing accurate information, and mobilizing international support for the Western Sahara issue among journalists throughout Latin America.
Key activities of the network include sharing and disseminating Western Sahara-related articles, promoting joint reporting projects, fostering information exchange and cooperation among journalists, and supporting local journalists in Western Sahara. Additionally, discussions were held on how to integrate the voices of the press to urge governments and civil societies in Latin American countries to show greater interest in the Western Sahara issue and to exert pressure for a resolution in accordance with international law.
Establishment of the Bassiri International Journalism Award: Honoring Oppressed Journalists
The conference also decided to establish the 'Bassiri International Journalism Award'. This award will be operated in cooperation with the Union of Journalists, and its first recipients will be Sahrawi political prisoner journalists held in Moroccan prisons. 'Bassiri' is named in honor of Sidi Ibrahim Bassiri, one of the early leaders of the Western Sahara independence movement. He is believed to have disappeared at the hands of Moroccan authorities in the 1970s and is regarded as a symbolic figure of the Western Sahara independence movement.
The establishment of this award aims to inform the international community about the reality of press suppression in Western Sahara and to honor the sacrifices of journalists who strive to reveal the truth. In particular, Sahrawi journalists working in the Moroccan-occupied territories face continuous repression, arrests, and imprisonment. This award will send an important message of international solidarity and support to them. Furthermore, it is expected that this award will increase international media attention on the Western Sahara issue and spread awareness of the difficulties journalists face.
Condemnation of Moroccan Occupation and Call for Media Solidarity
The closing statement of the conference strongly condemned the Moroccan occupation authorities' criminalization of journalism in occupied Western Sahara. The statement also reaffirmed the need to unify journalistic efforts on the Western Sahara issue. The main objectives are as follows:
Informing international public opinion about developments in Western Sahara: It is crucial to accurately convey the complexity of the Western Sahara conflict, the human rights abuses, and the need for a peaceful resolution to the international community. Amidst Moroccan information control and distorted propaganda, the press must uncover the truth and draw the attention of the international community.
Supporting the lifting of the blockade on Western Sahara: Morocco strictly controls access to the occupied territories of Western Sahara, restricting the activities of international journalists and human rights organizations. Breaking this information blockade and conveying the voices of the Sahrawi people to the international community is an important task for the press.
Countering Moroccan propaganda: Morocco is engaged in extensive propaganda activities to legitimize its claim over Western Sahara. In response, the press must, based on objective facts, advocate for the self-determination of the Sahrawi people and explain the nature of the conflict from an international legal perspective.
This conference once again confirmed how crucial the role of the press is in resolving the Western Sahara issue. The launch of the Latin American network and the establishment of the Bassiri International Journalism Award are expected to inject new vitality into international solidarity activities for the decolonization of Western Sahara and the realization of the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination. It remains to be seen how this network will significantly contribute to raising international awareness of Western Sahara, revealing the truth, and advocating for a peaceful resolution.
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