Saharawi human rights activist and ex-political prisoners, Hmad Hamad, received on Saturday the Spanish’s "Jose Antonio Cozalez Caraballo Award" of solidarity, in recognition to the peaceful struggle of the Saharawi people in the occupied territories of Western Sahara, on the occasion of the holding of the 2nd General Assembly of the Spanish Committees of Support to the Saharawi people.

This Award was handed over to the Saharawi activist by the Andalusan Federation of Solidarity with the Saharawi people at the cultural centre, "Federico Garcia Lorca", during a ceremony organised in the Municipality of Rivas Vacia Madrid, near the Spanish capital, a source from the Saharawi representation in Spain indicated.

The ceremony was attended by POLISARIO Front’s Representative in Spain, Brahim Ghali, in addition to Mr. Miguel Castro and José Taboada, respectively: President of the Andalusan Coordination and President of the Spanish General Coordination of the Associations of Solidarity with the Saharawi people as well as participants to the 2nd General Assembly of the Spanish Committees of Support to the Saharawi people, which is held since Friday in Rivas.

Mr. Hamad hailed the institutions and committees of solidarity for the permanent efforts and engagement in the defence of the humanitarian values, stressing that "through this initiative, you certainly work for the promotion of freedom, peace and justice in Western Sahara".

47 years old and married, Mr. Hamad was arrested in 1997 and submitted to atrocious methods of physical and psychological torture by the Moroccan colonial authorities in the city of El Aaiun, the occupied capital of Western Sahara.

He was abusively dismissed of work and his goods confiscated in 2002 by the colonial authorities to intimidate him and force him give up his activity of defence of human rights, it should be recalled.