Western Sahara independence activist Aminatou Haidar says that she has been placed under house arrest by Moroccan police in her hometown of Laayoune.
"The siege is continuing. I'm under house arrest. Family members and neighbors have problems visiting me. Shops in my neighborhood are suffering from the siege," Haidar told Reuters on Wednesday.
Haidar returned to West Sahara on December 18 after staging a 32-day hunger strike in Spain's Canary Islands following Morocco's refusal to allow her back into her homeland.
The 43 year-old mother of two says she will continue her plight for human rights in the face of what she referred to as "Moroccan repression."
A former Spanish colony, Western Sahara was annexed by Morocco under King Hassan II in 1970s. since then the Sahrawi have been seeking independence.
Morocco has vowed to give Western Sahara more autonomy but has rejected independence.
Haidar's hunger strike brought international attention to Western Sahara, which is the only non-independent African country.
"I have the courage of my conviction to carry on with the defense of the cause of self-determination of the Sahrawi people. I will never waver despite the threats of jail, abduction, torture and exile," she added.
Haiar, who was the 2008 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award Laureate, has become the "symbol of a nation" in Western Sahara.
"Before Aminatou, the cause reached a deadlock. There was no hope for a solution. But Aminatou's action put back the Western Sahara's issue at the top of the international agenda," a Sahrawi journalist told Reuters.
"The siege is continuing. I'm under house arrest. Family members and neighbors have problems visiting me. Shops in my neighborhood are suffering from the siege," Haidar told Reuters on Wednesday.
Haidar returned to West Sahara on December 18 after staging a 32-day hunger strike in Spain's Canary Islands following Morocco's refusal to allow her back into her homeland.
The 43 year-old mother of two says she will continue her plight for human rights in the face of what she referred to as "Moroccan repression."
A former Spanish colony, Western Sahara was annexed by Morocco under King Hassan II in 1970s. since then the Sahrawi have been seeking independence.
Morocco has vowed to give Western Sahara more autonomy but has rejected independence.
Haidar's hunger strike brought international attention to Western Sahara, which is the only non-independent African country.
"I have the courage of my conviction to carry on with the defense of the cause of self-determination of the Sahrawi people. I will never waver despite the threats of jail, abduction, torture and exile," she added.
Haiar, who was the 2008 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award Laureate, has become the "symbol of a nation" in Western Sahara.
"Before Aminatou, the cause reached a deadlock. There was no hope for a solution. But Aminatou's action put back the Western Sahara's issue at the top of the international agenda," a Sahrawi journalist told Reuters.
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