Western Sahara independence chief testifies in Spanish court

The leader of a movement seeking independence from Morocco has testified in a Spanish investigation into allegations against him of torture, genocide and other crimes

MADRID -- The leader of a movement seeking independence from Morocco testified Tuesday in a Spanish investigation into allegations against him of torture, genocide and other crimes. Brahim Ghali appeared before an investigating magistrate at the National Court in Madrid via videoconference from a hospital in Logroño, a northern Spanish city where the 71-year old was hospitalized last month after falling seriously ill with COVID-19. The magistrate ruled after Ghali's testimony that he should remain free while the investigation continues, saying he has an address and phone number in Spain where he can be contacted. The judge will decide after his preliminary investigation whether there is enough evidence to bring charges. Ghali heads the Polisario Front and the self-declared Sahrawi Democratic Arab Republic, based in refugee camps in western Algeria. Morocco annexed Western Sahara in the 1970s, and the Polisario Front has long wanted to end Moroccan rule over Western Sahara.