![Sahrawi officials confirm, "Morocco wants to chair the UN Human Rights Council to cover up its crimes in Western Sahara"](/sites/default/files/styles/max_325x325/public/field/image/9dc43e4f-88b4-4fec-89d0-dafadaa7823d.jpg?itok=eWK2MIVr)
Wilaya of Laayoune, December 27, 2023 (SPS) – The Member of the National Secretariat, Responsible for the Secretariat of Mass Organizations and Civil Society Bodies, Anguia Salem, confirmed that Morocco’s mere thought of running for the presidency of the UN Human Rights Council is a blatant challenge to the international community and the values of humanity, highlighting that turning a blind eye to the painful reality of the Moroccan occupation in Western Sahara puts the entire international community to the test of its obligations towards respecting the victorious principles of right, justice and legality in all parts of the world.
The Sahrawi official, during her conclusion of the rostrum in the wilaya of Laayoune, which was organized to denounce Morocco’s candidacy for the presidency of the UN Human Rights Council, praised the campaign and the role of Sahrawi civil society in joint work and strengthening the role of advocacy for the rights of the Sahrawi people, calling for concerted efforts to raise awareness of the seriousness of the human rights situation in the occupied territories of the Sahrawi Republic.
For his part, the Governor of Wilaya of Laayoune, Mr. Al-Ghauz Mamouni, in his welcoming speech to the event, praised the large number of participants, recalling the importance of pleading from a purely human rights perspective with a specialized view that enables international bodies and organizations to continuously and closely review what is happening on the ground. He also focused on the efforts of the campaign in exposing Moroccan human rights violations, recalling its great media dimension, as it enables the message of the Sahrawi people and their legitimate struggle to be conveyed with all credibility and honesty.
The Central Director of Mass Organizations and Civil Society in the Secretariat of the Political Organization of the Polisario Front, Mrs. Fatma Balla, affirmed that the just struggle of the Sahrawi people is the truest and strongest message of protest against international positions of silence, or those through which the occupation is trying to cover up its crimes in Western Sahara, noting that dozens of Sahrawi organizations were able to weave a wide network of relationships with their counterparts across the world to advocate for the suffering of the Sahrawi people and their struggle for their legitimate rights.
The international campaign, which was launched on the 15th of this month, sent messages and statements to voting countries and relevant organizations to prevent the election of Morocco to the presidency of the Human Rights Council, which is considered a trampling on international legitimacy and a disdain for the ideals and principles of human rights.
SPS