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Deterioration of human rights situation in occupied Sahrawi territories condemned

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Deterioration of human rights situation in occupied Sahrawi territories condemned

Lisbon, 29 November 2024 (SPS) - The final communiqué of the parliamentary conference in solidarity with the Sahrawi people, which opened Thursday in Lisbon (Portugal), condemned the deterioration of the human rights situation in the occupied Sahrawi territories, calling on Morocco to allow human rights organizations and independent international observers to access the territory to assess the situation.

In the final communiqué that concluded the work of the parliamentary conference organized in the Portuguese Parliament, the parliamentarians called on the United Nations to include the defense and respect for human rights in the mandate and prerogatives of the United Nations Mission for the Organization of a Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).

They reiterated their absolute support for the rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which last October annulled two trade agreements concerning the fishing and agriculture sectors concluded between Morocco and the European Union (EU) in violation of the rights of the Sahrawi people.

The parliamentarians also renewed their call for the implementation of UN resolutions regarding the Sahrawi territory, emphasizing the necessity of allowing the Sahrawis to freely decide their future through the organization of a referendum on self-determination.

In their document, the parliamentarians expressed their concern over the deterioration of the human rights situation in the occupied territories, calling on the Moroccan occupier to allow human rights organizations and independent international observers to access the occupied Sahrawi territories.

In the same context, they urged the United Nations to include the issue of defending and respecting human rights in the mandate and prerogatives of MINURSO. The lawmakers also urged the Portuguese government to adopt a clear position in favor of organizing a referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara.