Algiers, July 15, 2013 (SPS) - The non-governmental organization Amnesty International (AI) has called on the King of Spain, Juan Carlos, to discuss the violations of human rights in the occupied territories of Western Sahara during his official visit to Morocco.
In a communiqué published on its website, Amnesty International underlined three main issues regarding Morocco, namely the question of Sahara and violation of human rights, the repression of journalists and violence against women.
AI called on the King of Spain, who will pay an official visit to Morocco on 16 and 17 July, to “raise the issue of human rights abuses in the occupied Saharawi territories” with Moroccan King Mohamed VI.
The NGO also denounced the “excessive use of force and torture against Saharawis and the restrictions on freedoms of expression, assembly and association,” as well as “the situation of women in Morocco,” calling for “a reform of the criminal code to change the definition of ’rape’.”
Amnesty International called in May for an “independent and impartial” investigation into the use by Moroccan security forces of torture and ill-treatment against the Saharawi detainees. (SPS)
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