Oslo, April 14, 2015 (SPS) - The Norwegian Students’ and Academics’ International Assistance Fund (SAIH) has published a report under the title: “Acting with Impunity” which sheds light on the violations of human rights perpetuated by Morocco in Western Sahara.
The report focuses on the human rights violations that took place in occupied Western Sahara in the period from 1st April 2014 until 1st March 2015.
In the period covered by the report, a total of 265 instances of human rights violations, of which torture, murder, arbitrary arrests and violence, are documented to have been committed in Western Sahara by Morocco.
“These numbers are unacceptable. Even with UN’s presence Morocco is enjoying complete impunity, allowing them to commit human rights violations and exploit the rich natural resources in Western Sahara,” says Jørn Wichne Pedersen, President of SAIH, in a press release issued Monday.
The report denounced the international community’s failure to pressurize Morocco to stop its exploitation of Western Saharan natural resources and the brutal treatment of the Saharawi people.
It also stressed the need to revise and extend the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to include documentation of human rights violations.
SAIH, therefore, demanded that Norwegian authorities condemn Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara, calling for recognizing, without delay, the right of the Saharawi people to choose their own form of governance.
Established since 1961, SAIH is the solidarity organization of students and academics in Norway, which focuses on education in development cooperation, as well as North/South information and political advocacy in Norway. (SPS)
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