Washington, 8 Nov 2015 (SPS) - Several dozen human rights activists gathered Friday near Morocco’s embassy in Washington to ask Rabat to stop obstructing the holding of a referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara.
The call launched by the US Western Sahara Foundation was followed by many representatives of human rights organizations, such as the non-governmental organization Nonviolent International, Sahrawi refugees as well as a former official of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).
The participants in this sit-in unsuccessfully tried to pass on a petition calling on Morocco’s King to stop impeding the organization of a referendum in Western Sahara.
Attending this protest, Suzanne Scholte, President of the US-Western Sahara Foundation considered that the sufferings endured by the Sahrawi people are “the direct result of the obstruction done by the King of Morocco for the holding of a referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara.”
“We call either for the holding of a referendum or for the ending of the illegal occupation of Western Sahara,” she said.
Katlyn Thomas, former official at the MINURSO in charge of legal affairs, affirmed that “there is no reason which prevents the holding of a referendum in Western Sahara, underlining that the reasons put forward by Morocco in this regard are “unfounded.” (SPS)
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