Brussels, April 22, 2012 (SPS) - The Group of Friends of the Saharawi People in the European Parliament has called on the UN Secretary General and Security Council to enlarge mandates of MINURSO to include the monitoring and protection of human rights in Western Sahara, in a letter sent on April 17 a copy of it has reached SPS.
The Group confirmed that the European Parliament “closely follow” the situation in Western Sahara, the country that yet to enjoy independence and is under the direct responsibility of the UN, recalling that in this regard to the EP’s resolution on November 2010 regarding the gross violations of human rights perpetuated by Moroccan state in Western Sahara.
The letter noted that since the adoption of the resolution, the situation of human rights increasingly deteriorated, pointing to 83 Saharawi political prisoners imprisoned by Morocco occupation authorities for indefinite periods and without trial, in addition to a numbers of detainees who launched hunger strikes.
“In a time when the Saharawis right to expression and movement being deprived, the occupied territories of Western Sahara remain closed in the face of the international observers, press and NGOs,” underlined the Group, appealing to UN Chief Ban Ki-moon to “take all critical measures in Western Sahara in order to assign the MINURSO Mission with the component of monitoring and protection of human rights in the Territory.”
The letter was signed by 8 heads of parliamentary groups including European United Left, Greens, Socialist Democrats, Ecologist Greens, People’s Parties and Liberals. (SPS)
090/089/TRA