London, July 24, 2015 (SPS) .- Morocco has coerced, bribed, co-opted the international community to prevent scrutiny on its treatment of people in Western Sahara, Ms Kerry Kennedy said in an article posted Thursday in The Guardian.
Ms Kennedy wrote that “a recent article that appeared in this paper meticulously laid out, through analysis of leaked Moroccan diplomatic cables, the many ways Morocco has coerced, bribed, and co-opted the international community to prevent any scrutiny on its treatment of people in Western Sahara”. A reference to an article posted by Tha Guardian on Juny 17, 2015 under the title of “Leaked cables: Morocco lobbied UN to turn blind eye to Western Sahara in 'House of Cards' operation”.
In this post, the London daily spoke about a UN report that “accuses Moroccan government of intercepting communications and using ‘unethical tactics’ to influence organisation on occupied territory” of Western Sahara.
In order to maintain the status quo, “Morocco has consistently pressured UN to ignore crisis in WesternSahara”, Ms Kennedy said, adding that “Morocco has intensely lobbied the UN security council to block any attempt to include a human rights component to Minurso”, in order to use violent force against Western Sahara population like in the case of Mohamed Lamine Haidala, a young murdered by moroccans last February in El Aaiun.
According to Ms Kennedy, "stories like Haidala’s are all too common in WesternSahara, where there are large-scale human rights violations on a daily basis". “Part of the reason for this complete impunity is that there is no credible third party on the ground doing anything about the human rights abuses taking place there on a regular basis” she added.
Ms Kennedy expressed her desire to see UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to “put the issue of Morocco’s abuses in the territory front and centre” during his visit to the region later this year. SPS
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