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President of Republic Invites the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to assume its responsibilities to protect Sahrawi civilians

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Geneva, May 29, 2013 (SPS) - The President of the Republic,  Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Mr. Mohamed Abdelaziz, called on the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations, to assume their responsibilities in order to protect Sahrawi civilians who are victims of violations committed by the Moroccan occupation forces in the occupied territories and cities of southern Morocco, in a meeting with the High Commissioner for human Rights, Ms. Navi Pillay, held today, Wednesday, at the headquarters of the Organization in Geneva.

 

During the meeting, which was held to exchange views on the situation in Western Sahara in general and the human rights issue in particular, the President of the Republic stated that Western Sahara remains "a territory which has not yet exercised decolonization according to the eleventh Chapter of the Charter of the United Nations. He added that “its people must guarantee their right to self-determination".

 

He recalled  the  “extracts and the conclusions reached by the mission of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to the Western Sahara in 2006, which confirmed that "all human rights violations in Western Sahara are the result of the non-application of international legitimacy and international law and United Nations resolutions and  respect  of the Saharawi people's inalienable  right to  self-determination"

 

Mr. the  President recalled also the recent reports of  secretary-general of the United Nations and governments, as well as testimonies of civil society organizations that all emphasize the "urgent and necessary"  need for the establishment of  "permanent independent and impartial" UN mechanism to monitor and protect human rights in Western Sahara, highlighting that the "strong and violent " reaction of Morocco about the American initiative during the recent Security Council discussions is a " conclusive evidence that Morocco elude its international responsibilities and that it has what  to hide from the world in the field of human rights in Western Sahara. "

 

On its part, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navi Pillay, assured that she is following with "deep and profound" interest human rights situation in Western  Sahara, including the recent May demonstrations in the region. She confirmed that the UNHCR expressed concern during the trial of 25 Sahrawi citizen who were arrested during the dismantling of  Gdaim Izik camp by forces of  Moroccan army, and brought before a military court.

 

Ms. Pillay stressed again that the Commission for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights will continue giving all the necessary attention to the developments of the situation in Western Sahara.

 

It is worth mentioning that the meeting was attended on the Sahrawi side by, member of the National Secretariat of the POLISARIO, Saharawi Coordinator with the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, M'Hamed Khadad, adviser to presidency, Abdati Braika , representative of  the Polisario Front in Switzerland, Omaima Mahamadou. And  by the High Commission for Human Rights of the United Nations, head of the Middle East and North Africa Section in charge of North Africa.(SPS)

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