Dublin,April18,2013(SPS) the human rights Organization (Front line Defenders) welcomed new Draft resolution at the Security Council calling for the implementation of human rights monitoring and reporting mechanism as part of the mandate of the UN Mission for Referendum in Western Sahara(MINURSO) according to statement published on its website.
“Front Line Defenders welcomes this move which it believes will have a positive impact upon human rights defenders at work in the country.” said the statement adding “If successful it will be implemented at the end of April 2013 as part of the renewal of the MINURSO resolution,”
“At present human rights defenders active in Western Sahara face risks such as torture, arbitrary detention, forced disappearances, and other human rights violations.”
“This can be seen in the experience of human rights defenders such as Aminatou Haidar who has been subjected to a sustained campaign of intimidation and harassment by the Moroccan authorities.”
The Director of Front Line Defenders Mary Lawlor has made clear her support of this draft resolution stating: “The implementation of a specific human rights mechanism in the mandate of MINURSO would send a clear message to the Government of Morocco that they will be held accountable for any attacks on the security of human rights defenders”
Front Line Defenders joins the RFK Centre in their belief that this draft resolution is “groundbreaking” and in their hope that it has the potential to “protect hundreds of thousands of lives.” (SPS)
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