Strasbourg ,Feb07, 2013(SPS) the member of the European Parliament, Spanish GUE/NGL Willy Meyer highlighted the violation of human rights in the occupied Western Sahara ahead of European Parliament resolution vote on the upcoming United Nations Human Rights Council meeting will take place from 25 February - 22 March 2013 in Geneva .
He explained that his group is looking forward to the next meeting of the Council but they regretted that three important topics including Western Sahara issue are not on the table of the European Parliament dialogue
“The human rights situation in occupied Western Sahara, a dependent territory awaiting decolonization, is not going to be discussed.” Willy Meyer deplored .
“This Friday, the trial of 24 Saharawi activists will take place in Rabat following the violent dissolution by Moroccan security forces of a protest camp in Laayoune in 2010" he said adding that the trial has been deemed as "flawed from the outset" by human rights NGOs such as Amnesty International.
The Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) has presented a resolution on the Council,” condemns the continuing violations of the human rights of the Saharawi people” and calling “for the release of Saharawi political prisoners, particularly the Gdeim Izik 23 group, tried by a military tribunal.”
Calls on “Morocco and the Polisario Front to continue the negotiations with a view to a peaceful and lasting solution to the conflict in Western Sahara and Reaffirms the right of self-determination of the Saharawi people, which must be decided by a democratic referendum in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions.” (SPS)
080/090