New York — The Committee Against Torture of the United Nations has expressed strong concern over the state of human rights in occupied Western Sahara, including the continued torture against pro-independence Saharawis.
In its annual report submitted to the 67 th session of the UN General Assembly, the Committee recorded cases of arrests as well as arbitrary and individual detention in secret places, acts of torture and ill-treatment, extracting confessions under torture and excessive use of force by Moroccan security forces.
The report, which also submitted to the UN Third Committee, underlined that it is not permissible under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to invoke any exceptional circumstances whatsoever to justify torture in the occupied territories of Western Sahara.
It also voiced concern over the circumstances that accompanied the dismantling of Gdeim Izik camps on November 2010, where many people were killed during the evacuation process and several others were arrested.
The Committee expressed deep concern for bringing Saharawi civilians to a Moroccan military trail, and not to open any impartial and effective investigation to shed light on Gdeim izik events to account those responsible from Moroccan forces.
It therefore called on Morocco to conduct, as soon as possible, impartial, fair and effective investigations on the acts of violence and cases of death that accompanied Gdeim Izik camp's dismantling.
Comments Post a comment
This article is a complete and utter lie! Even in an off-the-cuff interview Mr Mendez recently gave with the leftist "Inner City Press". Mr Mendez said only that "he found evidence of MISTREATMENT in interrogation, especially in connection with demonstrations and when there is a sense that national security is involved" and how easily this too applies to most Western nations! He otherwise said in September, upon his visit to Morocco, at the request of Morocco, that there was a "culture of human rights" emerging in the Kingdom, he also praised the authorities for its "full cooperation". (http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=12569&Lan gID=E) Mr Mendez also praised the Kingdom's legal framework, stating "while the Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure criminalized torture before 2011, I welcome the introduction of these principles in the new Constitution and the demonstrated will of the authorities to accord them primacy". Here's a challenge to the Algerian propagandists and all the supporters of their terrorist, mercenary organisation, allow Mr Mendez into the inhumane, authoritarian, prison camps in Tindouf that the Polisario Front manage. I won't hold my breath.
I can only confirm what Atlas Assad already said. It seems allAfrica is obsessed with a one point-of-view approach to North Africa, and Morocco in particular. This is quite sad given that Africa needs unity more than divisiveness these days more than ever.
Juan Mendez made it CRYSTAL CLEAR in his report that there was NO DIFFERENCE between the interrogation methods in the Western Sahara and in the rest of Morocco. Are there abuses? Absolutely, the authorities are told to do everything they can when it comes to matters dealing with radical Islam and Al-Qaida in North Africa - few will be surprised to learn that in a country as dependent on tourism as Morocco, security is of utmost importance.
But the implication that Morocco is deliberately torturing the denizens of the Western Sahara is strictly false on the one hand, and highly irresponsible reporting on the other. Still, what do you expect when articles from the propaganda arm of the Polisario (Sahara Press Service) are simply copy-pasted onto here?
As for the annual report submitted to the 67th session of the UN General Assembly, it states: 1. "The committee is concerned by numerous ALLEGATIONS regarding torture and ill-treatment..", 2. "The committee is concerned by the REPORTS it has received regarding the ALLEGED use by Moroccan law enforcement officers and security personnel of practices in Western Sahara such as arbitrary arrest and detention, incommunicado detention, detention in secret places, torture, ill-treatment, the extraction of confessions under torture and the excessive use of force". In short, ALLEGATIONS and reports of ALLEGED violations. The operative words: ALLEGED. ALLEGATIONS. By the Polisario Front (and phony human rights groups paid off by Algerian petrodollars), the likes of whom are caught here red faced lying. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9lEgzoBJlQ) (http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=53347)
One more thing, no country in the world has to deal with a heavily militarized terrorist base stationed on the edge of their borders, on neighboring territory. The Polisario run camps are home to an fully equipped army of mercenary, terrorists - who now, by all accounts, have well established links with AQIM and MUJAO! Not to mention all the hostages detained there (that you call "refugees") - without a census, without the freedom of movement, without their basic human rights - many of whom kidnapped at a young age and shipped off to Cuba to be thoroughly brainwashed. Where in the world has this been allowed to occur? The United States violated international law and it's own amendments; waging illegal, preemptive wars and a war on terror in order to safeguard its national security from a threat coming from cave-men a million miles away and we are expected to play nice with a fully equipped army stationed on our door step? It's an outrage! http://www.moroccansahara.net/page.php?IDA=122
For more than 30 years, the Polisario Front and Algeria have systematically and categorically turned down requests of the High Commission on Refugees (HCR) to carry out a census of the Sahrawi population in the refugee camps of Tindouf province, in Southwest Algeria.
While the unjustifiable refusal of Algeria can be easily understood in the context of its relations with Morocco and its need for political propaganda over the issue of refugees living on its soil, the refusal of the Polisario is primarily motivated by the profit which the separatist Front gains from an overestimation of the number of refugees and, as a result, larger amounts of humanitarian assistance flowing in. This is, among others, reflected in a confidential report of the European Union we were able to browse through.
...
This report is the result of a 6-month long investigation carried out in Brussels (under the aegis of ECHO, the Office of Humanitarian Aid of the European Commission), in Algeria, in the Western Sahara in Morocco and in other countries of the region. Given the numerous violations of international laws and European rules, which it sets out, the 20 page report has only been made available to a handful of high-ranked European officials on the secure internet site of OLAF. Many European deputies have tried in vain to demand that it either be made public or that access be given to members of the concerned Commissions and Delegations in the European Parliament. Unfortunately the refusal can be easily understood. Indeed, the highest European authorities are aware of the disastrous consequences which publication of the report would have for relations between Algeria and Europe, whereas Algeria is one of the main suppliers of natural gas and oil to the European Union.
Furthermore, as it is a general custom, a part of the European humanitarian aid is provided through funds used to finance purchases on the spot, thus in Algeria. Moreover, the Algerian authorities illegally apply taxes to the aid commodities! In other words, not only is the assistance being diverted, but the Algerian state is receiving taxes on embezzled goods sold on its territory! Ultimately, a part of the European taxpayers’ money intended for humanitarian aid is therefore used to enrich the Algerian state through its tax system.
(http://www.esisc.org/publications/briefings/the-tindouf-refugee-camps-the- responsibilities-confronting-algeria-and-the-polisario-front)
See All Comments