Brussels — The Director of Robert .F Kennedy Partners for Human Rights, Santiago A. Canton, on Thursday called on the United Nations Security Council to include Human rights monitoring within the mandate of the UN Mission for Referendum in Western Sahara(MINURSO),in his testimony today before the European Parliament.

"With all the information available regarding human rights violations in Western Sahara, there is no valid justification for the UN Security Council to keep denying the establishment of a human rights mandate," said Mr. Canton.

Santiago Canton was a member of delegation from RFK Center for Justice and Human rights led by President of the Center Kerry Kennedy, who visited the occupied territories of Western Sahara and Saharawi refugee camps in August 2012.

Mr. Canton's testimony described the climate in the occupied Territories of Western Sahara as" one of human rights abuses, including disappearances, torture, arbitrary detention, police brutality, intimidation, and extrajudicial killings"

He called on the United Nations Security Council to "support the inclusion of a permanent human rights monitoring and reporting mandate to the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO)"