Morocco violating human rights in Western Sahara, RFK Center says

Sahrawi children in a refugee camp administered by the Polisario Front near Tindouf, Algeria (file photo)

Tue Sep 4, 2012 1:20AM GMT

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The overwhelming presence of security forces [and] the violations of the right to life, liberty, personal integrity, freedom of expression, assembly, and association create a state of fear and intimidation that violates the rule of law and respect for human rights of the Sahrawi people."
The RFK Center

A human rights group has accused Morocco of systematic human rights violations in Western Sahara after visiting the disputed territory last week.

In a preliminary report on their four-day visit to the Moroccan-administered territory issued on Monday, a group of observers from the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights said, "The overwhelming presence of security forces [and] the violations of the right to life, liberty, personal integrity, freedom of expression, assembly, and association create a state of fear and intimidation that violates the rule of law and respect for human rights of the Sahrawi people."

The group also travelled to Tindouf in western Algeria, where tens of thousands of Sahrawi refugees live in very harsh conditions, AFP reported.

RFK Center observers have visited Western Sahara several times, and Moroccan officials have accused the group of siding with the Polisario Front.

The RFK Center is a leading international human rights organization based in Washington.

The Polisario Front has been fighting for Western Sahara's independence since before Morocco annexed it in 1975.

Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, which is currently ruled by Morocco and bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.

The Polisario Front fought a guerrilla war against Moroccan forces until 1991, when the United Nations mediated a ceasefire between the two sides with the agreement that a referendum would be held to determine the final status of the territory. However, the referendum has never been held.

NT/GJH/HGL