Morocco Responds to HRW’s ‘Biased’ Report on Western Sahara

Rabat – Morocco’s Interministerial Delegation for Human Rights (DIDH) has stressed that the the Human Rights Watch (HRW) report on Morocco’s supposed rights violations in Western Sahara shows the NGO’s “continuous involvement in a systematic political campaign against Morocco.”

DIDH issued a press release today in response to HRW’s report on annual review of human rights around the globe, noting that the report lacks “realistic and legal” data.

The delegation underlined that HRW’s report ignores the UN’s call on the parties involved in the Sahara conflict to engage in a realistic political solution.

The report also failed to highlight that the Western Sahara conflict has been consistently emphasized by the Security Council, said the Moroccan delegation.

In October 2021, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2602, extending for another year the mandate of the MINURSO, the UN mission operating in Western Sahara.

The resolution welcomed the participation of all parties in the political process, including Algeria, which was mentioned five times in the resolution, to find a mutually acceptable solution to the conflict.

The interministerial delegation also drew attention to HRW’s outdated view of the Sahara question, pointing out that the NGO’s reports show that it is “explicitly siding with parties that embrace secession.”

Such a bias violates the rules of neutrality imposed in a human rights organization, said the delegation, adding: “[HRW] failed to mention Morocco’s autonomy plan, which enjoys international recognition and is constantly described as a serious and credible plan.”

The Moroccan delegation argued that the NGO lacks “impartiality” in the Western Sahara conflict as it is not “objective in stressing facts, and failed to recall the aforementioned Security Council resolution.”

The report did not highlight Morocco’s pivotal role in the National Human Rights Council committees that operate in the cities of Dakhla and Laayoune, southern Morocco, the delegation argued.

Bent on pointing accusatory fingers at Morocco, HRW fails to acknowledge the country’s “engagement with the special actions of the United Nations Human Rights Council, and how [Morocco] encourages the strengthening of cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.”

DIDH’s response also pointed out that since the NGO is “politically biased” as its report overlooks the latest resolution of the UN Security Council regarding individual and collective human rights violations against detainees in the Polisario-controlled Tindouf camps in Algeria.

The interministerial delegation concluded its response by indicating that Morocco will continue to abide by international conventions and engage in political and strategic dialogues within the framework of the international standards.