HRW sidelines with separatist political positions, Morocco says

Moroccan authorities rejected Human Rights Watch allegations of violations in the Sahara and denounced the use of the New York-based rights group of human rights for political aims.

The Moroccan human rights ministerial delegation deplored that HRW used a political discourse in its report on December 18 concerning the Sahara where it expressed its hostility to Morocco’s unity and territorial integrity by sidelining with the separatist thesis.

HRW “resorted, as usual, to baseless and despicable allegations with no concrete foundation in an attempt to include the human rights dimension in its discourse, while paying no heed to the internationally-agreed upon methodology concerning the criteria of neutrality and objectivity governing the work of non governmental organizations involved in the field of human rights,” said the Ministerial delegation for human rights.

The delegation also denounced the lack of neutrality and objectivity by HRW which used the same rhetoric propagated by the enemies of Morocco’s territorial integrity, and maintained that Morocco’s intervention to open a road blocked by pro-polisario separatists was peaceful and came after the UN failed to persuade the separatists to clear this vital border passage that links Morocco and Europe to Sub-Saharan Africa.

“What reaffirms the political aspect of the organization’s press release is its meddling in bilateral relations between countries and their sovereign decisions,” wrote the statement, noting that the US recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara represents an extension of its continuous support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative which was submitted to the UN in 2007 and described by the UNSC as a serious and credible proposal.

In a stark double speak, HRW fell short of condemning the exploitation of children by the Algerian-backed and hosted Polisario militias, the delegation said, adding that HRW turned a blind eye to the campaign to recruit children in Tindouf camps and their use to call for war and stir hatred, in addition to its vile interpretation of the precautionary health measures adopted by the Moroccan authorities to fight the pandemic and shield the right to life and to health.

Morocco also unveiled the lies of HRW which said that all UN peacekeeping missions have a human rights mandate where in fact only 50% has, noting that Morocco has its own human rights monitoring mechanisms in the region which were commended by the UN resolutions.