The diplomat noted that the Algerian delegation, which attacked Morocco during this meeting, which is in no way related to the Sahara issue, as it concerns women, peace and security, is once again trying to mislead the international community and attack the Kingdom through the repetition ad nauseam of lies, fabrications and falsifications devoid of any foundation on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara.
In this regard, he stressed that this issue has never been raised in any of the reports of the UN Secretary-General or his Special Representative on women, peace and security issues.
Stressing that the human rights situation in Morocco is really much better than in Algeria, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN drew the attention of the members of the Security Council that “in March and May 2020, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) published two statements on the Hirak and the deterioration of the human rights situation in Algeria”.
In its two documents, the OHCHR reiterated “its growing concern about the situation in Algeria where the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, peaceful assembly and participation in public life continue to be attacked, by the use of unnecessary and disproportionate force against peaceful demonstrators, as well as by continued arrests,” the diplomat recalled.
“It is a rare occurrence for the OHCHR to publish two alarming statements on the same country in such a short space of time,” he said, noting that “this demonstrates the seriousness and scale of human rights violations in Algeria.”
Mr. Kadiri further indicated that during the last session of the Human Rights Council, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet reiterated her concerns about these violations in her oral statement, stating: “In Algeria, I am concerned by the increasing restrictions on fundamental freedoms, including the increase in arrests and detentions of human rights defenders, members of civil society and political opponents. I call on the government to change course and take all necessary measures to guarantee the people’s right to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.”
The Moroccan diplomat also pointed out that by mentioning the case of the so-called Sultana Khaya, the Algerian delegation falsely claims that she is a so-called human rights defender. “This is a lie,” he denounced, noting that this person “has nothing to do with human rights and works in the pay of Algeria and its separatist group linked to terrorism in the Sahel, the +polisario+, to exploit the noble values of human rights, as well as the freedom and democracy that reign in the Moroccan Sahara, for the purposes of separatist propaganda contrary to the resolutions of the Security Council.”
Brandishing supporting photos showing the so-called Khaya in military fatigues and equipped with a machine gun, he stressed that this person, who participated in indoctrination and weapons handling courses and military exercises by the Algerian military and mercenaries of the +polisario+, as was the case from June 1 to 12, 2019, “advocates armed violence” against civilians in the Moroccan Sahara.
“She is in no way a so-called human rights activist, but an agent of the +polisario+ and Algeria, who calls for violence and military action,” he insisted, adding that this person is used by the +polisario+ and Algeria to mislead the international community about alleged false violations of human rights in the Moroccan Sahara.
And to continue that the person mentioned by the Algerian delegation is in no way subjected to sexual abuse or to house arrest as Algiers claims.
“She is free to act. This person leaves Morocco and the southern provinces of the Kingdom with a Moroccan passport and travels to Geneva, Algeria, the University of Boumerdes, and all over the world to tell lies against Morocco,” the diplomat added, which, according to him, demonstrates Morocco’s respect for and promotion of human rights, as internationally recognized.
He stressed that the so-called Khaya “was contacted by the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), which she refused to meet because she does not want to talk about human rights, she only wants to exploit them.”
In this context, he noted that the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, mentioned by the Algerian delegation, has definitively relinquished her case, being convinced of the fallacious nature of Sultana Khaya’s allegations. Ms. Lowlor made this decision when she saw these photos, which were true, he noted, adding that the Special Rapporteur understood that the so-called Khaya manipulates human rights for political and separatist aims.
In response to Algerian lies about alleged cases of sexual violations in the Moroccan Sahara, the diplomat stressed that “it is in Algeria, where young men and women of the Hirak are raped and sexually assaulted in Algerian police stations.”
“This is a reality and it has been taken up by the international and national media,” he said, referring, at the same time, to “violations of women’s rights and sexual violence in the Tindouf camps in Algeria, perpetrated under the supervision and with the agreement of the Algerian authorities.”
In this sense, he cited the situation of women and girls, “left at the mercy of Algeria and the armed separatist group +polisario+ which spread terror in the camps, supposed to be purely civilian, while they are excessively militarized”.
The diplomat recalled, in this regard, that more than 150 young girls were held against their will in these camps, including Maloma Morales, Darya Mbarek Salma, Najdiba Mohammed Belkacem, Koria Bedbad Hafed. “These women were all victims of sexual violence in the camps, with the complicity of Algeria,” he said.
He also mentioned the case of the so-called leader of the +polisario+, the separatist Brahim Ghali, prosecuted before the Spanish courts for crimes against humanity, rape and sexual assault against Khadijatou Mahmoud.
With supporting photos, shown immediately to the members of the Security Council, Mr. Kadiri also raised the issue of child soldiers enlisted in the Tindouf camps with “the blessing and complicity of Algeria”. “These are real photos and some of them are on the websites of the +polisario+ separatists,” he denounced, adding that these children are deprived of their most basic rights.
“Algeria is very poorly placed to talk about the issue of human rights in the Moroccan Sahara,” he stressed, affirming that “the human rights situation in the Sahara is a thousand times better than the situation in Algeria.”
In this regard, he noted that these rights are “fully and completely” protected in the Moroccan Sahara, in accordance with the highest international standards, recalling that the resolutions of the UN Security Council, including 2602, attest to the respect of these rights by Morocco and the role played, in this context, by its national institutions, in particular the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) and its regional Commissions in Laayoune and Dakhla.
2024-08-22 09:48:34