I remain deeply concerned about allegations of human rights abuses in Western Sahara and detention conditions for Saharawi prisoners in Morocco. I am aware that a number of Saharawi prisoners have been on hunger strike for various periods over the last number of years in protest at the conditions of their detention.
The UN Special Rapporteur for torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment visited a number of prisons and police stations in Morocco and Western Sahara in 2012. He reported that the conditions in which many Saharawis were detained failed to meet international human rights standards. His report also outlined that alleged or known supporters of Western Saharan independence are subjected to ill-treatment and torture by police officers and other security personnel, both within and outside of detention centres. Many Saharawi are forced to make false confessions, which are often used as the only basis for their imprisonment. These findings were echoed by a UK Parliamentary Group which visited Western Sahara in February 2014 and which found that many Saharawi activists had suffered physical assault, arrest, imprisonment and disappearance at the hands of the Moroccan authorities, as a result of peaceful activities in support of Saharawi self-determination.
It seems apparent that the hunger strikes by Saharawi prisoners are directly prompted by the inhumane, degrading treatment to which they are allegedly subjected. However, the use of hunger strike is a very dangerous tactic which Ireland cannot encourage. Instead, I call on the Moroccan authorities to give full effect to all recommendations outlined in the Special Rapporteur’s report; to conduct impartial, independent investigations into allegations of torture, to hold perpetrators accountable, provide compensation to victims, reconsider the jurisdiction of military courts over civilians, and further strengthen protection for internationally recognized human rights in the area of detention. Though no obvious improvement in detention conditions has occurred following the recent visit of Ms. Navi Pillay, High Commissioner for Human Rights, to Morocco, the Moroccan authorities should continue to be encouraged to instigate efforts towards reform, following on the positive efforts already taken to better protect human rights within Morocco itself since the adoption of a new constitution in 2011.
As I have stated before, Ireland raises concerns regarding the situation in Western Sahara with the Moroccan authorities on an ongoing basis, including through the Moroccan Embassy in Dublin and our Embassy in Lisbon which is accredited to Morocco, as well as in Geneva at the UN Human Rights Council. Specifically, during Morocco’s 2012 Universal Periodic Review, Ireland recommended that independent and impartial inquiries are carried out with respect to all allegations of mistreatment in detention. I will continue to raise this matter with the Moroccan authorities at every appropriate opportunity.
Finally, Ireland supports the inclusion of a broader human rights monitoring mechanism within the mandate of MINURSO, the UN peace-keeping mission in the region. It is a matter of serious regret to Ireland that the UN Security Council failed to implement such a procedure in connection with the most recent renewal of the MINURSO mandate on 30 April 2014. However, I hope that this matter will be reconsidered over the coming months, particularly given UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s recent call for the sustained, independent and impartial monitoring of the human rights of Saharawi people, both in the occupied territory and in refugee camps.
