This afternoon, "blue helmets" delivered weighty mail to the Swiss Federal Council and Parliament. In a petition they called on behalf of 45 organisations and individuals for Switzerland to make a strong case to the UN Security Council for extending the UN mission in Western Sahara to include human rights monitoring.
terre des hommes schweiz and 44 other organisations and personalities today submitted a petition to the Federal Parliament. In it they call for the Federal Council and Parliament to lobby the UN Security Council on behalf of the people of Western Sahara: The mandate of the UN mission MINURSO should be extended to include monitoring human rights.
Constant and arbitrary human rights violations
In the Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara, the population (including children and elderly people) has been continuously subjected to arbitrary arrests, mistreatment and torture by the Moroccan occupying power for 39 years. "The UN mission MINURSO is on the ground, but is not intervening. It cannot protect the population", criticises Elisabeth Bäschlin of the Swiss Support Committee for the Sahrawi People (SUKS).
MINURSO is blind to human rights
MINURSO's powerlessness is due to its limited mandate: unlike most UN peace missions, MINURSO must ignore human rights violations. "The MINURSO is therefore blind to human rights", says Annette Mokler from terre des hommes schweiz.
Extension of UN mission stubbornly blocked by Morocco
For three years now, the UN Security Council has been calling for the MINURSO mandate for the protection of the population to be extended to include human rights monitoring. But Moroccan diplomacy is conducting a persistent campaign to prevent any extension of the mandate," notes Christiane Perregaux of the Comité suisse de soutien au peuple sahraoui.
Referendum blocked for 23 years
Western Sahara has been occupied by Morocco for 1975 years and since 1991 the Sahrawi people have been waiting non-violently for a referendum on independence and the future of their homeland. Just as long Morocco has successfully blocked the implementation of the referendum promised by the UN, which according to the UN guarantee should have taken place in 1992.
For further information please contact us:
Annette Mokler, Programme Coordinator Western Sahara, Tel. 061 335 91 53
or
Sascha Tankerville, Media and Information, Tel. 061 338 91 32
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