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Monday, December 22, 2008
Democrats will be known for Iraq surrender; Time now for homeland defense
Polisario Blocks Dissidents In W. Sahara
WASHINGTON — The Algerian-backed Polisario has cracked down on
dissent in Western Sahara.
A U.S. human rights group said Polisario has prevented civil liberties
in refugee camps controlled by the rebel group in Western Sahara. Human
Rights Watch said Polisario has also stopped international monitoring of
human rights in these camps.
"The population of the camps remains vulnerable to abuse due to the
camps' isolation, the lack of any regular independent human rights
monitoring and reporting, and Algeria's claim that the Polisario, rather
than Algeria itself, is responsible for protecting the human rights of the
camps' residents," Human Rights Watch said.
In a 216-page report, HRW detailed human rights violation by both
Polisario and Morocco, which controls about 80 percent of Western Sahara.
The organization said Polisario "marginalizes those who directly oppose its
leadership" in the Tindouf camps, which contain about 125,000 refugees.
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"The refugees in Tindouf have, for more than 30 years, lived in exile
from their homeland, governed by a liberation movement in an environment
that is physically harsh and isolated," Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and
North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said. "Regardless of the
current state of affairs, both the Polisario and the host country, Algeria,
have responsibilities to ensure that the rights of these vulnerable refugees
are protected."
The report, "Human Rights in Western Sahara and in the Tindouf Refugee
Camps," said Morocco has beaten and tortured Sahrawi separatists. HRW,
citing testimony from Sahrawis, said Moroccan authorities have banned
pro-independence demonstrations in Western Sahara and dismissed complaints
of police brutality.
"The repression has eased somewhat, and today dissidents are testing the
red lines," Ms. Whitson said. "But Moroccan authorities -- to their credit -
ask us to judge them not against their own past record, but against their
international human rights engagements. By that standard, they have a long
way to go."
The New York-based organization called on Polisario, which operates
courts, prisons and police, to allow refugees to leave their camps and
settle in Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara. Another recommendation was
that Polisario allow freedom of the press and assembly.
"Sahrawis differ on how to resolve the conflict," Ms. Whitson said. "But
wherever they live, authorities must allow them peacefully to express and
act on behalf of those views. Any proposed solution for the Western Sahara
that does not guarantee these rights is no solution at all."
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