The World Must Stop This Farce: Morocco Seeks to Chair the UN Human Rights Council Despite its Troubling Track Record
BY/ Hana Saada
ALGIERS- In an audacious move that has drawn widespread condemnation, Morocco has expressed its desire to preside over the United Nations Human Rights Council. This shocking revelation comes in the wake of continuous reports detailing the disastrous human rights conditions within the country and its persistent challenges against international non-governmental organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Morocco’s bid for the council’s presidency is an affront to human rights and raises serious questions about the credibility and integrity of the international community.
Morocco’s flagrant disregard for human rights conventions and its recurring violations within its own borders paint a disturbing picture. What exacerbates the gravity of the situation is the fact that Morocco stands as the last colonial power in the world along with the Zionist entity, still exercising control over territories not rightfully its own. Moreover, its contentious ties with the Zionist entity have cast a dark shadow over its actions. The Sahrawi people, who have been forcefully displaced from their rightful lands, bear the brunt of Morocco’s oppressive and repressive measures. These acts of injustice persist unabated, while the international community remains passive spectators to this flagrant violation of human rights.
The Moroccan regime’s pursuit of an undeserved candidacy is a clear indication of its intention to exploit the international platform to cleanse its tarnished image and conceal the heinous crimes and violations it has committed, both within its borders and in the disputed territory of Western Sahara. By seeking to assume leadership of the UN Human Rights Council, Morocco aims to shield itself from accountability and secure immunity for the brutal actions perpetrated by its security forces and occupying army against the Moroccan and Sahrawi people. This audacious move, characterized by a flagrant disregard for human rights and an arrogant dismissal of the plight of the Sahrawi people, exposes the regime’s indifference towards the global community and its refusal to acknowledge or abide by the decisions and resolutions put forth by the United Nations and its Security Council.
Fortunately, the absurdity of Morocco’s candidacy has not gone unnoticed. The Geneva Group, consisting of ambassadors from several countries that recognize the Sahrawi Republic and support the Sahrawi people’ struggle, strongly denounced Morocco’s move before the council. The group rightly emphasized that a country vying for the presidency of the Human Rights Council must possess an honorable human rights record and adhere to the standards set by international humanitarian law. Morocco falls short on both accounts.
The representative of the Polisario Front, the Sahrawi liberation movement, in Switzerland and to the United Nations in Geneva, issued a warning after the distribution of Morocco’s correspondence. Labeling Morocco as an occupying power, the representative deemed Morocco’s aspiration to be elected as the council’s president an insult to Africa and a testament to the flaws and inadequacies of the international human rights system.
The Polisario Front mission in Geneva reminded the international community that Morocco continues to militarily occupy the only territories awaiting decolonization in Africa, in violation of the African Union Charter and its Constitutive Act. This occupation has been condemned by the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, highlighting the illegitimacy of Morocco’s actions.
Morocco’s bid for the presidency of the UN Human Rights Council is a mockery of the principles it is meant to uphold. The international community must stand united against this farce, reject Morocco’s candidacy, and demand accountability for its human rights violations. The integrity and effectiveness of the UN Human Rights Council are at stake, and failure to address this issue will undermine the credibility of the entire organization. It is imperative that the world takes a stand for justice, human rights, and the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination.
