A letter I received from the The European Lawyers for Democracy & Human rights: European Lawyers boycott the World Human Rights Forum (WHRF) in Marrakech from 27th to 30th November 2014 Morocco will host the second edition of the World Human Rights Forum (WHRF) in Marrakech from 27th to 30th November 3014. The event is organized by the Moroccan Government. Many international, regional and national organisations are participating. Many of them state representatives or state organisations. Therefore it is not surprising that the programme of the conference tries to give the impression that human rights are violated elsewhere but not in Morocco and certainly not by the Moroccan authorities. However human rights violations have a long tradition in Morocco. Morocco’s 2011 constitution incorporated strong human rights provisions, but these reforms did not lead to improved practices. International NGO like Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch report regularly on these crimes committed by state agents or under the open eyes of them. Among them just recently: the interdiction of a training for journalists organized by Ibn Rushd Center on November 2nd, the prohibition of a caravan of solidarity with migrants in Tangier, the banning of union meetings in preparation for the general strike on October 29, the repression of labour, social and students movements, persecutions of microcredit victims, violence, discrimination and deportations of migrants, etc. Morocco also continues violating international law with the illegal occupation of Western Sahara and its refusal to accept the organisation of a referendum by MINURSO, the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara . Human rights activists and Polisario supporters are arrested, tortured and prosecuted by military courts. In February 2014, a military court sentenced 25 civilian Sahrawis to prison terms, including nine to life imprisonment. The trial was just one of many unfair trials in recent years that have resulted in politically motivated convictions. But also by the exploitation of the natural resources of Western Sahara Morocco violates international law applicable to mineral resource activities in Non-Self-Governing Territories. Therefore it is only consequent that only companies and trade unions are mentioned as partners on the website of the WHRF, although surprising as far as trade unions are concerned. All international human rights organisations are missing. Amnesty International has even been denied a venue for its event by the Moroccan authorities. But what is even more significant, eight Moroccan groups, including leading human rights associations such as the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH), and the Moroccan League for Human Rights have decided not to attend the World Human Rights Forum in protest at growing restrictions on their activities by the authorities. The independent Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH) announced the boycott a day after organizing a protest in front of parliament against what it called a systemic ban on its activities. And continuing restrictions on freedom of association in Western Sahara featured among the reasons invoked by eight Sahrawi groups that have announced they will also boycott the event. Moroco, by organizing an international forum on human rights, wants to hide the dark sides of this kingdom. It wants to take advantage of the presence of international financial institutions, international and national Guests to improve its image. All this had led to the European Lawyers organized in ELDH to the conclusion to join the Moroccan and international human rights organizations which boycott the World Human Rights Forum (WHRF). Instead of this huge human rights show, ELDH demand real improvement in the application of international human rights law and in so far of the Moroccan constitution. ELDH
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 20:53:41 +0000
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