UN human rights vote: Travesty of justice for Western Sahara 25.04 - 2013 17:37 The United Nations today voted not to monitor human rights violations in Western Sahara. This represents a tragedy of justice for the people of Western Sahara, who will continue to be subjected to the brutal oppression of occupying Moroccan forces.
Human rights monitoring negotiations on-going at UN: Take Action!16.04 - 2013 The Group of Friends of Western Sahara – the United States, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Russia – are currently locked in negotiations at the UN to determine the mandate for MINURSO, the peacekeeping operation in Western Sahara and the Saharawi refugee camps outside Tindouf, Algeria.Read more
Take action immediately to demand that, in the wake of the Gdeim Izik, the United Nations Security Council live up to its moral and legal responsibilities to protect the human rights of the people of the Western Sahara. See how here.Read more
Sentencing of Sahawari activists in politically motivated show trial 17.02 - 2013 Responding to the news that Saharawi civillians have today been given sentences ranging between 20 years and life in a military trial condemned as unfair John Gurr, Coordinator of Western Sahara Campaign UK said:
“We not only condemn these sentences, we reject the entire legal process under which they have been brought. Amnesty International has described this military trial as “flawed from the outset”, in violation of international standards for a fair trial. The defendants insist that they are political prisoners. Whilst in detention the defendants claim to have suffered torture and to have been coerced into signing confessions. Gdeim Izik is widely regarded as having sparked the Arab Spring and many of the defendants are well respected human rights activists. Any trial should have been in a civilian court not under military tribunal. Their trial should not have been delayed by over two years. Their trial should have been open to international legal observers, jurists and journalists and allegations of torture should have been fully and independently investigated. This appears to have been a politically motivated show trial and we call on the international community to join us in speaking out against these sentences and supporting our calls for independent human rights monitoring in Western Sahara.”
Big push coming on human rights monitoring - watch this space18.12 - 2012 The UN Security Council’s willingness to abrogate its responsibility and ‘sacred trust’ especially with the failure to address the need for impartial independent international human rights monitoring has been a signal to Morocco that it can continue without seriously engaging in the referendum process.
With your help last year’s campaign helped to pressure the UNSC to act and for the first time human rights were specifically mentioned in the resolution.
Farewell to Lamine - the work goes on18.12 - 2012 Lamine Baali, who has been Polisario’s representative in Britain for much of the past 30 years, has left to become SADR’s Ambassador to the African Union in Addis Ababa. At a reception in the House of Commons, supporters reflected on past achievements, but also the Saharawi's ongoing struggle.Read more
Human Rights Campaign Officer at Western Sahara Campaign UK27.10 - 2012 The Western Sahara Campaign is accepting applications for the temporary post of Human Rights Campaign Officer to develop and co-ordinate an international campaign to persuade the UN Security Council to introduce independent monitoring of human rights abuse in Western Sahara and to research a further campaign on workers’ rights in occupied Western Sahara.Read more
"Despite his civilian dress, there was no mistaking the secret police when he reached across the front passenger seat of the Toyota , to block the lens of my 17 year old daughter Mariah's Nikon from recording the beating of a woman by his colleagues, uniformed and not. Mariah's shutter was too fast for him, so he lunged further in an attempt to snatch the camera, grazing her face. Mariah was fine. The woman was not.”
Kerry Kennedy, President, RFK Centre for Human Rights
New Human Rights Envoy - Put Western Sahara on the List25.07 - 2012 On 9 July Baroness Ashton, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, announced the appointment of a new EU Human Rights Envoy, part of the new EU human rights strategy.
The strategy "promises to place rights at the centre of the EU's "relations with all third countries” and to “promote human rights in all areas of its external action without exception"
Help us hold Baroness Ashton to this promise and ensure Western Sahara is not forgotten. Read more
Sahara Analysis latest issue15.05 - 2012 Q: What do Moroccan Lieutenant General Abdelaziz Bennani and Miriam Clegg (wife of Nick) have in common? Read more
Tell the UN to MONITOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN WESTERN SAHARA17.02 - 2012 The UN mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO) is the only contemporary UN mission that does not monitor human rights. Torture, false imprisonment and violence continue, and so far the UN has done nothing to stop this.
Act Now! We have a chance to change this. On 17th April Security Council negotiations on Western Sahara will begin Please tell the Security Council human rights must be monitored!
If you are outside the UK, click read more or see bottom of Homepage for Spanish and French text.Read more
ONU debe supervisar la situación de los Derechos Humanos en el Sahara17.02 - 2012 La Misión de la ONU en el Sahara Occidental (MINURSO) es la única misión actual de Naciones Unidas que carece de competencias en Derechos Humanos. El año pasado, como consecuencia de la presión mundial, el lenguaje relativo a Derechos Humanos fue incluido en la Resolución. Desgraciadamente, ha fracasado. La violencia, los encarcelamientos y la tortura se siguen dando en la región. El Consejo de Seguridad tiene la responsabilidad de proteger al Pueblo Saharaui y obligar a Marruecos a rendir cuentas. Por favor ACTÚA y pídele al Consejo de Seguridad de Naciones Unidas que supervise los Derechos Humanos.Read more
WESTERN SAHARA CAMPAIGN UK
The Western Sahara Campaign works in solidarity with the Saharawi people to generate political support in order to advance their right to self-determination and to promote their human rights.
Our role is to lobby the UK Government and the EU. You can help us to ensure the UK does not ignore the voice of the Saharawi people.
Follow the news about EU's illegal fisheries in Western Sahara
