Morocco takes over presidency of the UN Human Rights Council

On the occasion of Morocco taking over the presidency of the UN Human Rights Council yesterday, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) calls on the German Federal Government to clearly condemn Morocco’s illegal occupation of Western Sahara: “The election of the Moroccan ambassador undermines the core task of the Council, which is to identify human rights violations all over the world and to strengthen human rights internationally,” criticized Christoph Hahn, STP expert on genocide prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, in Göttingen today. “Morocco is trying to annex Western Sahara – against the will of the people living there – and has been committing human rights violations for decades. Recently, we have seen an increase in drone attacks on the Sahrawis. The fact that Morocco has taken over the presidency of the Human Rights Council must not obscure the fact that this behavior is absolutely unacceptable.” 

In a secret ballot on January 10, Moroccan Ambassador Omar Zniber clearly won against the candidate from South Africa, with 30 votes to 17. “The Federal Republic of Germany should take the upcoming election in the course of the 55th session of the Human Rights Council as an opportunity to call for a referendum among the Sahrawis – which Morocco has been preventing for decades,” Hahn added. In 1975, the International Court of Justice had confirmed the applicability of Resolution 1514 regarding the aspect of self-determination in Western Sahara. The MINURSO Mission has been active in Western Sahara since 1991, and the mandate includes the task of carrying out a referendum.

This year’s election for the chairmanship had already taken place under the impression of the dispute between South Africa and Morocco, both vying for the presidency. “The discord within the otherwise unanimous bloc of African states is unusual. It shows that Morocco’s disregard for the Sahrawis’ right to self-determination is also rejected by other African states,” Hahn explained.