Spanish international law expert Manuel Navarro has exposed the "systematic" and "daily" human rights violations in the Tindouf camps, carried out by the polisario, a "criminal group that acts with the complicity of Algeria."
"The polisario is clearly a criminal group that practices torture, illegal detentions, and kidnappings, and deprives the camp populations of their most basic rights, namely, freedom of movement and expression," Navarro told MAP on the sidelines of a conference organized at the prestigious Pablo Olavide University in Seville, at the initiative of the Alhayat for International Cooperation Association.
International organizations have documented "cases of violence and repression, arbitrary arrests, torture, and ill-treatment inflicted on the populations living in the Tindouf camps simply for opposing their tormentors and rebelling against the daily atrocities committed against them," added the Spanish lawyer, specifying that international reports also mention the existence of "forced disappearances."
"Repression also extends to freedom of expression, with restrictions on the media and censorship of critical voices," he continued, noting that "these practices, which violate fundamental principles of human rights, have been condemned by the international community."
International observers trying to report on the situation in this territory are also victims of these "inhuman behaviors" carried out by polisario militias, lamented Navarro, asserting that the time has come for those responsible for these violations to "pay for their crimes."
"In contrast to what happens in the Southern Provinces of the Kingdom of Morocco, where local populations enjoy all their rights and are an integral part of a remarkable socio-economic development process, those sequestered in the Tindouf camps are deprived of their most basic rights," he explained.
In this regard, he pointed out Algeria's responsibility as the host country to guarantee safe and unrestricted humanitarian access to the Tindouf camps and to allow for the census of the populations.
"Despite the statements of its leaders, Algeria is responsible for the conflict in the Moroccan Sahara," noted the Spanish lawyer, emphasizing that Algiers must assume its responsibilities to put an end to human rights violations in the Tindouf camps and bring justice to the victims.
Furthermore, he insisted that the census of the populations in Tindouf is a "major condition" to put an end to these violations and prevent the diversion of humanitarian aid intended for these populations, questioning the true reasons behind Algeria's decision to deny access to the Tindouf camps to observers from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in order to "carry out a neutral and transparent census operation."
"The international community cannot remain passive in the face of this situation and must firmly support the Moroccan autonomy initiative for the Southern Provinces of the Kingdom, which is the fairest solution and enjoys unanimity among the most powerful countries in the world, such as the United States, Germany, and France," Navarro concluded.
