Letter to the United Nations Secretary General urging that the Secretary-General and members of the United Nations Security Council expand MINURSO’s mandate to include monitoring and reporting of human rights violations

SUMMARY

For several years, the City Bar has been on record as supporting the expansion of the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to monitor or report on human rights violations both in the territory of Western Sahara occupied by Morocco and by the Polisario. Recent credible reports have found that Moroccan security forces continue to engage in torture, beatings and other mistreatment of detainees, particularly those accused of participating in pro-independence activities, in addition to other violations of human rights. There are also reports of violations of human rights in the Polisario-controlled camps. In light of these reports, the Committee on United Nations sent a letter to the Secretary General of the United Nations urging that that the Secretary-General and members of the United Nations Security Council expand MINURSO’s mandate to include monitoring and reporting of human rights violations.