Activities of Willy MEYER related to 2013/2020(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the situation of human rights in the Sahel region PDF (407 KB) DOC (198 KB)
Amendments (22)
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9
Citation 9
– having regard to the UN Secretary- General’s report to the UN Security Council on Western Sahara, dated 8 April 2013, in particular its reference to the inter- connectedness between Western Sahara and the situation in the Sahel, and having regard to the Strategy for Security and Development in the Sahel drawn up by the European External Action Service, in particular its statement that the problems in the Sahel are cross-border in nature and closely intertwined, and that only a regional focus and a holistic strategy that also includes neighbouring Maghreb countries will enable progress to be made in the region,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
- having regard to its previous resolutions on Western Sahara, in particular the resolution of 25 November 2010, in the light of the report by the European Parliament ad hoc delegation to Western Sahara (PE 422.290),
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 c (new)
Citation 9 c (new)
- having regard to the numerous resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly on the question of Western Sahara, adopted on the basis of the reports of the Fourth Committee - Special Political and Decolonisation Committee, in particular resolutions 34/37 and 35/19, as well as the European Parliament resolution of 27 May 1993 on the fate of the disappeared Saharans, which define Morocco as the occupying power in Western Sahara, given that this description of Morocco's status was confirmed by the UN Legal Counsel's opinion S/2002/161 of January 2002,
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas a ceasefire in Western Sahara between the Moroccan Government and the Polisario Front has been in place since 1991; whereas the UN considers Western Sahara a non-self-governing territory; whereas no country recognises Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; whereas the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is currently recognised by the AU and over 45 UN states, but not by the UN collectively or by any EU Member State; whereas the UN and EU do not explicitly consider Morocco to be anaccording to international law, the Kingdom of Morocco not only has no sovereignty over Western Sahara, but is the occupying power; whereas a referendum on the status of Western Sahara, first agreed on principle in 1988, has still not taken place;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas a ceasefire in Western Sahara between the Moroccan Government and the Polisario Front has been in place since 1991; whereas the UN considers Western Sahara a non-self-governing territory; whereas no country recognises Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; whereas the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is currently recognised by the AU and over 4570 UN states, but not by the UN collectively or by any EU Member State; whereas the UN and EU do notSwedish Parliament is urging the Swedish Government to recognise it; whereas the UN and EU have explicitly considered Morocco to be an occupying power; whereas a referendum on the status of Western Sahara, first agreed on principle in 1988, has still not taken placafter Morocco had repeatedly failed to comply with the ceasefire agreements reached, has still not taken place; whereas the acts of violence committed by Morocco against the Sahrawi population in the Occupied Territories, in particular the violent dismantling of the Gdeim Izik camp in 2010, are instances of hostile attitudes that might well be considered to be in breach of this ceasefire;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the refugee camps near Tindouf in Algeria, having first been established thirty-seven years ago, remain the second longest-operating in the world and still house between 170 000 and 200 000 Sahrawis; whereas a political stalemate precludes any realistic prospect of their dissolution, or the resettlement or repatriation of their inhabitants, in the near future;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) is the only UN mission not to include a human rights dimension in its mandate, and offers no mechanism for alleged human rights violations to be reported; whereas both the Moroccan Government and the Polisario Front have been accused of human rights violationis firmly opposed to any expansion of MINURSO's responsibilities with regard to monitoring the human rights situation, whilst the Polisario Front has repeatedly called for this international mechanism to be established in both the Occupied Territories and the Tindouf camps;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Notes the discrimination faced by women and girls in much of the region, the manifestations of which include forced marriage, child marriage, sexual exploitation, under-education and, particularly in Chad, widespread female genital mutilation, including infibulation; draws particular attention, however, to the situation of Sahrawi women, the significant decline in literacy levels among Sahrawi women in recent decades and the key social role that they play in the refugee camps, their key contribution to the organisation of Sahrawi institutions and their high rate of participation in political life; deplores, however, the human rights violations suffered by Sahrawi women in the territories occupied by Morocco, including humiliating treatment and sexual violence against women, which are used by the occupying forces in an attempt to intimidate the Sahrawi population; calls on the EU to assist local women’s groups and civil society to tackle oppression, and enable women to lead lives that they have freely chosen;
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Notes the April 2013 report of the UN Secretary-General on the situation concerning Western Sahara, which stresses ‘the critical importance of addressing the Western Sahara conflict as part of a broader strategy for the Sahel’, and that ‘the issue of human rights remains important for any resolution of the conflict’; further notes the conclusions of many observers that Western Sahara risks becoming destabilised by the conflict in the Sahel and the groups participating in it; welcomes the Swedish Parliament's decision to urge the Swedish Government to recognise the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and considers that a corresponding initiative by the European Union would be a positive step and would help to provide a way out of the impasse in which the conflict is now caught; points out that Spain remains the de facto administering power in the non-self- governing territory of Western Sahara under international law, and that if Spain does not shoulder its historical responsibilities, then the EU must push for the completion of the final process of decolonisation in Africa; nevertheless deeply regrets the European policy of complicity with Morocco and urges the European Union to freeze the advanced status granted to Morocco and suspend negotiations on the fisheries agreement and the free trade agreement for as long as Morocco continues its systematic policy of human rights violations in the occupied territories of Western Sahara; demands an immediate end to the Moroccan occupation;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Expresses deep concern at the recent report from the UNSR on torture, who found evidence that Moroccan officials have detained individuals on political grounds, inflicted torture and rape on Sahrawi inmates, kidnapped and abandoned protesters in the desert to intimidate them, and deliberately and frequently targeted pro-independence advocates, including in their homes; notes further widespread allegations of forced disappearances and unfair trials; draws particular attention to the dismantling of the Gdeim Izik protest camp in November 2010, where significant violence claimed Moroccan and Sahrawi livethe lives of Sahrawi civilians, including some minors, and the subsequent trial of 25 Sahrawis, many of them known human rights activists, in February 2013; notes Morocco’s insistence regarding the trial’s fairness and due process, and, following which nine of those charged were sentenced to life imprisonment, four were sentenced to 30 years imprisonment, seven received a 25-year prison sentence, three received a 20-year sentence and two were sentenced to the positivme conclusions of some international observers, but also recalls the UNSR’s concern at the use of a military court, the allegthey had served in provisional detention; recalls that these prisoners were transferred to a prison in Rabat and brought before a military court, which represents a violations of torture, and the Moroccan authoArticle 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians in occupied territories’ failure to investigate them; notes the conclusions by some NGOs and human rights observers relating to the case’s alleged politicised prosecutions, deficient evidence and, under which Morocco is obliged not to transfer citizens from the occupied territory to places outside that territory; notes the conclusions by the majority of international observers, who denounced the failings which had deprived the trial of any legitimacy and the failure to investigate reports of torture made by the defendants, and highlights the concern excpressive sentences; calls therefore on the Moroccan authorities to work with civil society and other actors to guarantee the transparency and fairness of its judicial processes, and to investigate and prosecute security officed by the United Nations special rapporteur with regard to the use of a military court, allegations of torture and the fact that the Moroccan authorities failed to investigate those allegations; takes the view, therefore, that the procedure followed did not properly guarantee the rights of those accused, who were deprived of the presumption of innocence, their right to defence and effective legal remedy, and their right to a fair trials alleged to have been involved in arbitrary detentions, torture and other abuses of powernd an independent court, since the entire procedure was motivated by a clear political objective;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Expresses deep concern at the recent report from the UNSR on torture, who found evidence that Moroccan officials have detained individuals on political grounds, inflicted torture and rape on Sahrawi inmates, kidnapped and abandoned protesters in the desert to intimidate them, and deliberately and frequently targeted pro-independence advocates, including in their homes; notes further widespread allegations of forced disappearances and unfair trials; draws particular attention to the dismantling of the Gdeim Izik protest camp in November 2010, where significant violence claimed Moroccan and Sahrawi lives, and the subsequent trial of 25 Sahrawis, many of them known human rights activists, in February 2013; notes Morocco's insistence regardunderlines that during theis trial's fairness and due process, a military court as sentenced 25 Sahrawi civiliands the positive conclusions of some international observers, but also recalls the UNSR's concern at the use of a military court, the allegations of torture, and the Moroccan authorities' failure to investigate themo 9 life sentences, 4 sentenced to 30 years, 7 sentenced to 25 years, 3 sentenced to 20 years and 2 sentenced to 2 years and 3 months, which they already have spent in custody; notes Morocco's failure to investigate claims that the defendants were subjected to torture; underlines Morocco's refusal to transfer the trial to a civilian court capable of handling fair trial standards and Morocco's obligations under international law; notes the conclusions by some NGOs and human rights observers relating to the case's alleged politicised prosecutions, deficient evidence and excessive sentences; calls therefore on the Moroccan authorities to work with civil society and other actors to guarantee the transparency and fairness of its judicial processes, and to investigate and prosecute security officials alleged to have been involved in arbitrary detentions, torture and other abuses of power;
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38a. Condemns the fact that on Wednesday 6 March 2013 Morocco expelled a delegation of four Members of the European Parliament; notes that the aim of the delegation was to visit the territories of Western Sahara, to inquire about the situation of human rights and to meet with representatives of the MINURSO; condemn Morocco's authorities behaviour and demands the Kingdom of Morocco to permit free access and free movement in Western Sahara to independent observers, members of parliaments, to the press and to humanitarian organisations;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Reiterates the concerns of the 2006 OHCHR report about restrictions on freedom of speech, assembly and association in Western Sahara; notes Morocco’s claim to allow sit-ins and other forms of protest; regrets Morocco’s apparent institutional obstruction of NGOs advocating a pro-independence positionSahrawi NGOs by preventing their legal registration and recognition; condemns the often severe punishments for ‘undermining Moroccan territorial integrity’, an item of legislation reportedly used to target Sahrawis peacefully advocating independencedefending their legitimate right to self-determination; recalls the findings of the UN Independent Expert on cultural rights that the Moroccan authorities suppress certain aspects of Sahrawi culture, and repeats her call to overturn such measures and promote full cultural diversity;
Amendment 291 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. WelcomDeplores the significant economic andfact that the infrastructural develope investments implemented by the Moroccan Government in Western Sahara are geared solely to exploiting its rich natural resources, which does not benefit the Sahrawi population; cites, as an example, the lack of universities in the Western Saharan territories occupied by Morocco; remains concerned, however, by the ongoing dispute over the exploitation of the territory’s natural resources, particularly relating to phosphate mines, fisheries, and preliminary oil exploration; recalls the UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs’ advice in 2002, which stressed the Western Saharan people’s ‘inalienable rights’ to their territory’s natural resources, and determined that further exploitation ‘in disregard of the interests and wishes of the people of Western Sahara’ would be illegal; stresses, therefore, that Western Saharan goods and resources should be exempt from any trade agreements between Morocco and the EU unless the Sahrawi population’s consent and benefit can be clearly demonstrated; expresses particular concern that the EU should not re- instituturges the EU not to conclude any fisheries agreement with Morocco while this controversy remains unresolvedthat unlawfully includes the territorial waters of Western Sahara;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Notes that landmines in Western Sahara have tragically caused at least 2 500 casualties since 1975, continuing to threaten many thousands of Sahrawi nomads, and representing a major obstacle to a resolution of the Western Saharan dispute and refugee situation; commends, therefore, the work of MINURSO, the Royal Moroccan Army, Landmine Action and others to map and clear affected areas, and; welcomes the fact that the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic has signed the Ottawa Convention on the prohibition of anti-personnel mines, while regretting that Morocco has not done likewise and continues to place mines in the territory; encourages all actors to do everything possible to educate the population, assist victims and remove all remaining munitions;
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41a. Highlights the existence of the wall which divides the territories of Western Sahara from north to south, comprising a set of eight defensive walls over 2 720 km long, built by Morocco from the 1980s onwards; condemns what has become known as the 'Wall of Shame', a military zone with bunkers, barriers and minefields guarded by 160 000 Moroccan soldiers, the daily cost of maintaining which is estimated at around 2 million euros;
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 b (new)
Paragraph 41 b (new)
41b. Expresses its total repudiation of a criminal wall that separates Sahrawi families; protests at the fact that, despite the ceasefire, Morocco is continuing to place mines in the area around the wall, repeatedly causing deaths and injuries among the Sahrawi population, and draws attention to the complete impunity enjoyed by Moroccan soldiers, who even fired shots at young Sahrawis who were demonstrating against the wall on 31 December 2012, in the presence of around 20 Spanish witnesses and in the absence of MINURSO forces, a serious incident which could recur at any time and that might be considered a de facto breach of the ceasefire;
Amendment 306 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Expresses deep concern about the chronic poverty, and lackshortage of basic services and adequate housing in the Polisario Front-administered refugee camps near Tindouf; repeats the recommendations of the UNSR on adequate housing that sufficient international funding be directed for this purpose; notes in this regard the lack of clear documentemphasises, however, that, despite the shortcomings found, humanitarian aid and water are being distributed to the entire Sahrawi population, about the precise number of inhabitants in Tindouf, and urges the authorities to conduct or facnd highlights the importance of promoting access to education and health services in the refugee camps; welcomes the efforts made by the Polisario Front, which has achieved a drastic 95% reduction in the levels of illitate regular censuses or formal registrationeracy inherited from colonial times and virtually eradicated it in the camps;
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Expresses concern that the poverty in Tindouf, coupled with an absence of long- term prospects for many refugees, leaves them vulnerable to radicalisation along religious fundamentalist lines; draws attention to the region’s porous borders, which risk facilitating deeper infiltration of the camps by jihadi groups from northern Mali and elsewhere; stresses, therefore, the paramount importance of ensuring the safety and security of the camps;
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. Notes that whilePoints out that most recent observers, and reports from the OHCHR, Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, and Human Rights Watch, have identified littleemphasised their freedom of movement and have not identified any evidence of systemic andor institutional human rights violations in the camps, multiple actors, including the Moroccan Government, Moroccan NGOs and some former inhabitants of Tindouf, have; notes that the Moroccan Government has nevertheless alleged that the Polisario authorities restrict inhabitants’ freedom of expression and freedom of movement, practise or permit slavery, forcibly marry children, and separate families in order to send children to Cuba for military training; notes Polisario’s vigorous denials of these accusations, which it claims are politically motivated; callpoints out, on the contrary, that the eradication of slavery practices and the abolition of polygamy and forced marriage, as well as the refore on Polisario tgulation of divorce, were in fact proposed and achieved by the Sahrawis in the refugee camps; commends the position of solidarity taken by the Republic of Cuba vis-à-vis the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, which has enabled cooperation between the two states and made it possible to train thousands of Sahrawi professionals since 1977, particularly teachers and doctors; welcomes the fact that Polisario allows independent human rights observers full, regular and unfettered access to the camps; amidst reported evidence of some residual private slavery in both Tindouf and Western Sahara, calls on the Polisario and Moroccan authoregrets, however, the many restrictions on and repeated expulsion of international observer delegations to the territories occupied by Morocco, including Members of the European Parliament and journalists; protests at the constant monitoring and harassment of those foreign delegations which succeed in entering the occupied territories to redouble their efforts to terminate this practice and rehabilitate its victims; , as the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights highlighted in its latest report; recalls that the Polisario Front is calling for an international mechanism to monitor human rights in both Western Sahara and the camps, whilst Morocco is vehemently opposed to any such mechanism;
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
46. Notes, nevertheless, the serious and contested allegations against both the Moroccan and Polisario administrationsMorocco, and recalls the UN Secretary-General’s recent emphasis on ‘independent, impartial, comprehensive and sustained monitoring of the human rights situation in both Western Sahara and the camps’; noteregrets, in this regard, that the UN did not upgrade the mandate of MINURSO in April 2013 to incorporate a human rights dimension; reiterates that Morocco was opposed to the incorporation of a human rights dimension, whilst the Polisario Front had called for it; encourages the UN to do so, or else to establish a new, permanent, impartial human rights body for the purpose of supervising and reporting on the overall situation of human rights, and investigating individual complaints; calls on such a body to encompass the Moroccan-controlled section of Western Sahara, the Tindouf camps, and other territory controlled by the Polisario Front;
Amendment 341 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
Paragraph 47
47. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the EUSRs for Human Rights and for the Sahel, the EU Member States, the governments and parliaments of the Sahel countries, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Morocco, Algeria, and the Polisario Front, the UN Secretary-General and Security Council, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the AU Chair and Secretary- General of the Commission, and the ECOWAS Chair and President of the Commission;