The Moroccan Association for Citizenship and Human Rights addressed the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, regarding the decision of the European Court of Justice in order to make him aware of his interference in the Sahara affair.
The Geneva-based association estimated that the latest decision of the European Court “would undermine all efforts for peace and stability in the region”. In a press release, the association indicates that it welcomed with great astonishment the decision of the European Court of Justice, which invalidated the trade agreements between the European Union and Morocco in the Moroccan Sahara.
She believes that the recent decision of the European Court of Justice, “challenged the material competence of the United Nations and even contradicted its decisions and policies, not to mention that it ignored a large part of the Sahrawis who cling to their identity Moroccan and to the relationship of allegiance which binds them to the Moroccan monarchy”.
Recalling that the said decision comes after the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, expressed in August 2024 his “deep concern” about the deterioration of the situation in the Moroccan Sahara, in his latest report.
The text continues by alerting that the association intends to send a letter of protest to the presidency of the European Court of Justice, “which has gone beyond the historical facts and the facts on the ground”, without forgetting the international context characterized by a broader recognition of the Moroccan Sahara and support for the autonomy proposal.
In this sense, the association called on the Moroccan government to classify the Polisario organization on the national terrorist list and to provide an appropriate sanction for anyone who supports it or advocates it, while doing what is necessary at the international level. to classify it as a terrorist organization as well.
For the association, it is unthinkable that a militia like the Polisairo could have the power to undermine peace efforts or that the European Court of Justice could rule in its favor while the international community perceives the Polisario organization as a group non-state militarized acting as a proxy for another state.
She highlighted that the European Court of Justice had already issued rulings contrary to numerous international human rights conventions, including a ruling in March 2017, when it granted institutions the right to prohibit the wearing or the display of any political, religious or philosophical symbol in order to “preserve neutrality”, citing decisions concerning two cases in Belgium and France, concerning the complaint of two Muslim women who felt they had been victims of discrimination at work because of wearing the hijab.
