51st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC)

Symposium on violations of the right to life: the systematic nature of arbitrary executions committed by the Polisario and the responsibility of the host country

In accordance with the modalities of the 51st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), a “symposium on violations of the right to life: the systematic nature of arbitrary executions committed by the Polisario and the responsibility of the host country” was organized on 22th September, by “The Promotion of Economic and Social Development (PDES-NGO)” and “The International Observatory for Peace, Democracy and Human Rights, Geneva (IOPDHR-GENEVA)”.

The Speakers participated in this Symposium, such as -Mr. Emmanuel TAWIL, Professor at the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas; Mr. Lorenzo Penas ROLDAN, International Lawyer for terrorism and international security; Ms. Sophie MICHEZ, Lawyer at the Brussels Bar; Mr. Chema GIL, Director of the International Security Observatory and expert on terrorism and international security issues; Ms. Maghlaha DLIMI, Director of the Dakhla media library; and Mr. Naoufal BOUAMRI, Lawyer and human rights activist-, shed light on the violations committed by the Polisario (established in Tindouf camps in southwestern Algeria) which resemble those of terrorist groups operating in the Sahel-Saharan region.

The Speakers tackled not only the case of the forgotten victims of history who are still waiting for justice to be done, but also other victims who do not cease to work to reveal the truth in broad daylight, especially after the entry into force of the Algerian Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation, whose objective seems to reverse the roles and alter the truth.

In the same vein, many themes were fully discussed during this Symposium, underlining especially:

– The normative framework on the protection of the right to life and summary, extrajudicial or arbitrary executions;
– The atrocities committed by the Polisario since the installation of the Tindouf camps in southwestern Algeria ;
– What about the victims of the Polisario, between the policy of impunity and the obligation to repair the victims and reveal the truth;
– The persistence of the systematic character of the killings and the joint and several responsibilities of the Algerian security forces and the Polisario elements;
– The implementation, by the Polisario, of the policy of incitement to violence, generating chaos and killing;
– The dangerous link between the Polisario board and the armed groups operating in the Sahel and Sahara region and the security challenges imposed.