From the podium of the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), currently being held in Geneva until April 4, Algeria has called for international monitoring of human rights in the Sahara. «My country expresses its deep concern about the systematic violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the occupied territory of Western Sahara», stated an Algerian diplomat. He urged «these violations to be documented» and called on the High Commissioner to send an investigative mission to the region and submit a detailed report to the Human Rights Council, according to the Polisario press agency. Algeria made a similar request on October 31 last year, during the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2756, which extended MINURSO's mandate for another year. However, the Security Council rejected Algeria's proposal to expand the mission's mandate to include human rights monitoring in the Sahara. The last visit of a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights technical commission to the region dates back to 2015. While Algeria attempts to challenge Morocco on human rights issues, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, has presented a damning report on Algeria itself. She outlined the challenges faced by human rights defenders in the country, including: Criminalization: Human rights defenders are frequently prosecuted for their peaceful work. Anti-terrorism laws: These laws are used to suppress dissent and silence civil society. Impunity: Perpetrators of human rights violations often face no consequences. Restrictions on fundamental freedoms: Freedom of expression, association, and assembly are heavily restricted. Repression of civil society: Civil society organizations face significant obstacles and government crackdowns. Lack of trust in institutions: Many human rights defenders have little confidence in state institutions, making collaboration difficult. The Special Rapporteur concluded that the situation for human rights defenders in Algeria has worsened in recent years and urged the government to take immediate action to address these concerns.
