Sikhs Engage on Human Rights in Tindouf Camps
by Staff
November 8, 2010
ALEXANDRIA, Va., (christiansunite.com) -- A United States delegation led by the Leadership Council for Human Rights travelled to Morocco from October 22 - 29 to meet with officials and former refugees to discuss human rights issues affecting the Sahara, as well as to discuss the disappearance of Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud, a former Polisario leader who spoke out in favor of the Moroccan Autonomy Plan.Among the delegates was a member of the Sikh community, Mr. Simran Stuelpnagel, who met with a number of religious, civil society and political leaders to get a first hand view of issues affecting the region.
"As a Sikh, I was immediately impressed with Morocco's values concerning freedom of religion," Mr. Stuelpnagel said. "We met with Ambassador Serge Berdugo, for instance, who is the leader of the Moroccan Jewish community and an Ambassador at Large for His Majesty, King Mohammed VI, a direct descendent of The Prophet. In our global political climate, when terrorists attempt to mail bombs to Synagogues, I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of Morocco's pursuit of friendship between faiths. In the Ambassador's case you have a Jew representing a Muslim King. The world can use Morocco as an example of how this kind of mutual respect and integration can work."
The delegation met with members of parliament, representatives from government ministries, NGO leaders, as well as victims of torture and human rights abuse committed by the Polisario Front. Central to the trip was the case of Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud, who was arrested and disappeared by the Polisario, a guerrilla group residing in Algeria and claiming sovereignty over Western Sahara. Mr. Mouloud is a former Polisario police chief who surprised the world when he spoke out in favor of the Moroccan Autonomy Plan as a final resolution to the Western Sahara conflict.
During a press conference on the sidelines of a family visit to Morocco, Sidi Mouloud said, "We want to recover the sovereignty of the decision in all freedom and democracy, a right that was torn by the Polisario and monopolized by our leaders." He also expressed concern for the thousands of people who are held against their will in the Polisario Camps. Despite pleadings from his supporters not to return to the camps for fear of his life, he insisted on his duty to inform and to be with his people. He was arrested and disappeared on September 21, 2010, after crossing into Algeria.
"These are the actions of a dictatorial guerrilla group trying to control the thoughts, beliefs, desires, and wishes of the people it holds hostage in camps," stated Kathryn Cameron Porter, Founder and President of the Leadership Council for Human Rights who travelled with the delegation. The suspicious death of former Polisario Secretary General and negotiator Mahfoud Ali Beiba on July 2, 2010, also adds to the Leadership Council's concerns for Sidi Mouloud. Beiba had announced his plans to support the Autonomy Plan for the Western Sahara shortly before his death.
"Whatever the political outcome in the Sahara may be, Sidi Mouloud should be immediately released as the Polisario claimed they had already done," Mr. Stuelpnagel stated. "Neither his family nor the public know of his condition or whereabouts. Immediately, an independent human rights organization should be given access to him to ensure he is alive and has not been tortured, which is a viable concern given recent accounts from the camps. In fact, I would like to see the global community have unrestricted access to the camps. Accounts we have been given from former refugees paint a dismal picture and I am gravely concerned about these grave abuses committed against innocent men, women and children."
