Morocco’s Inter-Ministerial Delegation for Human Rights (DIDH) on Thursday strongly rejected allegations contained in a section of non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch’s (HRW) 2023 annual report released on January 11 that were highly critical of Morocco’s human rights record.
In a caustic statement, the DIDH argued that the global human rights NGO is continuing its “hostile campaign” against Morocco and that HRW’s approach to evaluating the human rights situation in Morocco deliberately disregards the principal “methodological rules and recognized standards” for NGOs, namely impartiality, objectivity, and professionalism.
The delegation said that due to the organization’s “inability to realistically portray human rights” in Morocco, its report merely repeats allegations already asserted in previous reports that were either based on unilateral and outdated accounts, conveyed by hostile parties, or were “weaponizing the human rights issue” for specific purposes.
The DIDH stated that some events in the 2023 report date back nearly a decade or more, while others concern issues Morocco has already addressed with “full respect for legal and human rights.” Meanwhile HRW “persistently ignores official sources’ reliable data,” including data available on the official online pages of the UN Human Rights Mechanisms.
DIDH criticized HRW’s preparation of the report and accused it of “bias,” by merely copying certain paragraphs from previous reports and taking the word of an association claiming that its work had been “hindered” by the Moroccan government, “without providing documented data to justify these allegations.”
DIDH also criticized the organization’s “selective approach” and lack of impartiality by focusing only on certain cases that have gone to court, while ignoring others.
HRW, it said, based only on “conjecture,” has ignored available data from independent institutions authorized to monitor the progress of related trials.
The report also supposedly highlighted HRW’s “inability to keep up with the achievements and dynamics of human rights in Morocco,” according to DIDH, with HRW “deliberately choosing” to convey false allegations and facts lacking credibility, at a time when the Kingdom is open to any form of international observation, particularly within the UN human rights system.
Citing examples of HRW’s “lack of professionalism,” DIDH asserted that the organization had gnored the National Human Rights Council’s substantial data regarding its roles in the protection of human rights, especially its national mechanisms whose periodic reports “attest to Morocco’s colossal efforts” in the promotion of human rights.
The delegation dismissed HRW allegations against Morocco such as “imprisonment of individuals in apparent retaliation for their criticism,” “resorting to twisted tactics to crush opposition and opponents,” and “repressive climate,” as claims without basis.
The DIDH also argued that HRW has “chosen partiality” regarding the artificial regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara submitted to the UN Security Council, while ignoring Morocco’s efforts to resolve the dispute, efforts that the international community, particularly the UN, has described as “serious and credible.”
Instead, HRW has chosen to promote hostile allegations from Morocco’s opponents, claiming, for example, that Morocco “is pressuring its Western allies to recognize its sovereignty” over the Sahara, according to DIDH. Similarly, it argued that HRW has ignored the serious violations committed in the Tindouf camps as well as the terrorist acts of the “Polisario” targeting civilians and safe zones, asserting that this “proves” that the organization has become a “tool in the hands of the enemies of the Kingdom’s territorial integrity.”
Notwithstanding its strongly worded critique, DIDH reaffirmed its willingness to “interact constructively and positively with serious and professional NGOs by providing all the clarifications and data that can contribute to the development of objective and impartial topical reports.”