Off the radar
Subtitle: human rights in the Tindouf refugee camps
Contributors: Elansari, Brahim, author; Human Rights Watch (Organization)
Publisher: Human Rights Watch
Published: 2014
Place of publication: New York]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 89
ISBN-13: 9781623131654
Subjects: Human rights; Sahrawi (African people); Refugees; Polisario; Legal status, laws
Other titles: Human rights in the Tindouf refugee camps; Western Sahara/Algeria :
Work titles: Off the radar (Human rights in the Tindouf refugee camps)
Description: For nearly four decades since Morocco's invasion of Western Sahara, thousands of Sahrawi refugees have lived in camps run by the Polisario Front deep in the Algerian desert. Based on first-hand research, Off the Radar: Human Rights in the Tindouf Refugee Camps, examines conditions in the camps, which outside human rights observers seldom visit. Human Rights Watch found no cases of persons imprisoned for their political views. However, the report documents the cases of some individuals who encountered harassment for openly criticizing the Polisario. Human Rights Watch also found that a recent decree transferring drug offenses to the jurisdiction of Polisario military courts has undermined the rights of suspects in such cases, some of whom have been held in custody for many months without a valid judicial order. The report found no evidence that the Polisario Front imposes arbitrary restrictions on the freedom of refugees to leave the camps, including to return permanently or temporarily to Moroccan-controlled parts of Western Sahara. However, the report does document the persistence, in isolated cases, of certain forms of slavery. In order to enhance human rights protections for the Sahrawi people, Human Rights Watch recommends that the U.N. Security Council enlarge the mandate of the MINURSO peacekeeping mission to include human rights monitoring both in Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara and the Tindouf refugee camps, or establish an alternative regular mechanism to monitor and report on conditions. -- back cover.
Notes: "October 2014"--Table of contents page.

Human Rights Watch report.

"A consultant to Human Rights Watch and Brahim Elansari, a research assistant at Human Rights Watch, researched this report. It was edited by Eric Goldstein, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division." -- page 79.

Includes bibliographical references.

Also available online.
Table of contents: title: Summary; title: Recommendations; title: Methodology; title: I. Background; title: II. Past abuses and accountability; title: III. Freedom of movement; title: IV. Freedom of speech, association, and assembly; title: V. Use of military courts to investigate and try civilians; title: VI. Physical abuse by security forces; title: VII. Slavery; title: VIII. Places of detention; title: IX. El Khalil Ahmed Mahmoud: An alleged forced disappearance; title: Acknowledgments; title: Appendix I. Reply from the SADR Justice Ministry, dated November 5, 2013, to letter sent by Human Rights Watch; title: Appendix II. Letter from the SADR to Human Rights Watch, dated April 5, 2014; title: Appendix III. Letter from Algerian authorities to Human Rights Watch, dated April 7, 2014.