The Ministerial delegation for human rights (DIDH) said, in a statement, that the Moroccan authorities were informed about the HRW's press release dated Dec. 18, 2020 which adopted and disseminated a political discourse opposing the Moroccan Kingdom's territorial integrity as well as its latest positive developments.

In this press release, "the said organization resorted, as usual, to baseless and despicable allegations with no concrete foundation in an attempt to include the human rights dimension in its discourse, while paying no heed to the internationally-agreed upon methodology concerning the criteria of neutrality and objectivity governing the work of non governmental organizations involved in the field of human rights," said the Ministerial delegation for human rights.

In this regard, the Moroccan human rights body went on to say, the Moroccan authorities categorically reject the adoption by HRW of the thesis of Morocco's foes regarding the peaceful and legal intervention to re-open the border post of El Guerguarat linking Morocco and Mauritania, which happened after using all means and ways including the repeated calls by the UNSG as well as the security council resolutions about non-interference with the free movement of people and goods in this crossing.

The Ministerial delegation for human rights recalled, in this respect, that this sound peaceful intervention to restore movement in this vital crossing, linking the European and African continents for centuries, was largely supported by the international community.

"What reaffirms the political aspect of the organization's press release is its meddling in bilateral relations between countries and their sovereign decisions," wrote the statement, noting that the US recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara constitutes an extension of its continuous support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative which was submitted to the UN in 2007 and described by the UNSC as a serious and credible proposal.

HRW's systematic attacks against Morocco, which the Moroccan authorities refuse, pushed the organization into the trap of presenting distorted facts, deplored the Ministerial delegation for human rights.

"HRW should have condemned, at least, the exploitation of children for political reasons by the separatists instead of accusing the Moroccan authorities which intervened to apply the law and protect them against such abuse," said the statement, adding that this NGO ignored, at the same time, the campaign to recruit children in Tindouf camps and their use to call for war and stir hatred, in addition to its vile interpretation of the precautionary health measures adopted by the Moroccan authorities to fight the pandemic and shield the right to life and to health.

The Ministerial delegation for human rights also described, as an attempt to spread falsehood, the HRW's call to entrust MINURSO with the prerogative of monitoring the human rights situation in the Kingdom's southern provinces under the pretext that similar missions in the world have this competence. "Only seven out of 14 peacekeeping missions in the world have the prerogative of monitoring the human rights situation and this in conflict countries or regions known for crimes falling within the framework of International Humanitarian Law and not International Human Rights Law," the statement explained.

The Ministerial delegation for human rights concluded by saying that monitoring the human rights situation in the southern provinces is entrusted to the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) as an independent constitutional body, recalling that the UNSC repeatedly commended, in its resolutions, the role of CNDH's regional commissions, the latest of which is resolution 2548 dated Oct. 2020.