LADHH: “Morocco's Treatment Of Syrian Refugee Issue Is Inhumane”

The Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LADHH) said it was following closely the humanitarian distress of about 50 Syrian refugees who have been stranded for more than a week now on the Moroccan-Algerian border in a tragic situation stressing that it was surprised by what it described as the shocking media statements against Algeria coming from the Euro-Mediterranean human rights Forum.

In a written statement received by ”Echorouk”, the LADHH Association said that the protection and assistance of refugees remains a humanitarian duty regardless of their infiltration from Morocco into Algeria.
It turned down the forum’s accusations targeting as groundless and mendacious, adding that the Euro-Mediterranean Forum didn’t neither consult beforehand Algeria about the ins and outs of the issue, nor the LADHH itself which is a member of this regional human rights Forum.
The Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights said that the Kingdom of Morocco has tried to use the Syrian refugees as a leverage card for political and diplomatic purposes in an attempt to move the pending files between the two countries, particularly the issue of Western Sahara and the re-opening of the common border which is desperately sought by Morocco.
The Association said that “the hapless Syrian refugees, who are victims of Moroccan police repression, spent more than five days in the open and under the scorching sun with no humanitarian assistance” .
The Association thus called upon the kingdom of Morocco to respect its international obligations with regard to the protection of the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and irregular migrants in general by immediately ending these horrendous violations and by duly respecting their fundamental rights.
The Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights, said to this effect that it had tried to reach the 50 stranded Syrian refugees in a bid to bring them assistance, but it was unable to reach them because of their presence inside Moroccan territory, and the impossibility of crossing borders without the prior consent of both the Moroccan and Algerian authorities.