The Council of Europe has showed its concern in relation to the situation of human rights in Western Sahara through its organisms.
Parliamentary Assembly
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe expressed its views on Western Sahara in the context of the partnership for democracy status submitted by the Parliament of Morocco, a tool aimed to develop institutional co-operation with the parliaments of the Council of Europe’s neighboring States. In two occasions, while recalling the need to ensure effective protection of fundamental rights by the new partner, the Parliamentary Assembly stated to expect that
“Morocco will continue to seek the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. In this context, it particularly calls on the Parliament of Morocco to enhance its contribution to solving the Western Sahara problem in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council”.
See the following resolutions:
A new resolution is expected in 2014, after the adoption of a Report which summaries the outcomes of a series of meeting and visits made by members of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly.
It is worth noting that the Parliamentary Assembly addressed the situation in Western Sahara also before the establishment of the partnership with Morocco in 2004: see the Resolution on the situation in Western Sahara and the Report on the situation in Western Sahara on which the resolution is based (see part V for the analysis of the human rights protection in Western Sahara).
Committee of Ministers
No texts have been adopted on Western Sahara or related to Saharawi people.
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights made reference to the situation in Western Sahara and to the documents issued by international human rights tools of protection in the case El Aski v. Belgium (see EL HASKI v. BELGIUM at para. 50-55).
The Commissioner for Human Rights
No texts have been adopted on Western Sahara or related to Saharawi people.