The Amazigh World Assembly calls on Foreign Minister Bourita to respect the rights of the Amazigh people
Rachid Rakha, President of the World Amazigh Community, sent an open letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Residing Abroad, Nass Bourita, demanding that the rights of the Amazighs be respected.
After congratulating Morocco on its election to the presidency of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the year 2024, which coincides with the Amazigh New Year 2974, the head of the Amazigh body expressed his fear that “the presidency of this United Nations Council, which is charged with promoting and protecting human rights, will be exploited to justify violations committed by the state.” Moroccanism and whitewashing its image,” and “We sincerely hope that this entitlement will be a new beginning to consolidate our country’s will to strengthen the rule of law, democracy, and respect for human rights in general, and the rights of the Amazigh in particular.”
Text of the message:
His Excellency Mr. Nasser Bourita,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Residing Abroad
Topic: Congratulations on the election of Morocco as President of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the year 2024/2974, the recommendations of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), and respect for the rights of the Amazigh.
Mr. Minister,
First of all, we would like to express to you our deep congratulations on the occasion of Morocco’s historic election to the presidency of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the year 2024, which coincides with the Amazigh New Year 2974, which has now become official.
This great victory for the presidency of this high-level international body, by obtaining thirty votes against 17 votes in favor of South Africa, does not mean in any way that the Kingdom of Morocco respects the rights stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted on December 10, 1948, let alone United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted by the General Assembly on September 13, 2007.
Allow us, Mr. Minister, to express to you our fears that Morocco will be used to chair this UN Council, which is charged with promoting and protecting human rights, to justify the violations committed by the Moroccan state and whitewash its image. We sincerely hope that this appointment will be a new beginning to consolidate our country’s will to strengthen The rule of law, democracy, and respect for human rights in general, and Amazigh rights in particular.
As His Majesty King Mohammed VI stressed, in his message to the participants in the international debate organized by the National Council for Human Rights on December 7, 2023, on the occasion of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the Declaration of Human Rights, “celebrating this anniversary is an opportunity to highlight what Achievements have been made in this field, as well as the shortcomings and shortcomings that have marred the process of defending its gains, and to monitor the challenges that still stand in the way of the international community to comprehensively advance all human rights issues.”
Mr. Minister,
I would like to inform you that the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) issued its final recommendations regarding the combined report of the nineteenth to twenty-first periodic reports submitted by Morocco, last December 8, and discussed the report at its 3024th and 3026th sessions on November 22nd and 23rd. , and its 3043rd and 3044th sessions on December 5 and 6, 2023. It made its final recommendations on the issue of the Amazigh and their language. With regard to the dissemination of information, the UN Committee called on the Moroccan state to make its reports available to the public upon submission, as well as to publish the relevant concluding observations of the Committee to all state agencies responsible for implementing the Convention CERD/C/MAR/CO/19-21 13, including agencies, states, regions and communities. , as well as publishing it on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Residing Abroad or on any other website available to the public in the official and other commonly used languages, as appropriate. [1]
In this context, I would like to point out that more than two months have passed, and your ministerial sector has not taken any action regarding these important and necessary international recommendations, of which we feel compelled to remind you:
Regarding the paragraph related to the rights of the Amazigh:
The International Committee recommends that the State party take the necessary measures to ensure that the Amazigh enjoy their full rights under equal conditions and without discrimination, and in particular recommends that it:
a. Take measures to collect data disaggregated by sex and age regarding the participation of members of ethnic groups in political and public life, and intensify measures aimed at increasing their participation in these areas, especially women belonging to these groups, especially in decision-making positions.
B. Redouble its efforts aimed at combating the poverty suffered by the Amazigh and ensuring their access to work, education and health services, without discrimination.
C. Protecting the Amazigh from confiscation of their lands and forced displacement, especially of ethnic women; Return confiscated lands or agree on appropriate compensation; Ensuring effective access to justice for victims; Conduct effective and useful prior consultations with the Amazigh before authorizing the implementation of any development program or exploitation of natural resources that is likely to have impacts on their lands.
Dr.. Conduct investigations into all cases of excessive use of force by law enforcement officials against Amazigh activists, human rights defenders and demonstrators, and ensure that those responsible are prosecuted and, if convicted, punished appropriately for their actions, and that victims and their families receive appropriate compensation for the harm they have suffered.
e. Take measures aimed at adopting special legislation to promote and protect human rights defenders, including those working in the field of combating racial discrimination, and on the rights of groups most exposed to this type of discrimination.
Regarding the paragraph related to the Amazigh language:
The Committee recommends that the State party intensify its efforts to implement the constitutional requirements of Regulatory Law No. 16-26 defining the stages of formalization of the Amazigh language and how to integrate it into education and priority areas of public life, and in particular recommends that:
a. Increasing the pace of generalizing the teaching of the Amazigh language at all educational levels, including the pre-school stage, and increasing the number of teachers adequately trained to teach the Amazigh language.
B. Strengthening the presence of the Amazigh language and culture in the audio-visual media.
C. Reviewing the legislative framework, in particular Law No. 15.38 on judicial organization, in light of the Constitution and Organic Law No. 16.26, which make Arabic and Amazigh official languages of the State Party, in a way that allows the adoption of the Amazigh language as is the case with the Arabic language before the courts, including in Pleadings and rulings.
Dr.. Work to ensure that employees of civil status offices respect the legal requirements related to the right of every citizen to choose and register a personal name for his or her child, including Amazigh names.
e. Redouble efforts to ensure the effective use of the Amazigh language in official documents, as stipulated in Regulatory Law No. 16.26, and in this regard, review Law No. 20.04 regarding the National Electronic Identification Card, which does not include any reference to the necessity of using the Amazigh language or alphabet (Tifina’). Within its provisions nor to the Basic Law mentioned above.
Two months after the publication of these recommendations regarding the rights of the Amazigh, we were astonished by the absence of any response from Morocco to these important international recommendations. For example, the Ministry of National Education intends to allocate approximately 52,000 new jobs to universalize primary education for children aged 4 to 5 years, without any reference to the integration of the Amazigh language, which is considered essential for the success of this education. This ministry is also mired in contradictory statements regarding this important and priority government project, which is generalizing the teaching of the Amazigh language at the primary level. In order to generalize the teaching of the Amazigh language in primary schools, the Committee on the Sixth Periodic Report of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, issued on December 1, 2016, set their number at about 100,000 teachers, while the current minister, during a meeting organized in October 2021 in the city of Nador, It was proposed to employ only 17 thousand teachers to spread this teaching, at a rate of one teacher for every 8 classes! In June 2021, he proposed 50% coverage through annual recruitment of 400 to 600 teachers at most. Taking into account these small numbers, to achieve this goal, we will have to wait at least two decades to achieve 50 percent of the generalization of Amazigh at the primary education level [2].
Another example in this regard concerns the governor of the Bank of Morocco, who shows his disdain for the Amazigh language and insists on clinging to his racist position towards the Amazigh language, by continuing to violate Article 5 of the Constitution and Article 22 of Organic Law No. 16-26 by issuing a new 200 dirham banknote. , after a 100 dirham note, without any reference to the Amazigh language or its Tifinagh alphabet [3].
The third example concerns the Ministry of Interior, which issued no less than 1,139,206 biometric passports during the past year 2023. The only flaw was the absence of the country’s second official language in these official documents. The same situation applies to national identification cards issued by the General Directorate of National Security! These two institutions, which must set an example, have not, so far, shown any political will to integrate the Amazigh language into these official documents or into means of transportation such as police cars, thus continuing to violate the requirements of Article 5 of the Constitution, Article 21 and Article 28 of the Organic Law. No. 16-26! In addition, this ministry, through the new governor of the Souss-Massa region, destroyed an entire village containing about 200 people, and this concerns the “Tifnit” fishing village, the last of which was publicly destroyed last December 28 [4], and the destruction of the village of Imsouane. On January 18th!
Mr. Minister,
As we expressed to you at the beginning, we are truly happy and honored that our country Morocco will assume the presidency of the United Nations Human Rights Council this year 2024/2974. Therefore, we greatly hope that you will arm yourself with a “clear political will” to protect and promote human rights, through noble actions and concrete actions.
First, to take urgent and bold initiatives in favor of human rights, such as releasing the detainees of the “Amosun in the Rif” (Rif Movement), to send positive signals to the 30 countries that gave their votes to our country, to win the presidency of the Human Rights Council, and even to the 17 countries that voted against us in favor of our country. Nelson Mandela.
Secondly, to respond positively to the recommendations regarding respect for human rights addressed and discussed by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in the concluding observations on Morocco’s nineteenth to twenty-first periodic reports; In particular, human rights related to the Amazigh people in order to advance the Amazigh culture and language. As His Majesty King Mohammed VI said: “The world has known multiple problems related to universality, including the multiplicity of positions on the particularities and culture of each country within the universality of human rights. International opinions and discussions concluded with the appreciation of multiple cultures, as an inherent human right, and because privacy does not hinder the enjoyment of basic rights.”
Third, publish the concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, within the state’s agencies, institutions and ministerial sectors, including regions, regions, currencies and municipalities, and publish them as soon as possible on the website of your ministry.
As I wish you a happy and prosperous Amazigh Year 2974, please accept, Mr. Minister, the highest expressions of appreciation and respect.
Signature:
Rashid Rakha
President of the World Amazigh Assembly
Copies addressed to:
– His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Royal Palace in Rabat
- Mr. Aziz Akhannouch, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Morocco
- Mr. Omar Zniber, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Morocco in Geneva
- Mr. Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva
- Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Paris
- Minister of Justice
- Interior Minister
– Director General of National Security
– Minister of Culture, Youth and Communication
– Minister of National Education, Primary Education and Sports
- Ms. Nathalie Fausté, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Morocco
- Mrs. Patricia Pilar Lombart Cossac, European Union Ambassador to Morocco,
- Mr. Puneet Talwar, Ambassador of the United States of America
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