Morocco calls for inquiry into unhcr’s woman assault in tindouf camps

By Madison on mar 08, 2010

Geneva – Morocco called, Monday in Geneva, for a transparent inquiry into the assault by three people of a woman working for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Tindouf camps (Southwest of Algeria).

    The assault was reported by several press sources and websites. The woman was physically assaulted last week by three masked people while she was on an inspection visit to the camps.

     HCR should conduct an inquiry to identify those involved in this ignoble act and bring them before justice in the host country, Plenipotentiary Minister to the Permanent Mission of Morocco to the United Nations in Geneva, Abderrazzak Laassel, said.

     He urged the HCR’s Inspector General to launch an investigation into the assault and inform the Executive Committee of the inquiry’s results to avoid such aggression in the future and ensure the security of HCR’s staff.

    When the victim lodged a complaint, a wife of a Polisario’s senior official used manoeuvring to shelve the case by accusing her of provoking the aggressors through wearing titillating clothes, the Moroccan diplomat added.

    He also underlined that this crime is not isolated which shows the high rate of crimes in Tindouf camps and the no-law status prevailing in accomplice with Algeria’s silence.  
    

source: map