‘The Netherlands yields to Moroccan pressure on human rights’
To enable the return of failed Moroccan asylum seekers, the Netherlands can no longer commit itself to human rights violations in Morocco. At least that is the explanation given by some members of the Lower House of the Netherlands-Morocco Action Plan. That was closed by both countries in July last year, but has only now been made public.
“Both countries are guaranteed to respect each other’s confirmation and institutions and not to interfere in mixed situations,” is one of the agreements made.
Minister Wopke Hoekstra of Foreign Affairs told the House of Representatives a week ago that he would consider it ‘proper’ to maintain certain bilateral agreements. “What we’ve agreed diplomatically is that we don’t throw those kinds of documents out on the street.” Under pressure from the House, and after approval from the Moroccan government, the action plan is now definitively public.
‘Disgusting capitulation’
GroenLinks parliamentarian Tom van der Lee even spoke to the NOS of a ‘staggering capitulation’. PvdA colleague Kati Piri is also critical. “Do standing up for political prisoners and press freedom in Morocco fall under documented issues?” she wondered on Twitter.
It is precisely the way in which that agreement will be interpreted that will be certain in both countries, says Maarten den Heijer, an expert on international immigration law at the University of Amsterdam. “Not interfering in documented matters is interpreted narrower in Morocco than in the Netherlands. The Western hypothesis is that saying something about human rights is a universal issue and therefore does not involve interference, but countries such as Morocco and China think differently.”
Another controversial agreement concerns ‘negotiation with a view to signing an extradition treaty’. Such a treaty between two countries usually means that they fully recognize each other’s rule of law. “An extradition treaty with a country without confidential jurisdiction is certainly controversial,” said Piri, referring to the risk of an unfair trial.
Stiff relationships
The passage about ‘regular exchange of information’ about the financing of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is also striking. “I suspect that Morocco is trying to obtain funding from the Netherlands for NGOs that are active in Morocco,” says Den Heijer.
The relationship between the Netherlands and Morocco is based on more criticism of the way Morocco protests in the Rif Mountains. Subsequently, elsewhere, Morocco is called back by nationals expelled from the Netherlands.
Three years ago, then-Secretary of State Ankie Broekers-Knol was embarrassed by Morocco by a following explanation in conversation with her to go back to taking back hidden asylum seekers.
Behind the scenes work has been done on a better relationship, with last year’s action plan as a result.
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