Tomorrow, 20 June, is celebrated as World Refugee Day. The Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D, IT), has made the following statement:

"World Refugee Day is a day for us to focus on solidarity and on the rights of individual refugees worldwide. We have an obligation to receive asylum seekers and not to force them to return to a country in which they would be in danger of persecution. This principle reflects the commitment of the international community to ensure to all persons the enjoyment of human rights. June 20th is a day for us to commemorate the strength, courage, and resilience of millions of refugees. The right of asylum is one of the fundamental values underpinning our Union and one, which like solidarity among the Member States, we must protect at all costs".

As Russia Day - the national holiday of the Russian Federation - was being celebrated, it was reported that Russian opposition figure and blogger Alexei Navalny had been arrested. The Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, David McAllister (EPP, DE), the Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D, IT), and the Chair of the Russia Delegation of the European Parliament, Othmar Karas (EPP, AT) have made the following statement:

Yesterday as Russia Day - the national holiday of the Russian Federation - was being celebrated, it was reported that Russian opposition figure and blogger Alexei Navalny had been arrested. The Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, David McAllister (EPP, DE), the Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D, IT), and the Chair of the Russia Delegation of the European Parliament, Othmar Karas (EPP, AT) have made the following statement:

"We are very concerned to hear of the arrest of Alexei Navalny on Russia Day. The right to freedom of peaceful assembly plays a decisive role in the emergence and existence of effective democratic systems as it is a channel allowing for dialogue, pluralism, tolerance and broadmindedness, where minority or dissenting views or beliefs are respected...."

The report on addressing human rights violations in the context of war crimes, and crimes against humanity, including genocide (2016/2239(INI)) by Cristian Dan Preda (EPP, RO) was approved in the AFET Committee today by 50 votes to 2, with 6 abstentions. It will be put to a vote by Parliament as a whole at the July plenary session in Strasbourg.

A Delegation composed of three members of the EP's Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) has just concluded its visit to Uzbekistan.

The DROI delegation was composed of J. Weidenholzer (S&D, AT), J. Zeller (EPP, DE) and K. Buchner (Greens/EFA, DE). The Chair of the delegation, Mr Josef Weidenholzer, stated:

"The European Parliament has had concerns about the human rights situation in Uzbekistan and for several years therefore postponed its consent to include textiles in the 1999 EU-Uzbekistan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA)..."

A delegation of the European Parliament's (EP) Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI), led by Josef Weidenholzer (S&D, AT) will visit Uzbekistan on 22-24 May 2017 to address concerns regarding the human rights situation, the situation of the representation of civil society and the political opposition, and the progress being made towards the eradication of child labour and forced labour.

Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D, IT), Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights made the following statement today on the situation of human rights activist Yuri Guaiana, detained by police in Russia: