Resoconto integrale delle discussioni

Giovedì 15 giugno 2017 - Strasburgo

7.2. Il caso del giornalista azero Afgan Mukhtarli (RC-B8-0414/2017, B8-0414/2017, B8-0415/2017, B8-0416/2017, B8-0417/2017, B8-0418/2017, B8-0420/2017) (votazione)

– Before the vote:

  Cristian Dan Preda (PPE). – Madame la Présidente, dans le débat que nous avons eu aujourd’hui, des membres de différents groupes politiques, celui dont je fais partie, le groupe socialiste et le groupe libéral, ont exprimé le désir de reporter le vote.

Par conséquent, je vous invite à mettre ce souhait au vote.

  President. – The proposal is to postpone the vote. Would anyone like to speak against the proposal?

  Charles Tannock (ECR). – No, just to confirm that the ECR Group will endorse and support the position of the EPP in asking for a delay in the vote, as suggested by Commissioner Hahn.

  President. – I am asking whether there is anyone in the Chamber who wishes to speak against. You have the floor.

  Pavel Telička (ALDE). – Madam President, in fact we had a debate today in the plenary, and it was consensual in terms of the assessment of the situation; there was not a single voice that would evaluate the abduction in a different way. So the question is, what is the best tactic? Some of the colleagues have proposed postponement for one reason, and that is that Commissioner Hahn will have an opportunity, travelling to Baku, to raise the issue – or he has already travelled – but the point is, we have considered this an urgency and all political groups have agreed. Everyone knows, including the person detained, as well as the Azerbaijani Government, that we are discussing and eventually postponing it on the request of Mr Hahn, for the reason that he would like to be in a better position. That is not correct. My assessment is different. If we postpone it, that basically means that we accept the disrespect of President Aliyev in that a few days before the abduction he received for an hour and a half an EP high ranking delegation discussing human rights, and then this is done. I do not believe that that will achieve the goal.

A final remark – what will achieve the goal is if the Commissioner has in hand a well—balanced wording of a resolution that will help to strengthen his position in order to release the gentleman.

(The proposal to postpone the vote was rejected)

– Before the vote on the motion for a resolution.

  Heidi Hautala (Verts/ALE). – Madam President, it is important to check all the possible facts and mistakes, and there is one factual mistake in paragraph 8. In fact, the body of Mehman Galandarov, the blogger and activist who died in the custody of Azerbaijani authorities on 28 April this year was returned to his family, so can I propose as an oral amendment that we delete the last part of paragraph 8 which is as follows ‘and whose body was not returned to his family?’. It was returned.

(The oral amendment was accepted)