Human Rights resolutions: Azerbaijan, women in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Tunisia

Parliament strongly condemns the murder of Rafig Tagi in Azerbaijan and expresses its concern over the safety of Samir Sadagatoglu, in a resolution adopted on Thursday. In two further resolutions, MEPs express their deep concern about the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and urge the Tunisian authorities to guarantee Zacharia Bouguira the right to a judicial process conducted in accordance with international standards.

Azerbaijan

MEPs strongly condemn the murder of Rafig Tagi, a prominent Azerbaijani writer and journalist, and express their concern over the safety of Samir Sadagatoglu, the editor of the Sanat newspaper. They welcome the move by the Azerbaijani Government to set up a special working group to investigate the murder of Rafiq Tagi and call on the Azerbaijan authorities to ensure that the investigation is thorough and effective, and that perpetrators are prosecuted and brought to justice in a trial which meets international fair trial standards. At the same time, Azerbaijani authorities must to do their utmost to protect the life and safety of Samir Sadagatoglu.

MEPs finally insist that threats and incitement to violence against individuals expressing views deemed ‘offensive’ by some adherents of religions and beliefs systems are "totally unacceptable", that those responsible for such threats and incitement must be prosecuted, and that the freedom of expression and safety of the threatened individuals must be fully guaranteed.

Situation of women in Afghanistan and Pakistan

Parliament is deeply concerned about the situation of women and girls and the repeated reports of brutal violations of women’s rights in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It stresses that closer international attention must be paid as a matter of urgency to the situation of women and girls in those countries. Women’s rights must be explicitly addressed in all human rights dialogues, and in particular the issue of combating and eliminating all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls, including all forms of harmful traditional or customary practices, early or forced marriage, domestic violence and feminicide. Parliament insists that the invocation of any custom, tradition or religious consideration of any kind in order to evade the duty to eliminate such brutality be rejected.

MEPs pay tribute to the Afghan women who are playing a crucial role in the development and growth of the nation. The advances made in recent years in the area of equality between men and women are essential to building the future of the country. They also welcome positive developments in the form of appointments of women to high-ranking political and administrative positions in Afghanistan. However, Parliament is deeply concerned that, despite all the progress made, Afghan women and girls continue to be victims of domestic violence, trafficking, forced marriages, including child marriages, and being traded in settlement of disputes.

With regard to the situation in Pakistan, MEPs express their deep concern about the handling of the court cases against Asia Bibi, Mukhtar Mai and Uzma Ayub, which could further erode faith in Pakistan’s justice system and embolden those who seek to violate the rights of women and other at-risk groups. They call on the Pakistani Government to re-establish the fundamental rights enshrined in the 1973 Constitution, including the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of sex.

Tunisia: the case of Zacharia Bouguira

Parliament welcomes the international commitments made by Tunisia since the end of the Ben Ali regime, particularly as regards cooperation with United Nations special procedures and mechanisms in the fight against torture, inhuman and degrading treatment. It urges the Tunisian authorities therefore to guarantee Zacharia Bouguira the right to a judicial process conducted in accordance with international standards, in order to shed light on the serious human rights violations of which he was the victim and to prosecute the perpetrators of those acts. Parliament calls also for the violation of the rights of the 13 Moroccan citizens to be investigated.

MEPs are aware of the challenges facing Tunisia during its democratic transition process and call on the Tunisian Government and the Constituent Assembly, as well as on the relevant trade unions, to engage without delay in an irreversible reform process focusing in particular on the security sector, with specific reference to the police and judicial systems. Also, the independence of the judiciary and the freedom and independence of the press and the media must be guaranteed, with a view to establishing a robust and sustainable democracy .

Procedure: Resolutions (Rule 122)