 |
 | Este documento no está disponible en su lengua y se le ofrece en una de las lenguas que están disponibles en la barra de lenguas. |
Press release
Human rights: religious persecution, Uzbekistan, Somalia
Human rights - 15-11-2007 - 17:25
Plenary sessions
Plenary sessions
In its three human rights resolutions adopted at the end of this week's session, Parliament highlights the persecution of religious believers, particularly Christians, in certain countries; endorses the Council's recent decision to suspend visa restrictions on the Uzbekistan authorities; and calls for an immediate ceasefire in Somalia as well as action by the international community.
Threats to Christian and other religious communities around the world
In a resolution on threats to Christian and other religious communities, MEPs voice serious concern at the persecution of religious believers in numerous places around the world.
Parliament is especially worried about the proliferation of episodes of intolerance and repression directed against Christian communities, particularly in the countries of Africa, Asia and the Middle East. It lists many cases in detail, in countries and territories such as Iraq, Pakistan, Gaza, Egypt, Turkey, the Philippines, Sudan, China and Vietnam.
The resolution "strongly condemns all acts of violence against Christian communities, wherever they happen, and urges the governments concerned to bring to justice the perpetrators of these crimes". It also condemns "all kinds of discrimination and intolerance based on religion and belief and acts of violence against all religious communities" and urges the countries concerned "to ensure that their constitutional and legislative systems provide adequate and effective guarantees of freedom of religion or belief".
In particular, Parliament wants the governments of these countries "to improve the security situation of the Christian communities" and stresses that "the public authorities have a duty to protect all religious communities, including Christian communities, from discrimination and repression".
EU action
The resolution calls on the Commission and the Council to raise the subject of the situation of the Christian communities in the framework of the political dialogue with the countries where they are threatened, and when drafting and implementing development cooperation and aid programmes with those countries. MEPs also urge the European Union and the Member States to earmark more funds for the activities of the UNHCR and for humanitarian aid managed by that organisation.
Backing for EU engagement with Uzbekistan
MEPs rejected a draft resolution by the PES, ALDE, Greens/EFA and EUL/NGL groups severely criticising the Uzbekistan government and also taking the Council of the EU to task for suspending some of the visa restrictions on the regime. Instead they approved, by 39 votes to 27, a resolution by the EPP-ED and UEN groups endorsing the Council's approach.
The background is that the External Relations Council, at its meeting of 15 and 16 October 2007, renewed for a 12-month period the EU arms embargo on Uzbekistan and certain visa restrictions for individuals. However, the Council lifted for six months a separate visa ban on Uzbek officials "to encourage the Uzbek authorities to take further positive steps to improve the human rights situation".
In the resolution adopted today, Parliament first of all "reaffirms its serious concerns about the human rights situation in Uzbekistan". It "reiterates the importance of EU-Uzbekistan relations and acknowledges Uzbekistan's crucial role in the Central Asia region but stresses that those relations must be based on mutual respect for the principles of democracy, the rule of law and human rights, as is clearly laid down in the EU-Uzbekistan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement".
However, it goes on to say that "the policy of targeted sanctions has not produced positive results so far" and "considers it, therefore, justifiable to encourage the Uzbek authorities by lifting for six months the visa ban on Uzbek officials as set out in the annex to Council Common Position 2007/338/CFSP". It invites the European Council "to monitor and clearly evaluate after six months the effects of this measure on EU-Uzbekistan relations".
More broadly, the resolution "welcomes the general progress in EU-Uzbekistan relations which has taken place in the course of 2007" and "notes in particular the willingness shown by the Uzbek authorities to engage in dialogue with the EU by holding two rounds of experts' talks on the events in Andijan, as well as the first round of the human rights dialogue between the EU and Uzbekistan".
Lastly, the Uzbek authorities are urged to make further progress in the area of human rights. In particular they are asked "to implement fully their international commitments to fundamental freedoms, freedom of the press and media, and the rule of law", to reconsider the Ministry of Justice's refusal to recognise the Human Rights Watch office and to release fifteen Uzbek human rights defenders.
Somalia: MEPs call for immediate ceasefire and action by international community
In the light of the worsening situation in Somalia, Parliament adopted a resolution urging an immediate ceasefire as well as enforcement of the longstanding UN arms embargo on the country. The African Union's member states are pressed to provide peacekeeping troops, while the international community is urged to provide financial and logistical support for those troops.
At least 80 people have been killed in the recent fighting between the Union of Islamic Courts and allied Ethiopian and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) troops and at least 100,000 people have been displaced. The total number of displaced persons in Somalia is now over 850,000. About 38,000 children under the age of five among the rural population are estimated to be acutely malnourished and 10,000 are believed to be at risk of death.
Calls for immediate cessation of hostilities and of all foreign military intervention
Against this background, Parliament's resolution "strongly condemns the serious violations of human rights committed by all parties to the conflict", calls for "the immediate cessation of hostilities", demands that "all warring factions refrain from indiscriminate attacks on civilians" and calls for "an independent panel to investigate war crimes and human rights violations".
Parliament also warns that there is a clear risk of the Somalia conflict growing into a regional war affecting the entire Horn of Africa. It calls on the international community "to step up and sustain diplomatic efforts to end the violence" and propose a mechanism to negotiate and monitor an immediate ceasefire. It also calls for "the cessation of all foreign military intervention in Somalia".
African states urged to provide full contingent of AU peacekeeping troops
While welcoming the efforts by the African Union to assemble a peacekeeping force, MEPs deplore the fact that so far only 1,600 soldiers out of the 8,000 promised have actually been deployed. The AU is asked to call on its member states to honour their commitments, while the EU is urged to provide political, financial and logistical support.
More generally, the international community, particularly the EU, is asked "to increase the provision of humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons and people in need".
Enforce the UN arms embargo
MEPs also urge "strict and renewed application and monitoring of the arms embargo against Somalia imposed by the UN in 1992, for which scant respect is paid" and call for "the violators of the Somalia arms embargo to start being held accountable".
In addition, they highlight the urgent need for journalists to be protected and condemn the Somali Government's systematic harassment of journalists. Lastly, says Parliament, the EU-Africa Summit in Lisbon on 8 and 9 December 2007 should "give urgent consideration to the grave situation prevailing in Somalia".
REF.: 20071114IPR13078