MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

18.11.2008

with request for inclusion in the agenda for the debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 115 of the Rules of Procedure
by Pasqualina Napoletano, Alain Hutchinson, Maria Badia i Cutchet, Raimon Obiols i Germà
on behalf of the PSE Group
on Somalia

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B6-0596/2008

B6‑0598/2008

European Parliament resolution on Somalia

The European Parliament,

-   having regard to its resolutions of 14 November 2007, 18 June 2008, 14 October 2008, among others,

-  having regard to the Amnesty international report of 1 November 2008,

-  aving regard to the statement of 8 November made by Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for children and armed conflict condemning this incident,

-   having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas on 27 October 2008 a 13 year old girl named Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow was stoned to death in placeplaceKismayoplace, Somalia, after having been convicted of adultery,

B.  whereas Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow was in fact raped by three men, and when she reported the rape to the radical Islamist al-Shabab militia took the decision to convict her of adultery,

C.  whereas the al-Shabab militia, who control the southern port city of Kismayo, detained and ordered the execution by lapidation of Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow, and did not arrest or detain those responsible for raping her,

D.  whereas the al-Shabab militia claimed that Aisha Ibrahim Duholow was 23 years old, when in fact, she was only 13 years old,

E.  Whereas the stoning to death was carried out by a group of 50 armed men, in front of around 1,000 spectators,

F.  Whereas inside the stadium, militia members opened fire when some of the witnesses to the killing attempted to save the life of Aisha Ibrahim Duholow, and shot dead a boy who was a bystander,

G.  Whereas there are credible reports that a human rights activist in Kismayo had received death threats from the al-Shabab militia, who accuse him of spreading false information about the incident.

H.  Whereas the Islamist insurgents carried out public floggings in the capital, Mogadisho, attempting to show their growing strength,

I.  Whereas Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (T.F.G.) and its political opposition, the conciliatory faction of the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia based in Djibouti (A.R.S.-D), signed documents on cessation of hostilities on October 26 in Nairobi, facilitated by the East African regional body Inter-Governmental Authority and Development (IGAD),

• 1.Condemns in the strongest possible terms the stoning and gruesome execution of Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow by the radical Islamist al-Shabab militia;
• 2.Calls on the Somali government to condemn this execution and to take immediate action to prevent such barbaric punishments; calls for those accused of raping Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow to be brought to justice by due process;
• 3.Calls on the Somali government to issue documents and make statements to restore the honour of Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow posthumously;
• 4.Calls for investigations into the lapidation of Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow and punishment of those found guilty; calls to investigate all cases of human rights violations, including other violations of children's and women´s rights;
• 5.Strongly urges the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to make full use of its mandate to protect civilians, with particular focus on women and children, and calls for it to be mandated to monitor, investigate and report human rights violations;
• 6.Strongly supports the Nairobi Agreement between the government of Somalia and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia based in Djibouti (A.R.S.-D) aimed at ending years of hostilities in Somalia, and forging a lasting solution to restore peace and put an end to the abuses mentioned in this resolution;
• 7.Calls on the international community to strengthen the UN arms embargo and to monitor airports and sea ports to ensure that illegal arms imports are not entering the country in order to improve the overall security situation;
• 8.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the placeMemberplace States, the General Secretary of the African Union, IGAD governments and the government of placeplaceSomalia.