MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

13.1.2009

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 Michael Gahler, Bernd Posselt, Eija-Riitta Korhola, Tunne Kelam
on behalf of the PPE-DE Group
on placecountry-regionIran: the case of Shirin Ebadi

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B6-0036/2009

B6‑0041/2009

European Parliament resolution on Iran: the case of Shirin Ebadi

The European Parliament,

-    having regard to its previous resolutions on country-regionplaceIran, notably those concerning human rights,

-   having regard to the Declarations by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union of 22 December 2008 and 31 December 2008,

-   having regard to the statement by the Secretary-General of the United Nations of 3 January 2009

-  having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which country-regionplaceIran is a party,

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

A.  whereas the situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the exercise of civil rights and political freedoms is alarming,

B.   whereas on 21 December 2008 Iranian police and security officials closed the Center for the Defense of Human Rights led by Mrs Shirin Ebadi, as it was preparing to hold a celebration marking the 60th anniversary of the Human Rights Day,

C.   whereas on 29 December 2008 Mrs Shirin Ebadi's office in CityplaceTehran was searched and some days later hostile crowds mobilized outside her office and home,

D.   whereas actions by the authorities against Mrs Shirin Ebadi have intensified because of her contact with UN human rights officials who have used information provided by her center in a UN report of 2008 on the situation of human rights in Iran,

E.   whereas the lawyer Shirin Ebadi is the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and is a leading human rights defender in Iran,   

1.   Strongly condemns the repression against Mrs Shirin Ebadi and the closure of the Center for the Defense of Human Rights;

2.   Urges the Iranian authorities to put an end to the repression against Mrs Shirin Ebadi and to ensure her safety and security;

3.   Urges the Iranian government to authorise the re-opening of the Center for the Defense of Human Rights and grant the center the legal status it has sought for many years;

4.   Reminds the Government of Iran of its obligations, as a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to safeguard fundamental human rights;

5.   Urges the Council and the Commission to continue their examination of the human rights situation in Iran and to submit to Parliament in the first half of 2009 a comprehensive report on the matter and to continue to raise concrete cases of human rights abuses;

6.   Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the PlaceNameplaceMemberPlaceType States, and the government and parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran.