MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Egypt, notably the case of Giulio Regeni
8.3.2016 - (2016/2608(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure
Pier Antonio Panzeri, Victor Boştinaru, Richard Howitt, Eric Andrieu, Maria Arena, Zigmantas Balčytis, Hugues Bayet, Brando Benifei, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Simona Bonafè, Nicola Caputo, Andrea Cozzolino, Miriam Dalli, Nicola Danti, Isabella De Monte, Monika Flašíková Beňová, Doru-Claudian Frunzulică, Eider Gardiazabal Rubial, Lidia Joanna Geringer de Oedenberg, Neena Gill, Ana Gomes, Sylvie Guillaume, Jytte Guteland, Sergio Gutiérrez Prieto, Liisa Jaakonsaari, Afzal Khan, Jude Kirton-Darling, Jeppe Kofod, Kashetu Kyenge, Arne Lietz, Krystyna Łybacka, Marlene Mizzi, Sorin Moisă, Victor Negrescu, Momchil Nekov, Norbert Neuser, Demetris Papadakis, Vincent Peillon, Pina Picierno, Tonino Picula, Miroslav Poche, Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero Fernández, Renato Soru, Tibor Szanyi, Claudia Tapardel, Elena Valenciano, Daniele Viotti, Julie Ward, Josef Weidenholzer, Flavio Zanonato, Damiano Zoffoli on behalf of the S&D Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0338/2016
B8‑0378/2016
European Parliament resolution on Egypt, notably the case of Giulio Regeni
The European Parliament,
-having regard to its previous resolutions on Egypt, in particular of 15 December and 15 January 2015,
-having regard to the EU Foreign Affairs Council conclusions on Egypt of August 2013 and February 2014,
-having regard to the EU-Egypt Association Agreement,
-having regard to the EU Guidelines on the Death Penalty, on Torture, Freedom of Expression and on Human Rights Defenders,
-having regard to the reply by the High Representative/Vice President to an MEP written question on EU and Member States' military support to Egypt, dated 27 October 2015,
-having regard to the Constitution of Egypt, notably article 52 (on torture) and 93 (the binding character of international human rights law)
-having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Convention against Torture to which Egypt is a party,
-having regard to Rule 135 of its Rules of Procedure,
A.Whereas according to information available, Giulio Regeni, a 28-year old Italian doctoral student at Cambridge University, disappeared on 25 January 2016 after having left his home in Cairo; whereas his body was found on 2nd February next to a road in the outskirts of Cairo;
B.Whereas Egyptian authorities ordered a post-mortem examination before repatriating his body to Italy, where Italian investigators performed their own post-mortem; whereas the results are yet to be made public; whereas the Egyptian authorities have assured that they have nothing to conceal regarding this murder, that they are equally interested in seeking the truth and that they are ready to fully cooperate with their Italian counterparts in the ongoing investigation;
C.Whereas according to media reports and to the Italian ambassador to Cairo, Mr Regeni's body was found to have been subjected to severe beating and multiple forms of torture; whereas the Italian Interior Minister said that the body showed signs of “something inhuman, animal-like, an unacceptable violence”; whereas the Egyptian Assistant Justice Minister for Forensic Medicine Affairs rejected a media report claiming that a senior coroner had testified that Giulio Regeni had been tortured systematically for up to seven days;
D.Whereas the area where Mr Regeni’s body was found, has heavy security presence and checkpoints; whereas several observers reported on the intense police activity ahead of the fifth anniversary of the revolution; whereas the alleged methods of torture used against Mr Regeni are similar to those documented by local NGOs as routinely used against detainees in Egyptian official and unofficial places of detention;
E.Whereas Mr Regeni was conducting a research in Cairo on the development of independent trade unions in Egypt; whereas some 1,000 foreign researchers reside in Egypt, affiliated with private and government universities;
F.Whereas the case of Giulio Regeni follows a long list of enforced disappearances that have occurred in Egypt since the military takeover of July 2013; whereas in 2015, the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedom reported the disappearance of 1,700 persons at the hands of the state security forces; whereas these practices occur in a climate of near-total impunity;
G.Whereas the current Egyptian government has conducted a large-scale campaign of arbitrary detention of government critics, including journalists, human rights defenders, as well as members of the Muslim Brotherhood; whereas since July 2013, more than 22,000 people have been detained according to the Egyptian authorities;
H.Whereas the EU is Egypt's first economic partner and its main source of foreign investment; whereas in line with its revised European Neighbourhood Policy after the so-called Arab Spring and notably the "more for more" approach, the level and scope of the EU’s engagement with Egypt is to be dependent on progress with regard to the country’s respect of its commitments on democracy, rule of law and human rights; whereas on 21 August 2013 the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) tasked the High Representative to review EU assistance to Egypt; whereas the Council decided that the EU's cooperation with Egypt would be readjusted according to developments on the ground;
I.Whereas the parliamentary elections that took place in Egypt in 2015 had a low turnout, but nevertheless offer an opportunity to repeal the repressive laws adopted by the government;
1.Expresses its outrage at the recent abduction and the torture and killing of Italian researcher Giulio Regeni and expresses its profound solidarity with the relatives of the victim;
2.Calls on the Egyptian authorities to carry out a swift, independent, impartial and effective investigation into the case of Mr Regeni; Calls on the Egyptian authorities to provide the Italian and European authorities with all the documents and information in order to conduct a transparent and joint investigation in accordance with international obligations; insists that the Egyptian authorities identify and prosecute those responsible for this odious crime regardless their affiliation;
3. Underscores with grave concern that the case of Giulio Regeni is not an isolated accident, but it is placed within a context of torture, death in custody and enforced disappearances across Egypt in recent years in clear violation of article 2 of the EU- Egypt Association Agreement which states that the relation between the EU and Egypt shall be based on respect of democratic principles and fundamental human rights as set out in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights that is an essential element of the Agreement;
4. Remains deeply concerned by the overall human rights situation in Egypt, notably the generalized crackdown against civil society organisations, the continued police and military harassment, the mass arrests, systematic torture and abuse in places of detention and the sham criminal proceedings against hundreds of individuals, from all political backgrounds, solely as a response to their peaceful exercise of their fundamental freedoms or their expression of dissent; calls on the Egyptian authorities to strictly uphold the unequivocal constitutional guarantees in relation to these freedoms;
5. Calls, once again, for the immediate and unconditional release of all persons detained and sentenced solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly;
6. Calls on Egypt's recently established People's Assembly to repeal urgently the repressive Protest Law of November 2013, which has been used to clamp down on all forms of peaceful dissent, as well as the 1914 Assembly Law; also calls for the repeal of all other repressive legislation adopted in violation of the Egypt's Constitution, including the Law on Terrorist Acts and the Law on Terrorist Entities, which is misused for internal repression rather than to improve collective security, as well as the Law on Associations;
7. Expresses its profound preoccupation with the severe deterioration of the media environment; calls for the immediate and unconditional release and the overturn of wrongful convictions of all media professionals and bloggers arrested or convicted for merely carrying out their legitimate activities;
8. Strongly believes that the transitional justice and a credible and inclusive process of national reconciliation involving the whole political and social spectrum of the Egyptian society is an essential prerequisite for stabilisation and successful political and economic reforms;
9. Warns that the exclusion of non-violent representatives of political Islam from the legitimate political scene, as well as the use of torture and the non-accountability of security forces, fuel violent radicalism and extremism;
10. Expresses concern about the use of torture in detention centres in Egypt; calls on the Egyptian authorities to prosecute all security officers involved in criminal practices related to torture and enforced disappearances, and to allow Egyptian and international rights organizations full access to all places of detention and to all prisoners held there;
11. Is deeply concerned about the imminent threat of forced closure of the El Nadim Centre for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture; calls for the swift withdrawal of the order of administrative closure, as it appears to be only aimed at sanctioning its legitimate human rights work;
12. Expresses particular concern about reports of an ongoing investigation against 37 national Egyptian organisations in relation to foreign funding; calls on the EEAS to urgently address this case, which threatens among the most prominent civil society actors in the country;
13. Calls on the EEAS and Member States to raise with the Egyptian authorities the routine practice of enforced disappearances and torture by Egyptian security forces and to press for effective reform of the security apparatus and the judiciary;
14. Recalls on the Commission to clarify the safeguards established within the programmes funded under the Neighbourhood Investment Facility, in relation to corruption risks as well as to economic and financial entities controlled by the military as well as the need for revising the conditions for its potential suspension;
15. Urges Member States to fully adhere to August 2013 FAC Conclusions concerning export of military technology and equipment and security cooperation; calls for suspending export of surveillance equipment when there are indications that such equipment would be used for internal repression; calls on the HR/VP to develop a roadmap in close consultation with the European Parliament outlining concrete steps to be taken by Egyptian authorities to significantly improve the human rights situation and achieve comprehensive judicial reform before a reassessment of August 2013 FAC conclusions can be considered;
16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the parliaments and governments of the Member States, the President and Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the African Commission on Human Rights and Peoples' Rights.