MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the case of José Daniel Ferrer García in Cuba

17.9.2024 - (2024/2805(RSP))

with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 150 of the Rules of Procedure

Sebastião Bugalho, Gabriel Mato, Michael Gahler, Andrzej Halicki, Marcin Kierwiński, Željana Zovko, Tomáš Zdechovský, Jörgen Warborn, Wouter Beke, Ondřej Kolář, Nicolás Pascual De La Parte, Mirosława Nykiel, Michał Wawrykiewicz, Luděk Niedermayer, Rosa Estaràs Ferragut, Jessica Polfjärd, Antonio López‑Istúriz White
on behalf of the PPE Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B10-0022/2024

NB: This motion for a resolution is available in the original language only.

B10‑0022/2024

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the case of José Daniel Ferrer García in Cuba

(2024/2805(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Cuba,

 

– having regard to the PDCA, signed in December 2016 and provisionally applied since 1 November 2017,

–   having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

–  having regard to Rule 150 of its Rules of Procedure,

1. whereas on 11 July 2021, human rights defender and opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer was detained in the context of widespread protests in Cuba and held in isolation since 14 August 2021; whereas since March 2023, he has been held incommunicado and his family has received no information of his health condition and have been denied the right to visit him;

 

2. whereas the Cuban regime  holds political prisoners in the most appalling conditions and there are reports stating that the condition of José Daniel Ferrer is critical;

 

3. whereas the exact number of political prisoners is not known but reliable sources state that the regime is holding over a thousand people prisoners, including minors; whereas among the high number of political prisoners also includes Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Lizandra Gongora, whose health condition is critical, to name but a few;

 

1. Condemns in the strongest terms the systematic human rights violations and abuses perpetrated by the Cuban regime against protesters, political dissidents, religious leaders, human rights activists and independent artists, among others; urges the Cuban authorities to immediately put an end to the policy of repression;

 

2. Urges the Cuban regime for the immediate and unconditional release of all politically and arbitrarily detained persons for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly;

 

3. Condemns the torture, inhuman, degrading and ill-treatment being carried out by the Cuban authorities on José Daniel Ferrer and the other political prisoners; calls for prompt and impartial investigation of such cases and for the families of victims to be granted immediate access and for the victims to be given medical care of their choice;

 

4. Reiterates its firm and unconditional support for the Cuban people, for all human rights defenders in Cuba and for their commendable dedication to freedoms and all rights which the Cuban regime has denied for decades;

 

5. Reiterates its call on the Council to adopt sanctions against those responsible for the persistent human rights violations in Cuba, starting with Miguel Díaz-Canel, along with other high-ranking officials within the Cuban regime accomplice to the violations;

 

6. Reiterates its position on the lifting of the PDCA given that the core human rights clauses of the agreement have been continuously and repeatedly breached by the Cuban regime;

 

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Cuba regime, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Commission, the EU Member States, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.