MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Egypt and Syria, in particular of Christian communities
24.10.2011
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Charles Tannock, Peter van Dalen, Geoffrey Van Orden, Ryszard Antoni Legutko, Konrad Szymański, Valdemar Tomaševski, Ryszard Czarnecki, Tomasz Piotr Poręba on behalf of the ECR Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0542/2011
B7‑0548/2011
European Parliament resolution on the situation in Egypt and Syria, in particular of Christian communities
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Egypt and Syria, and its resolution of 20 January 2011 on the situation of Christians in the context of freedom of religion,
– having regard to the EU-Egypt association agreement and in particular Article 2 thereof,
– having regard to the statement by the High Representative, Catherine Ashton, of 10 October 2011, on the violence in Egypt,
– having regard to the statement by its President, of 10 October 2011, on violent clashes in Egypt,
– having regard to Council Decision 2011/522/CFSP amending Decision 2011/273/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against Syria, Council Decision 2011/523/EU partially suspending the application of the Cooperation Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Syrian Arab Republic, Council Regulation (EU) No 878/2011 of 2 September 2011 amending Regulation (EU) No 442/2011 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria, and Council Regulation (EU) No 1011/2011 of 13 October 2011 amending Regulation (EU) No 442/2011 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria,
– having regard to the statements of the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) on Syria of 8 and 31 July; 1, 4, 18, 19, 23 and 30 August; 2 and 23 September; and 12 October 2011,
– having regard to the Council conclusions on Syria of 18 July and 10 October 2011,
– having regard to the Joint Communication on ‘A new response to a changing neighbourhood’ of the European Commission and the High Representative to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of Regions of 25 May 2011,
– having regard to the UN Security Council Presidential Statement of 3 August 2011,
– having regard to the UNHRC Resolution on the situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic of 23 August 2011,
– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,
– having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) of 1966, to which Syria is party,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas on 9 October 2011 what started as a peaceful demonstration by Coptic Christians following an attack on a Coptic church in Marinab village in the Governorate of Aswan, was brutally crushed by the Egyptian army, resulting in the death of over 25 people, mostly Coptic Christian, and leaving several hundred wounded;
B. whereas more violence was incited by the Egyptian state television when people were called to 'protect the army', a call to which Islamic extremists responded; whereas at the same time two independent media outlets were stormed and forcibly closed by security forces;
C. whereas there are reports that in addition Christian shops and businesses were looted in Cairo;
D. whereas Coptic Christians represent around 10% of the Egyptian population; whereas there have been recurrent acts of violence against Coptic Christians in Egypt over recent years and whereas the security situation of the Copts seems to have deteriorated since the start of the revolution;
E. whereas the Egyptian Constitution guarantees freedom of belief and freedom to practise religious rites;
F. whereas the European Union is one of the main international donors of Egypt and has made significant financial and other commitments to support the political transition;
G. whereas the European Union has repeatedly expressed its commitment to freedom of thought, freedom of conscience and freedom of religion and has stressed that governments have a duty to guarantee these freedoms all over the world;
H. whereas various rounds of parliamentary elections are due to take place in the coming months, beginning on 28 November 2011;
I. whereas since March protests and demonstrations have taken place in many towns and cities in Syria;
J. whereas it is estimated that at least 3,000 people have been killed during the protests, a number that has been steadily rising as the Syrian authorities have responded with increasing brutality, while many more citizens are thought to have been injured during the protests;
K. whereas the High Commissioner's fact-finding mission of 19 August found evidence of hundreds of summary executions, the use of live ammunition against demonstrators, the widespread deployment of snipers during protests, the detention and torture of people of all ages, blockading of towns and cities by the security forces and the destruction of water supplies;
L. whereas citizens of Syria are subjected to arbitrary arrest and imprisonment without trial, or trial by military court and have no independent judiciary to defend them, no freedom of speech and no right to demonstrate guaranteed by law;
M. whereas it is reported that cities and towns throughout Syria are kept under siege by government-led forces, without access to food, medical supplies or communications;
N. whereas despite many public statements committing to political reform, President Bashar al-Assad has failed to act to implement a specific agenda that would safeguard public freedoms and judicial independence and prohibit the Syrian government from encroaching on human rights;
O. whereas the Syrian government uses the Supreme State Security Court (SSSC), a special court that remains outside the ordinary criminal justice system, to try political activists and human rights defenders;
P. whereas the Gulf Cooperation Council will work with the authorities in Syria to begin the transition towards free elections and the handover of power by President Assad;
Q. whereas on 2 September and 13 October the EU Member States have agreed extended sanctions, in addition to existing restrictions applied to Syria;
1. Strongly condemns the violence perpetrated against the Copts on 9 October 2011 by the Egyptian army and extremists and any other sectarian violence and expresses its condolences to the victims and their relatives;
2. Welcomes the pledges made by the Egyptian cabinet on 10 October 2011, including the establishment of a Fact Finding Committee, a judicial investigation by the Office of the Public Prosecutor and by the Office of the Military Prosecutor, the submission of a draft decree which would legalise the status of existing non-licensed places of worship, continued efforts to adopt a 'Common Code for building places of worship' and the addition of a new article to the Egyptian Penal Code regarding the crime of 'discrimination';
3. Welcomes furthermore the initiation of a fact finding mission by the National Council for Human Rights in Egypt;
4. Urges the Egyptian authorities to guarantee the independence and impartiality of the various investigations by allowing proper oversight;
5. Calls on the Egyptian authorities to guarantee that Coptic Christians and members of other religious communities and of minorities enjoy the full range of human rights and fundamental freedoms – including the right to choose and change their religion freely – by law and in practice, and to prevent any discrimination against them;
6. Calls therefore on the Egyptian authorities to review Article 2 of the Egyptian Constitution, which states that 'the principles of the Islamic shariah are the principal source of Egyptian legislation' and to make sure that any constitutional provision is inclusive and leaves no possibility for discrimination of anyone in Egyptian society;
7. Is concerned about the statements made by Major General Rouini, a current member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, in a TV interview on Al Qahera Al Youm (Cairo Today) on 10 May 2011, saying that the entire army and population of Egypt is Salafist;
8. Calls on the High Representative and the Commission to review the EU's financial commitments towards Egypt and to guarantee a strict conditionality so that financial aid is only disbursed when the Egyptian authorities can prove they have done all in their power to guarantee fundamental human rights, including freedom of religion or belief, to all Egyptians;
9. Urges the Egyptian authorities to immediately release Maikel Nabil Sanad, a 26-year-old blogger currently on hunger strike, sentenced to three years in prison over his criticism of the Egyptian military’s use of force against protesters in Tahrir Square and his objection to military service;
10. Urges the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to review their decision to not allow foreign observers to be present for the parliamentary elections due to start on 28 November 2011; asks the SCAF to receive a delegation of members of the European Parliament for an Election Observation Mission;
11. Strongly supports the Council's conclusions on 10 October, which call for President Assad to step aside and allow the democratic transition to take place, and express disappointment at the lack of a joint response from the UN Security Council concerning the brutal actions of the Syrian authorities;
12. Insists that the government of Syria guarantees protection from attack for protesters and upholds the right of protesters to take part in peaceful demonstrations, to guarantee freedom of expression; calls on the Syrian Government therefore to cease immediately the use of force against peaceful protesters;
13. Expresses concern about reports of violent clashes, and condemns increased presence amongst protesters of armed Islamist forces with smuggled weapons inciting jihad and shooting at security forces, which threatens all out civil war along a sectarian basis;
14. Calls upon the Syrian Government to set up an independent, effective and transparent investigation into the security forces’ actions and in particular the activities of the President’s brother in command of special forces and to hold accountable any member of the security services who shot at or ordered the shooting of unarmed protesters with live ammunition;
15. Calls upon the Syrian Government to desist from the arbitrary arrest and detention of political activists, human rights defenders and journalists, and release all prisoners of conscience; calls upon the authorities in Syria to account publicly for everyone who has been killed, injured or those who remain missing;
16. Expresses serious concern that intimidation by Syrian authorities may be extending to exiled opposition activists;
17. Calls upon the Syrian authorities to stop government censorship of local and foreign publications, end repressive government control over newspapers and other publications, and to lift restrictions on communications and the Internet;
18. Calls upon the Syrian Government to allow immediate and unconditional access for human rights agencies and humanitarian workers;
19. Welcomes the sanctions imposed on 2 September and 13 October by the EU Member States; calls on the EU to show a united front in its dealings with the Syrian authorities;
20. Welcomes the resolution adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council, and calls on the Syrian Government to cooperate fully with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights;
21. Welcomes the condemnation of the Syrian regime by Turkey and Saudi Arabia and Turkey’s role in accepting refugees; regrets Iran’s continuing support for President Al Assad’s intransigent position and brutal repression of his people;
22. Calls for open and peaceful dialogue between the Syrian government and the people of Syria; Strongly urges the government of Syria to act upon its public commitments and implement democratic reforms without delay, with full respect for all minority groups; Urges President Assad to recognise the rejection of his regime by the Syrian people and to step aside in the best interests of Syria and the unity of its people;
23. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces of Egypt, the Secretary-General of the Arab League and the Government and Parliament of the Syrian Arab Republic.