MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the Human Rights situation in the United Arab Emirates
23.10.2012 - (2012/2842(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 122 of the Rules of Procedure
Willy Meyer; Patrick Le Hyaric; Marie-Christine Vergiat; Jean-Luc Mélenchon on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0476/2012
B7‑0487/2012
European Parliament resolution on the Human Rights situation in the United Arab Emirates
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the new EU Strategic Framework and Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy
- Having regard to the 25 June 2012 EU-GCC Ministerial
- Having regard to the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (Palermo Protocol) and the UN Conventions on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
- Having regard to the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur in Trafficking in Persons, especially in women and children of 12 April 2012
- Having regard to its previous resolutions, notably the one of 24 March 2011 on EU Relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council
A. Whereas the government of the UAE has accelerated it's crack down on human rights defenders and civil society activists in 2012, bringing the number of political detainees to 64, including prominent human rights lawyers Mohammed al-Mansoori - former president of the Jurists' Association - and Mohammed al-Roken
B. Whereas most of them are in incommunicado detention and they are being denied legal assistance
C. Whereas in a court hearing of six detainees on 6 September, the defendants seemed according to reports of human rights organizations under the heavy influence of consciousness altering drugs
D. Whereas the government also turns to the method of deportation of human rights advocates, such as in the case of Ahmed Abd al-Khalep, an advocate for the rights of stateless residents known as Bidun
E. Whereas the situation of many foreign workers who represent almost 80% of UAE's population continue to raise serious matters of concern and that according to the report of the Special Rapporteur trafficking in persons for labour exploitation is widespread and victims of such form of trafficking remain unidentified and cases underreported
F. Whereas only one single case of trafficking for forced labor has ever been referred to the court
1. Calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all peaceful political activists and human rights defenders
2. Calls on the UAE authorities to ensure that detainees deemed to have broken the law be brought before a judge, charged with a crime and provided with legal assistance of their choosin
3. Stresses that detainees who were alleged abused while in detention should receive independent forensic medical exams and that evidence secured by torture be excluded from any future trial
4. Welcomes the UAE’s accession on 19 July 2012 to the United Nations Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and urges the UAE authorities to affirm its commitment to its assumed treaty obligations by conducting thorough, impartial and independent investigations into the allegations of torture at State Security facilities as well as allegations that officers of state Security have forcibly disappeared individuals
5. Calls on the UAE authorities to conduct thorough and impartial investigations into the assault of human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor, and into the public threats made against his life
6. Calls on the UAE authorities to restore and respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of expression, both online and offline, freedom of assembly, and the right to a fair trial
7. Calls on the UAE to affirm its intent to “uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights,” in line with its bid for membership of the UN Human Rights Council for 2013 to 2015 by ratifying the ICCPR and ICESCR and their optional protocols and by issuing a standing invitation to visit to all UN special procedure mandate holders
8. Welcomes the UAE’s 2012 adoption of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers
9. Welcomes efforts to reform the 2006 Federal Law No.51 on Combatting Human Trafficking Crimes and to adopt legislation to explicitly include labor exploitation, domestic servitude as well as other forms of trafficking such as forced and revile marriages and to enhance the prosecution of cases of trafficking need be greatly enhanced
10. Calls equally on the government to make provisions for appropriate support, including shelters and financial support for service providers and civil society as well as a national compensation scheme for victims of trafficking and servitude
11. Urges the UAE to affirm its commitment to abide by its provisions by extending key labor protections to domestic workers, such as weekly days off, limits to hours of work, and a minimum wage
12. Calls on the UAE to enforce more rigorously its domestic laws that provide for the protection of migrant workers, and to scrap those laws which provide for their exploitation, in particular the kafala system of sponsorship-based employment
13. Welcomes the adoption of the new EU human rights package and urges the European institutions to take concrete actions, together with the 27 EU Member States, to ensure a clear and principled EU policy vis-à-vis the Member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council that addresses the ongoing serious human rights violations, including through demarches, public statements and initiatives at the Human Rights Council
14. Calls on the Delegation for relations with the Arabian Peninsula to follow up on the recommendations made in this resolution
15. Instructs its president to forward this resolution to the Government and Parliament of UAE, the EU High Representative, the Commission, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, the parliaments and governments of the Member States, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the governments of the Member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council.