MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Nigeria
2.7.2013 - (2013/2691(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 122 of the Rules of Procedure
Filip Kaczmarek, Cristian Dan Preda, Bernd Posselt, Tunne Kelam, Roberta Angelilli, Eija-Riitta Korhola, Elena Băsescu, Monica Luisa Macovei, Philippe Boulland, Jean Roatta, Mariya Gabriel, Sergio Paolo Francesco Silvestris, Giovanni La Via, Eduard Kukan, Sari Essayah, Petri Sarvamaa, Jarosław Leszek Wałęsa on behalf of the PPE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0344/2013
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its previous resolutions on Nigeria,
- having regards to the statement by the HR/VP Catherine Ashton on Nigeria of 2 June 2013, 26 June 2013,
- having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966, ratified by Nigeria on 29 October 1993,
- having regard to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights of 1981, ratified by Nigeria on 22 June 1983,
- having regard to the second revision of the Cotonou Agreement 2007-2013, ratified by Nigeria on 27 September 2010,
- having regard to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and in particular its provisions on the protection of freedom of religion in its Chapter IV – Right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion,
- having regard to the EU-Nigeria human rights dialogue held in Abuja in March 2013 and to the annual ministerial meeting held in Brussels in May 2013,
- having regard to Rule 122 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the security situation in Nigeria remains extremely difficult with the state of emergency declared and maintained since May 14th over the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa;
B. whereas according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, amid the insecurity resulting from confrontations between the army and the militant Islamist group Boko Haram, thousands of people in north-eastern Nigeria have been uprooted, with more than 6,000 of them fleeing in the past weeks to neighbouring Niger but also to Cameroon and Chad for safety reasons; whereas such displacements put also a strain on meagre local food and water resources, especially in Niger, which itself struggles with food insecurity due to years of drought;
C. whereas Boko Haram, which seeks to impose a strict form of Sharia, or Islamic law, in northern Nigeria and overthrow Nigeria's government, has launched hundreds of attacks since 2012 against police officers, Christians, and Muslims who cooperate with the government or oppose the group; whereas this radical group that once attacked only government institutions and security forces is increasingly targeting civilians;
D. whereas attacks by Boko Haram and abuses by government security forces led to spiralling violence across northern and central Nigeria with more than 700 Nigerians being killed so far this year in over 80 attacks associated with Boko Haram, the Nigerian terrorist group that a recent United States report ranked as the second most deadly in the world; whereas this confirms the alarming dimension of Boko Haram’s atrocities in Nigeria;
E. whereas in the name of ending Boko Haram’s threat to Nigeria’s citizens, government security forces killed hundreds of suspected members of the group and arrested hundreds of people during raids across the north while many of those detained were held incommunicado without charge or trial, in some cases in inhuman conditions, some were physically abused, others disappeared or died in detention; whereas these abuses in turn helped further fuel the group’s campaign of violence;
F. whereas in recent weeks Boko Haram militants opened fire on students taking exams at Ansarudeen Private School in Nigeria's troubled northeast, killing at least nine of them and attacked the Government Secondary School, a boarding school for seniors in Damaturu, capital of Yobe state, killing seven high school seniors and two teachers;
G. whereas according to the Human Rights Watch 2012 Nigeria’s police force continues to be implicated in frequent human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, and extortion-related abuses; whereas corruption remains a pending problem;
H. whereas the International Criminal Court prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, visited Abuja in July 2012 and her office released a report in November stating that there is a reasonable basis to believe that Boko Haram has committed acts constituting crimes against humanity;
I. whereas thousands have died in religious and ethnic violence in the central states of Nigeria over the past ten years as religious and ethnic tensions have frequently been strained in this region;
J. whereas, with the 25 June 2013 execution of four prisoners in southern Nigeria, the authorities had breached after 7 years its voluntary moratorium on death penalty; whereas human rights lawyers have filed an urgent appeal to try to prevent the authorities from executing a fifth prisoner by firing squad;
K. whereas although an appeal court upheld the sentences shortly before the executions took place, all appeals for the prisoners had not been exhausted, which is a clear sign of violating of both Nigerian and international law;
L. whereas on 26 June 2013UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns has called on the Nigerian authorities to put on hold the imminent execution of a fifth prisoner and warned that without full respect for due process guarantees, capital punishment constitutes a summary or arbitrary execution;
M. whereas Nigeria's president Goodluck Jonathan called for more death warrants to be signed in an effort to reduce crime;
N. whereas the Nigerian Minister for Women and Social Development, Zainab Maina has suggested, in an interview, that Nigeria should envisage introducing the death penalty for persons convicted for rape;
O. whereas more than 1,000 prisoners in Nigeria are believed to be on death row;
P. whereas European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton and UK Foreign Office minister Mark Simmonds have condemned the recent execution of prisoners in Nigeria and urged the authorities to halt further executions;
Q. whereas on 30 May the Nigerian House of representative, taking a cue from the Senate, passed the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill and whereas a group of 10 local and international human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to veto this Bill;
R. whereas under Article 8 of the revised Cotonou Agreement, the EU engages in regular political dialogue with Nigeria on human rights and democratic principles, including ethnic, religious and racial discrimination;
S. whereas Nigeria’s stability and democracy carry great significance beyond its immediate borders, due to the country’s leading role in the region and in sub-Saharan Africa;
1. Strongly condemns the recent violence, in particular the terrorist attacks on students carried out by the Islamist sect Boko Haram, as well as reported torture and extrajudicial killings by Nigerian state security forces, and calls on both sides to cease hostilities and take concrete measures to ensure the safety of civilians;
2. Extends its sympathies to the bereaved and the injured and to the families and friends of the victims;
3. Calls on the Federal Government to ensure an investigation of the causes of the most recent violence as well as to ensure that the perpetrators of acts of violence are brought to justice;
4. Calls on the Federal Government to crack down on Boko Haram which is boosting its strength by exploiting deep-seated religious tension in Nigeria;
5. Reminds, however, that Government’s actions undertaken against Boko Haram should not lead to further fuelling of the violence; calls in this respect for a reform of the Nigerian state security forces, including police, and conducting investigations against those who are responsible for any human rights violations including extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, and extortion-related abuses;
6. Calls for improving efficiency and independence of Nigeria’s judiciary system as a mean of effective use of criminal justice to combat terrorism;
7. Underlines the importance of regional cooperation for addressing the threat posed by a possible connexion between Boko Haram and AQMI (Al Qaeda au Maghreb Islamique); encourages the countries in the region to deepen their cooperation, including through the relevant regional organisations, in order to prevent synergies between Boko Haram and AQMI; calls on the EU institutions and Member states to lend their support to these regional efforts;
8. Condemns the execution of four prisoners in Edo State, Nigeria, which is a visible and regrettable setback to Nigeria's human rights record coming only a few months before the Universal Periodic Review of Nigeria by the UN Human Rights Council;
9. Calls on Nigerian authorities to stand up to its recent commitments expressed in the framework of the EU-Nigeria human rights dialogue to maintain the de facto moratorium on executions and urges the country to abolish eventually the death penalty by amending its legislation;
10. Urges Nigerian authorities to refrain from further executions and State Governors from signing execution warrants;
11. Calls on the Federal Government to resolve the economic and social problems which affect the country with spiralling violence by taking several measures, such as by addressing government inefficiencies and corruption, mismanagement and embezzlement of the country’s vast oil wealth, widespread poverty, police abuse, and longstanding impunity for a range of crimes in order to provide the basis for a long term and lasting solutions;
12. Calls upon the Federal Government to protect its population and to address the root causes of the violence by ensuring equal rights to all citizens and no-discrimination legislation;
13. Is concerned over the fact that journalists in Nigeria are still subject to arrest and intimidation when reporting on issues implicating Nigeria’s political and economic elite; recalls that freedom of speech and the independent media are crucial for functioning democratic society;
14. Restates its concern regarding the full and effective respect of the right to freedom of religion for all religious communities; in this context underlines that the public element is central to religious freedom, and that to prevent Christian believers from expressing their faith publicly, while reducing their religion to a private phenomenon, gravely violates their right to religious freedom;
15. Underlines that the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill could lead to discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and impose restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly, and therefore should not enter into force;
16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the EU Council and Commission, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Federal Government of Nigeria, the institutions of the African Union and of ECOWAS, the United Nations Secretary-General, the United Nations General Assembly, the Co-Presidents of the ACP EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and the PAN-African Parliament (PAP).