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Proposition de résolution - B8-0383/2014Proposition de résolution
B8-0383/2014
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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Mauritania, in particular the case of Biram Dah Arbeid

16.12.2014 - (2014/2999(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 135 of the Rules of Procedure

Cristian Dan Preda, Davor Ivo Stier, Bogdan Brunon Wenta, Lorenzo Cesa, Tunne Kelam, Monica Macovei, Franck Proust, Andrej Plenković, Jaromír Štětina, Philippe Juvin, Francesc Gambús, Giovanni La Via, Dubravka Šuica, Lara Comi, Jeroen Lenaers, Tomáš Zdechovský, Seán Kelly, Csaba Sógor, Alessandra Mussolini, Andrzej Grzyb, Eduard Kukan, Pál Csáky, Pavel Svoboda, Stanislav Polčák on behalf of the PPE Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0382/2014

Procédure : 2014/2999(RSP)
Cycle de vie en séance
Cycle relatif au document :  
B8-0383/2014
Textes déposés :
B8-0383/2014
Textes adoptés :

B8‑0383/2014

European Parliament resolution on Mauritania, in particular the case of Biram Dah Arbeid

(2014/2999(RSP))

The European Parliament,

 

-          having regard to its previous resolutions on Mauritania, including those of June 14, 2012 on security and Human Rights in the Sahel region, and that of October 22, 2013 on Human Rights in the Sahel region,

 

-          having regard to Foreign Affairs Council conclusions on implementation of the EU Strategy for Security and Development in the Sahel of 17 March 2014,

 

-          having regards to the UN Convention on Slavery of 1926 and its Protocol of 1953,

 

-          having regard to the Report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, on her follow-up mission to Mauritania (24 – 27 February 2014) of 26 August 2014,

 

-           having regards to ILO Convention 105 on forced labour,

 

-          having regard to Rule 135of its Rules of Procedure,

 

A.     whereas Biram Dah Abeid’s, the son of freed-slaves, is engaged in an advocacy campaign to eradicate slavery; whereas in 2008, he founded the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement; whereas this organization seeks to draw attention to the issue and to help take specific cases before courts of law; whereas Biram Dah Abeid was awarded the United Nations Human Rights Prize for 2013;

 

B.        whereas Biram Dah Abeid was arrested on 11 November 2014 along with other anti-slavery activists following a peaceful protest march;

 

C.        whereas Biram Dah Abeid has been charged with inciting violence, disturbing public order, offending a member of the authorities and being a member of an unregistered organization;

 

D.       whereas the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, its causes and consequences, hailed as “an essential step forward in the fight against slavery” the formal adoption by the Mauritanian Government on 6 March 2014 of the road map for the elimination of the vestiges of slavery prepared in cooperation with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights;

 

E.        whereas relations between the EU and Mauritania are principally founded on the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement (the Cotonou Agreement) and on the National Indicative Plan for the 2014-2020 period, signed in Nairobi on 19 June 2014;

1.        Expresses deep concern about the detention of Biram Dah Abeid and other anti-slavery campaigners currently imprisoned in Mauritania; urges the Mauritanian authorities to stop harassing and imprisoning civil society activists who campaign for an end to slavery; calls for their immediate and unconditional release;

 

2.        Welcomes the formal adoption of the road map for the elimination of the vestiges of slavery; condemns, however, the on-going slavery in Mauritania; notes that slavery persists despite the official abolition of slavery in 1981, its explicit criminalisation in 2007, and its designation as a crime against humanity under the 2012 constitutional reform; urges the Government to end effectively all forms of slavery and to enact anti-slavery laws; calls on the authorities to end impunity for the crime of slavery since only a limited number of suspects have been charged with this crime, to address the systemic racial hierarchies and discrimination which facilitate the persistence of this crime in the country and to actively assist in the integration of former slaves into Mauritanian society;

 

3.        Reiterates it call on the EU and the Member States to address slavery in Mauritania, and to continue to support the work of Mauritanian as well as international anti-slavery organisations, including the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, its causes and consequences, and the International Labour Organization;

 

4.        Underlines the importance of a fruitful relationship between the EU and Mauritania with the aim of contributing to democracy, stability and development in Mauritania; stresses that Mauritania is a significant partner in the EU Strategy for Security and Development in the Sahel;

 

5.        Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the European Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the Governments and Parliaments of the Member States, and the Government and Parliament of Mauritania.