MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Angola
8.9.2015 - (2015/2839(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure
Charles Tannock, Mark Demesmaeker, Anna Elżbieta Fotyga, Ryszard Antoni Legutko, Ryszard Czarnecki, Tomasz Piotr Poręba, Angel Dzhambazki, Raffaele Fitto, Geoffrey Van Orden, Ruža Tomašić, Arne Gericke on behalf of the ECR Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0846/2015
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its previous resolutions on Angola,
- having regard to the EU-Angola Joint Way Forward of 23 July 2012,
- having regard to the EU guidelines on Human Rights Defenders and on freedom of expression,
- having regard to the Council Consludions of June 2014 on the 10th anniversary of the Guidelines,
- having regard to the Cotonou Partnership Agreement signed in June 2000,
- having regard to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
- having regard to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,
- having regard to Rule 135 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. Whereas in recent months the Angolan government has intensified its clampdown on any suspected challenge to its authority, thus violating human rights as enshrined in the Angolan constitution;
B. Whereas freedom of association and assembly in Angola continue to be suppressed and there is a growing concern that the military and intelligence services have become the driving forces behind the arrest and prosecution of human rights activists;
C. Whereas on March 14th human rights activist José Marcos Mavungo was arrested without a warrant and on August 28th prosecutor António Nito, asked the court in the Angolan province of Cabinda to sentence Mavungo to 12 years imprisonment on the charge of inciting rebellion despite no evidence being presented that he had committed any crime;
D. Whereas the journalist and human rights activist Rafael Marques was condemned on 28 May 2015 to 6 months imprisonment for the publication of a book on Blood Diamonds;
E. Whereas on 20th June 2015 police in Luanda arrested 13 activists, and a further two on 22nd June, who had been reading books about peaceful political action;
F. Whereas all those detained were illegally and arbitrarily arrested and charged with 'rebellion', 'political subversion', 'attempted coup d'état' and 'crimes against national security';
G. Whereas the activists were arrested and had their homes raided without the authorities presenting any warrant, while it has been reported that they were subject to physical and psychological torture as well as death threats and they remain in detention with no formal indictment;
H. Whereas in April reports circulated of a massacre in Huambo province following an attempt by police to arrest the leader of a religious sect called 'Luz du Mundo'; whereas the police have confirmed 22 deaths while there are other accounts that incident claimed hundreds of lives, with suggestions that the death toll may exceed 1,000;
I. Whereas the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urged for an international inquiry into the incident, which triggered the Government to open a judicial investigation;
J. Whereas there have been repeated accusations from organisations denouncing the link between corruption, depletion and misappropriation of natural resources and their proceeds by the ruling elite;
K. Whereas independent reports have established that the oil income, the main resource of the Government, has not been directed towards sustainable development or local communities, while at the same time the ruling elite has become considerably, and increasingly, richer;
L. Whereas Human Rights Watch said in its 2015 report that “The police use excessive force and engage in arbitrary arrests to stop peaceful anti-government protests and other gatherings.”;
1. Calls the Angolan authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all human rights defenders, including Marcos Mavungo and Rafael Marques, and to drop all charges against them, as well as any other activists, prisoners of conscience or political opponents arbitrarily arrested and detained solely for their political views or for participating in peaceful political activities;
2. Urges the authorities to ensure that no acts of torture or ill-treatment have been or are performed on the detainees and to guarantee full protection and access to their families and lawyers;
3. Calls on the Angolan authorities to immediately put an end to cases of arbitrary arrest, illegal detentions and torture by the police and security forces; reiterates that prompt, impartial and thorough investigations must be carried out into all allegations of human rights violations by police and security forces and that the perpetrators are brought to justice;
4. Invites the Member States and the EEAS to step up dialogue with the Angolan Government in all political, trade and development relations, to ensure it upholds its national and international human rights commitments and urges them to use all appropriate tools and instruments to achieve these aims;
5. Expresses its serious concern that freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association continue to be suppressed in Angola and at reports of extrajudicial executions, excessive use of force as well as intimidation; in this regards calls on the Government to take steps to decriminalise press offences, in line with international standards and ensure journalists and human rights defenders are not intimidated and thus respect, protect and promote freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association in Angola;
6. Calls on the Angolan authorities to promptly ratify and implement the human rights conventions it has signed and incorporate the provisions of these into national legislation, such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention against Torture and its Optional Protocol; furthermore calls on Angola to consider acceding to other international human rights instruments to which they are not yet a party;
7. Urges the Angolan judicial authorities to assert their independence from any political influence and to ensure the protection of human rights as enshrined in the Angolan constitution, such as access to justice and the right to a fair trial;
8. Remains concerned that that measures to combat violence against women and children have not been implemented; calls on the authorities to strengthen the fight against harmful traditional practices, such as the stigmatisation of children accused of sorcery;
9. Calls for an improvement in the situation of women and children by implementing the National Policy for Gender Equality and Equity of 2013 and devoting adequate human and financial resources to ensure its effectiveness;
10. Calls for further cooperation with the United Nations, other international organisations and local human rights groups to overcome remaining constraints and challenges to human rights, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association in Angola;
11. Urges the Angolan Government to lead an urgent, transparent and credible inquiry of the Huambo massacre, and to provide support to the survivors who have been displaced, and echoes the UN calls for an international and independent complementary investigation;
12. Recalls the commitment made by Angola under the Cotonou Agreement to respect democracy, the rule of law and human rights principles which include freedom of expression and freedom of the media, good governance and transparency in political offices;
13. Calls on the Angolan authorities and foreign companies to help strengthen governance in the extractives sector by abiding to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative;
14. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the African Union, the governments of the countries of the SADC region, the President, Prime Minister and Parliament of Angola, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the UN Human Rights Council, and the ACP-EU JPA.