MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Iran, notably the case of Nasrin Sotoudeh

11.12.2018 - (2018/2967(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, Tunne Kelam, José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez‑Neyra, David McAllister, Francisco José Millán Mon, Csaba Sógor, Tomáš Zdechovský, Elisabetta Gardini, Jarosław Wałęsa, Pavel Svoboda, Roberta Metsola, Milan Zver, Jaromír Štětina, Lorenzo Cesa, Michaela Šojdrová, Adam Szejnfeld, Patricija Šulin, Giovanni La Via, Ivana Maletić, Deirdre Clune, Anders Sellström, Andrey Kovatchev, Seán Kelly, Dubravka Šuica, Ivo Belet, Marijana Petir, Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Inese Vaidere, Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso on behalf of the PPE Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0562/2018

B8‑0567/2018

European Parliament resolution on Iran, notably the case of Nasrin Sotoudeh

(2018/2967(RSP))

The European Parliament,

-   having regard to its previous resolutions on Iran,

-  having regard to the statement of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, the Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Chair of the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice, and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, on Iran of 29 November 2018,

-  having regard to the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran of 27 September 2018,

-   having regard to the EU Guidelines on the Death Penalty, on Torture, on Freedom of Expression and on Human Rights Defenders,

-  having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,

-  having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966, to which Iran is a party,

-   having regard to Rules 135(5) and 123(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

 

A.   whereas Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent Iranian human rights lawyer and a mother of two children, was arrested on 13 June 2018 after she represented a woman facing imprisonment for peacefully protesting Iran’s compulsory hijab law by removing it in public;

B.  whereas Nasrin Sotoudeh has been in the women’s ward of Evin Prison since her arrest, and began a hunger strike on 25 August 2018 to protest against her treatment;

C.  whereas Nasrin Sotoudeh was informed that she was detained due to a five-year prison sentence that was issued against her in absentia in 2015 by Revolutionary Court Judge; whereas she was charged with “espionage in hiding”;

D.   whereas Nasrin Sotoudeh received the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2012 in absentia for her work and commitment to human rights; whereas Nasrin Sotoudeh has campaigned long and tirelessly for human rights in Iran, and has already spent several years in prison for her efforts;

E.  whereas Nasrin Sotoudeh has on several occasions spoken publicly about rule of law deficiencies in Iran and inadequacies in its justice system;

F.  whereas in September 2018, her husband, Reza Khandan was arrested for “spreading propaganda against the system”, amongst other charges, and was accused of “promoting the practice of appearing in public without a veil”;

G.  whereas the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran has reiterated the grave concerns previously expressed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and his predecessor with respect to the continuing executions of juvenile offenders in Iran;

H.  whereas substantial violations of the rights of religious and ethnic minorities in Iran have been described in the reports of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, including allegations of discrimination of Christians;

I.  whereas on 12 April 2018, the Council extended until 13 April 2019 its restrictive measures responding to serious human rights violations in Iran;

J.  whereas the EU and Iran held the fourth meeting of the High Level Political Dialogue on 26 November 2018 in Brussels; whereas discussions on human rights were held as an integral part of the EU-Iran political dialogue and as a continuation of regular exchanges held in November 2017 and in February 2016;

1.   Calls on the Government of Iran to immediately and unconditionally release Nasrin Sotoudeh; commends Nasrin Sotoudeh for her courage and commitment;

2.   Calls on the Government of Iran to respect the fundamental human rights of freedom of opinion and expression; calls for the release of all those arrested for the peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of assembly, opinion, and expression;

3.   Calls on the Iranian authorities to ensure that the treatment of Nasrin Sotoudeh, while in detention, adheres to the conditions set out in the ‘Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment', adopted by UN General Assembly resolution 43/173 of 9 December 1988;

4.   Calls on the Iranian authorities to ensure the right of all defendants to a legal counsel of their choice in all court cases without undue limitations and a fair trial, in line with Iran's international commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

5.   Calls on the Iranian authorities to guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Iran are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions, including deprivation of liberty, intimidation and judicial harassment;

6.  Expresses its grave concerns at the continuing execution of juvenile offenders in Iran and calls on the Government of Iran to immediately prohibit all executions of persons charged of offences committed below the age of 18 years old; urges the Government of Iran to abolish the death penalty in all cases, and pending this, introduce a moratorium;

7.  Calls on the Government of Iran to fully respect the rights of religious and ethnic minorities in Iran, including Christians, and to ensure that all those who reside in the country have equal protection before the law, regardless of ethnicity, religion or belief;

8.  Reiterates its call on Iran to deepen its engagement with international human rights mechanisms by cooperating with the Special Rapporteurs and special mechanisms, including by approving requests for access to the country by mandate holders;

9.  Reiterates its call on the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Member States to systematically raise human rights concerns with the Iranian authorities, including the situation of political prisoners and human rights defenders and freedom of expression and association, as an essential condition for making further progress in economic and political relations;

10.   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 governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Government and Parliament of Iran.