MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the case of human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor in UAE

14.9.2021 - (2021/2873(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 144 of the Rules of Procedure

Anna Fotyga, Karol Karski, Jadwiga Wiśniewska, Ryszard Antoni Legutko, Angel Dzhambazki, Alexandr Vondra, Elżbieta Kruk, Witold Jan Waszczykowski, Raffaele Fitto, Assita Kanko, Elżbieta Rafalska, Valdemar Tomaševski, Veronika Vrecionová, Adam Bielan, Bogdan Rzońca, Carlo Fidanza, Ladislav Ilčić
on behalf of the ECR Group

B9‑0456/2021

European Parliament resolution on the case of human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor in UAE

(2021/2873(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on the United Arab Emirates;

–   

–  having regard to the Cooperation Agreement between the European Union, its Member States, and countries of the Cooperation Council for Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) of 1988;

 

–  having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948;

 

–  having regard to the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders of 1998;

 

–  having regard to Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

 

–  having regard to the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, including Article 15 thereof;

 

–  having regard to the Arab Charter on Human Rights of 2004, notably Articles 14 and 32, to which the United Arab Emirates is a party;

 

–  having regard to the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam of 1990;

 

–  having regard to Rule 144 of its Rules of Procedure,

 

1. Whereas Ahmed Mansoor was arrested on 20 March 2017 and accused of publishing false information and rumours online and inciting hatred and defaming the country;

 

2. Whereas Ahmed Mansoor was sentenced by the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeals to 10 years on 29 May 2018 and fined Dh1 million for charges which include insulting the status and prestige of the United Arab Emirates and its symbols including its leaders, seeking to damage the relationship of the United Arab Emirates with its neighbours by publishing false reports and information on social media, disrupting public order and propagating incitement and hatred;

 

3. whereas on 31 December 2018 the UAE’s Federal Supreme Court upheld his sentence; whereas both trials were closed and the authorities have refused requests to make public the charge sheet and court rulings;

 

4. whereas since his arrest, and for almost four years now, Mansoor has been confined to an isolation cell, deprived of basic necessities and denied his rights as prisoner under international human rights law;

 

5. Whereas in 2019 Mansoor embarked on two hunger strikes, which did prompt the authorities to allow him to call his wife and mother briefly twice a month and access to sunlight and exercise three times a week, though he remains in solitary confinement;

 

6. Whereas Ahmed Mansoor was previously jailed in 2011 for three years on charges which included insulting officials and was sentenced to a three years prison sentence along with four other activists, also known as the UAE Five; whereas Ahmed Mansoor did not serve that sentence as he received a presidential pardon; whereas he was subsequently stripped of his passport and not allowed to leave the country;

 

7. whereas Ahmed Mansoor is a prominent human rights activist and the 2015 Laureate for the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders;

 

8. Whereas a group of UN human rights experts have called on the United Arab Emirates government to release Mansoor describing his arrest as a direct attack on the legitimate work of human rights defenders in the United Arab Emirates;

 

9. Whereas Andrea Giuseppe Costantino is detained in Al Wathba prison since 21 March 2021 and he has not been charged with any crime, he has not been allowed to appoint a lawyer, nor has he been summoned for questioning;

 

10. whereas the United Arab Emirates is a key ally of the European Union in the Arabian Gulf, including in areas of political and economic relations; whereas the stability of the Arabian Gulf region is of strategic interest to NATO and there is a mutual interest in further deepening the partnership so as to better respond to future security challenges;

 

11. whereas the EU and the UAE have an active human rights dialogue since 2013 with biannual meetings;

 

12. Whereas the EU considers the UAE as an important and appreciated partner and this partnership is ever more relevant in order to further achieve the goals and objectives of mutual concern and interest;

 

***

 

1. Expresses concern about the 10-year sentence handed down to Ahmed Mansoor;

 

2. Expresses grave concern about reports that Ahmed Mansoor has been subjected to forms of torture or ill-treatment while in detention and that he is being held in solitary confinement; reminds the United Arab Emirates authorities that prolonged and indefinite solitary confinement can amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment under international human rights law;

 

3. Calls for adequate attention to be paid to the detention conditions of Andrea Giuseppe Costantino and, consequently, to his health, which continues to worsen;

 

4. Calls for greater freedoms in the United Arab Emirates and urges the authorities to ensure the protection of freedom of speech, thought and expression both online and offline for all its citizens and to comply with all provisions of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, in particular Articles 1, 6(a), and 12.2;

 

5. Underlines that it is important that UAE respects its international obligations under Human Rights Law and ensures the protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression which is not only guaranteed by universal human rights instruments, but also by the Arab Charter on Human Rights, to which the UAE is a party;

 

6. Encourages continued dialogue between the European Union, its Member States, and the United Arab Emirates, on issues relating to human rights, as well as in other areas in the interests of mutual prosperity and security; calls on the EU to keep raising this issue in the forthcoming EU-UAE human rights dialogue meetings;

 

7. Supports cooperation and technical assistance, training and best practise sharing between the European Union, its Member States and the United Arab Emirates on human rights related issues;

 

8. Welcomes the United Arab Emirates commitment to advancing values of moderation and constructive role in defying extremism;

 

9. Welcomes the United Arab Emirates participation in the fight against international terrorism, including terror financing and combatting transnational organised crime;

 

10. Respects the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the United Arab Emirates, and further welcomes the ongoing and historic relationship between the European Union, its Member States, the United Arab Emirates;

 

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the EEAS, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, the parliaments and governments of the Member States, the Cooperation Council for Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), and the Federal Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates.