Пълен протокол на разискванията

Четвъртък, 13 декември 2018 г. - Страсбург

7.1. Иран, и по-специално случая на Насрин Сотуде

  Președintele. – Următorul punct pe ordinea de zi este dezbaterea a șase propuneri de rezoluție referitoare la Iran, în special cazul lui Nasrin Sotoudeh (2018/2967(RSP)).

  Heidi Hautala, author. – Mr President, we are talking here about Nasrin Sotoudeh and notably the case of her persecution. She’s a brave human rights lawyer and she has been detained and convicted because of her work defending human rights in Iran. Notably, she was defending the rights of women not to be obliged to wear the veil.

I believe that Iran cannot have a bright future without the empowerment of women, and that’s what so many women activists are now trying to do in Iran, to show that the women are an important force in the country.

So what we are calling for is an immediate and unconditional release of Nasrin Sotoudeh. Nasrin Sotoudeh is also the 2012 Sakharov Prize winner, so we have a special duty to follow her life and her work, and whenever Sakharov Prize winners are under persecution, we react. We use diplomatic channels but it’s time also now to express our view and our concern, and our demand in public here in the European Parliament today. We demand also that the delegation in Iran representing the European Union and its Member States follow her case, visit the prison and convey our demand to release her immediately and unconditionally.

Also this resolution is very much about the recent concerns about the living conditions of people in Iran. We want to express our solidarity for those who suffer from drought and worsening living conditions, and I think it’s our right to express our solidarity to these people. Finally, we should be aware of the damaging impact of the United States’ sanctions on the people of Iran.

  Charles Tannock, author. – Mr President, I’m pleased that we are today raising the case of Nasrin Sotoudeh, a Sakharov laureate and prominent human rights lawyer in Iran. The harassment of lawyers and human rights activists in this manner is wholly unacceptable and is illustrative of the fundamental lack of basic civil rights that exists within Iran under the theocratic regime. I naturally support the calls for her immediate release, but we should remember that her case is by no means an isolated one.

I’m one of those that strongly supports the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) but I’ve always maintained, as is key to that nuclear deal, that this should not mean we shy away from highlighting the dire human rights situations that persist in Iran and have been there for many years.

This resolution also raises the important issue of dual nationals who have been arrested and detained in Iran, including many EU citizens. The case of Nazanin Zaghari—Ratcliffe continues to dominate UK—Iran relations and I call, once again, for her release, I sincerely hope in time to return to her family in England for Christmas.

  Cornelia Ernst, Verfasserin. – Herr Präsident, meine Damen und Herren! Ich möchte drei Dinge hier anmerken. Das Erste ist: Wir solidarisieren uns, und zwar ohne Wenn und Aber, mit all den Menschen im Iran, die gegen soziale und wirtschaftliche Missstände, gegen Korruption und Misswirtschaft demonstrieren, weil ihre Lebensbedingungen unerträglich geworden sind – mit den Lkw-Fahrern, die keinen Lohn bekommen, mit den Umweltaktivisten, die gegen Klimaschäden kämpfen. Und ich sage auch: Kein Mensch darf inhaftiert werden, nur weil er demonstriert, und zwar im Übrigen nirgendwo. Nur weil sie protestieren, ins Gefängnis geworfen und verfolgt zu werden, ist inakzeptabel.

Das Zweite ist: Wir fordern die sofortige Freilassung von Nasrin Sotoudeh und ihrem Mann – Nasrin Sotoudeh, eine mutige Anwältin, das muss man auch sagen, die im Iran geblieben ist, die Frauen vertritt, die um ihre Freiheit kämpfen. Für mich ist es unfassbar, dass eine Sacharow-Preisträgerin ins Gefängnis geworfen wird und man dann erwartet, dass wir die Iraner unterstützen. Aber wir unterstützen auch diejenigen Frauen, die jetzt im Gefängnis sitzen, nur weil sie sich dagegen entschieden haben, ein Kopftuch zu tragen. Der Mensch ist frei geboren, und das soll er auch bleiben, und er soll auch frei über sich entscheiden. Das ist doch ein Minimum, was wir hier zu fordern haben.

Und das Dritte ist: Ja, wir stehen hinter dem JCPOA, weil wir ein atomares Wettrüsten nirgendwo wollen, und weil es verdammte Zeit wird, sich von der Bevormundung durch einen verantwortungslosen US-Präsidenten, der sich wie Kaiser Nero benimmt, endlich frei zu machen. Europa braucht eine eigenständige Politik gegenüber dem Mittleren und Nahen Osten. Es ist Zeit, dies jetzt zu tun, und dazu verlangt es auch, gegen die Sanktionen der USA aufzubegehren.

  Ana Gomes, author. – Mr President, the lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was in jail when we awarded her the 2012 Sakharov Prize and she was never able to come to meet us because she has now been thrown in jail for several years in Iran for her indefatigable advocacy for human rights and women’s rights. Her husband, Reza Khandan, because he dared to protest publicly against her imprisonment, was also arrested and accused of spreading propaganda against the regime and promoting the practice of appearing in public without a veil.

Such ridiculous charges tell us everything about the tragedy in which Iran is ensnared. On the one hand, a vibrant people, proud of its civilisation and full of potential; on the other, an archaic regime that needs to impose brutal repression on the people. The new law on drugs has been positive, sparing the death penalty for thousands of Iranian citizens. But torture, unfair trials, the discrimination of minorities and religious persecution... all of that compounds the terrible repressive framework against which the citizens of Iran increasingly bravely resist and denounce.

When I returned to Iran last February in a delegation of the European Parliament, I could sense the people were much more vocal, and therefore we call for the release of all the political prisoners, all the human rights campaigners like Nasrin Sotoudeh. The more we feel attached to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which is also about human rights, the more we need to raise human rights and indeed demand that this action ends.

  Marietje Schaake, author. – Mr President, Commissioner and colleagues, human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh is one of the world’s most courageous human rights defenders. Herself and her family are paying an extraordinary price for her doing her job. I’m very proud that we awarded her the Sakharov Prize but that also gives us specific responsibility to speak out for her freedom. The Islamic Republic has once again shown its true colours by imprisoning Nasrin Sotoudeh – again. This time, because she defended courageous women – the courageous women who want the freedom to wear or not to wear the hijab, and it is essential that High Representative Mogherini speaks out both publicly and privately in her many engagements with representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran. She must speak out for the universal human rights of all Iranians, but especially for the human rights defenders and the women that have a legitimate and modest claim when they want not to be forced to wear a religious symbol.

  Tunne Kelam, author. – Mr President, I think it’s symbolic for the existing human rights situation in Iran that even a prominent human rights defender and receiver of the Sakharov Prize six years ago, Nasrin Sotoudeh, has been kept in custody now for more than half a year for publicly opposing Iranian compulsory hijab law. This is happening against the background of countrywide popular protests, which have continued throughout 2018. I can only quote Amnesty International’s latest report seven days ago, which says: ‘Iran is in the grip of a multifaceted crisis that is rooted in the confluence of severe political, economic, environmental and human rights problems. [...] In response, the authorities have been widening the net of repressions.’ It is not any more about small groups of protesters, but about widespread strikes by truck drivers, teachers, environmental activists, workers, students and national and religious minorities, who stand up against the dramatically worsening economic and social conditions, against corruption and political repressions. We demand therefore, first and foremost, the immediate release of Nasrin Sotoudeh.

However, just appealing and asking will not be enough. To have a real impact on the behaviour of Iranian rulers, the European Commission and Member States’ governments need to implement unanimously and forcefully the recipe the European Parliament formulated a long time ago. The recipe of resolution stresses once more today that any progress in economic and political relations should be strictly conditional on a credible improvement of the human rights situation, citizens’ rights and freedom of expression. Nothing less.

The EU can make a difference, provided we can strike a principle link between realpolitik and universal values.

  Michaela Šojdrová, za skupinu PPE. – Pane předsedající, letos v létě došlo v Íránu k uvěznění další z ochránkyně lidských práv na Blízkém východě, advokátky Nasrín Sotúdeové. Její případ je ojedinělý jednak v tom, že se jedná o první ženu v pořadí vězněných advokátů v Íránu, a také v tom, že jde o politickou vězenkyni, která se nebála zahájit na protest hladovku. V neposlední řadě je to také držitelka Sacharovovy ceny, kterou dostala od Evropského parlamentu v roce 2012.

Nasrín Sotúdeová bojuje za rovnost žen a mužů, za práva etnických a náboženských menšin, která v Íránu nejsou garantována. O to víc nám nesmí být lhostejný její osud, protože v Íránu je dál uplatňován trest smrti, a to také vůči politickým vězňům. Evropský parlament opakovaně zvedá hlas a požaduje svobodu pro Nasrín a další politické vězně. Vážím si toho, že se na tom shodneme napříč politickým spektrem, v tom je naše síla a v tom je také naděje pro politické vězně.

  Josef Weidenholzer, im Namen der S&D-Fraktion. – Herr Präsident! Nasrin Sotoudeh hat 2012 den Sacharow-Preis erhalten. Damals war sie auch im Gefängnis. Eine der ersten Maßnahmen des im darauffolgenden Jahr neu gewählten Präsidenten Rohani bestand darin, sie freizulassen, und das wurde damals allgemein als ein erstes positives Zeichen für die Bereitschaft der iranischen Führung, über die Situation der Menschenrechte im Land zu reden, gesehen. In der Delegation des Parlaments, der ich damals auch angehörte, konnte ich sie damals in Teheran treffen, wo sie uns durch ihre konstruktive Art beeindruckte.

Ihre nunmehrige Inhaftierung ist für uns alle schockierend, sie ist ein Alarmsignal. Wir fordern den Iran auf, den Menschenrechtsdialog ernst zu nehmen und alles zu tun, damit wir hier weiterkommen. Das betrifft auch die Situation der Menschen mit Doppelstaatsbürgerschaft wie bei dem Fall von Kamran Ghaderi. Und wir erwarten eine sofortige Freilassung von Nasrin Sotoudeh. Es ist auch höchste Zeit, dass sie und Jafar Panahi den ihnen vor sechs Jahren verliehenen Sacharow-Preis endlich hier in Straßburg in Empfang nehmen dürfen.

  Bas Belder, namens de ECR-Fractie. – Voorzitter, de Islamitische Republiek Iran blijft een intrigerend land. Vandaag de dag, bijvoorbeeld, maken nationale geestelijken zich grote zorgen over de erosie van hun publieke status. Dit proces ondermijnt immers de legitimiteit van het regime. In deze bedreigende situatie moeten de mensenrechten het zwaar ontgelden. Onze resolutie spreekt daar duidelijke taal over. De wrede vervolging van mensenrechtenadvocate Nasrin Sotoudeh is illustratief.

Mij baart ook de arrestatiegolf van christenen in Iran grote zorgen: 142 gelovigen vorige maand, in de eerste week van december meer dan 100. Daarom verzoek ik Raad en Commissie in de contacten met de Iraanse overheid deze ongehoorde barbaarse christenvervolging krachtig aan de orde te stellen. Ik verneem natuurlijk graag de resultaten van deze Europese inzet voor het grondrecht van geloofsvrijheid in de Islamitische Republiek Iran.

  Beatriz Becerra Basterrechea, en nombre del Grupo ALDE. – Señor presidente, comisario, Occidente vive un momento feminista. Un momento de inconformismo con la desigualdad que sufren las mujeres. Pero nuestros problemas no deberían cegarnos ante lo que sucede en otros lugares. En Irán, cuando una mujer se quita el hiyab, está llevando a cabo una protesta política. Es un acto heroico, porque saben que pueden acabar en la cárcel, pero no solo ellas.

Nasrín Sotudé, nuestro premio Sájarov 2012, es abogada de derechos humanos en Irán y ha sido encarcelada de nuevo. Esta vez, por defender a las mujeres que se quitaron el hiyab en público.

Si de verdad creemos en la libertad y la igualdad, haremos todo lo que esté en nuestra mano por la liberación de Nasrín. Si de verdad creemos en los derechos humanos, trabajaremos para que se aclaren las decenas de miles de ejecuciones y desapariciones llevadas a cabo por el régimen iraní desde los años ochenta.

La causa feminista y la causa humanitaria son universales. Los derechos humanos son los derechos de los seres humanos, de todos los seres humanos. Europa, sin duda, está llamada a liderarlas y debe hacerlo.

  Margot Parker, on behalf of the EFDD Group. – Mr President, nothing is more intimate to a person then their religious belief. To express a belief or lack of in God or a higher power is a fundamental right that too few people around the world truly enjoy. For some women the hijab is a vital expression of their faith, for others it is an oppressive tool. What is consistent is that it should be a woman’s right to choose what they wear and how they express themselves. That the women of Iran cannot do so, not only out of social pressure but through the power of the State and law, is a gross violation of human decency. Iran must listen to her citizens, roll back these oppressive laws and allow their citizens to choose.

  Flavio Zanonato (S&D). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, mi unisco alla richiesta di rilascio immediato di Nasrin Sotoudeh e degli altri difensori dei diritti umani, detenuti per la sola ragione di avere esercitato il proprio diritto di espressione e di pensiero.

Sono estremamente preoccupato per il peggioramento dei diritti umani in Iran e ritengo che, nel dialogo con il Servizio europeo per l'azione esterna, sia necessario continuare a sollevare questo tema in tutte le occasioni possibili.

Sottolineo che ritengo cruciale che l'accordo sul nucleare iraniano rimanga in vita. La decisione presa da Trump di ritirarsi dagli accordi e di imporre nuove sanzioni danneggia l'Iran sotto il profilo economico ma anche sotto quello della situazione delle libertà interne. Le sanzioni e la riduzione della cooperazione internazionale non possono che avere un impatto negativo profondo sui diritti civili e sociali, oltre che su quelli economici in Iran.

Va creata una delegazione dell'Unione europea in Iran per il dialogo e una cooperazione accresciuta con il paese nei vari settori di interesse per entrambe le parti, nel pieno rispetto dei diritti umani.

Intervenții la cerere

  Marijana Petir (PPE). – Gospodine predsjedavajući, tijekom proteklih mjeseci svjedočili smo brojnim uhićenjima aktivista i prosvjednika protiv iranskoga režima. U Iranu se i dalje vrše egzekucije, a među pogubljenim osobama nalaze se i politički zatvorenici. Osim aktivista za ljudska prava iranski režim uhićuje i žene te odvjetnike specijalizirane za ljudska prava, kao što je slučaj s uhićenjima Reze Khandana i Nasrin Sotoudeh. Politički zatvorenici trenutačno štrajkaju glađu, a njihovo psihičko i fizičko stanje je nepoznato. U Iranu se također progone kršćani i druge vjerske manjine. Izražavam zabrinutost i zbog daljnjeg rada iranskog režima na programu nuklearnih projektila, što je velika međunarodna prijetnja miru.

Zanima me, gospodine povjereniče, kako napreduje dijalog s iranskim vlastima u pogledu zaustavljanja pogubljenja i sprječavanja nasilja koje se provodi nad političkim zatvorenicima, aktivistima za ljudska prava, ženama i kršćanima u Iranu?

  Julie Ward (S&D). – Mr President, we awarded the Sakharov prize to Oleg Sentsov yesterday, but four laureates are still imprisoned, including Nasrin Sotoudeh. She is the Iranian women’s rights defender who has been shamefully attacked by the government for her outstanding work.

There is an urgent need for the different EU institutions to create meaningful cooperation to support human rights defenders that have been awarded the Sakharov Prize. They’re part of our family. Thanks to the ProtectDefenders.eu mechanism, the EU has become one of the strongest supporters of human rights defenders’ safety in the world, and as Members of the European Parliament, it is our duty to closely follow the situation of the laureates of the Sakharov Prize. I therefore call on the Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally to release Nasrin and drop all charges against her.

I also join the call of my fellow British MEP, Charles Tannock, to ask the Iranian authorities to release Nazanin Zakaria Ratcliffe, the mother and charity worker wrongfully imprisoned in September 2016.

  Jean-Luc Schaffhauser (ENF). – Monsieur le Président, j’en profite pour intervenir sur un sujet qui me tient à cœur. J’aimerais d’abord dire que, évidemment, je comprends la condamnation, surtout pour les droits de l’homme, mais j’aimerais toujours rappeler que nous ne devons pas appliquer deux poids deux mesures. Je pense également aux chrétiens persécutés en Chine, en Turquie, en Algérie et dans bien d’autres pays. Donc il faut veiller à éviter le deux poids deux mesures.

D’autre part, j’aimerais rajouter que l’Iran est une grande civilisation, qui a été agressée plusieurs fois, au-delà du régime des mollahs. Je peux même comprendre, parce que cela a été la politique de mon pays, la France, que l’Iran ait voulu avoir la puissance nucléaire, parce que c’est ainsi que la France a pu maintenir également son indépendance, sa neutralité, sa souveraineté. Je comprends aussi très bien la politique d’Israël et des États-Unis et, ami d’Israël, évidemment, je la soutiens également. C’est le moment pour l’Europe de jouer vraiment cet équilibre entre les différentes puissances.

  Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D). – Señor presidente, ayer este Parlamento Europeo entregó su Premio Sájarov de la presente edición, del presente año. Pero en 2012 lo obtuvo Nasrín Sotudé, una abogada defensora de la causa de los derechos humanos en un contexto de enorme dificultad: el Irán gobernado por el líder supremo Alí Jamenei, al que el Instituto de Derechos Humanos de la Asociación Internacional de Abogados ha dirigido en 2018 una carta requiriéndole la inmediata liberación de Nasrín Sotudé, que ha estado presa en varias ocasiones por defender causas justas de libertad de expresión y sobre todo los derechos de las mujeres.

Como exministro de Justicia y como expresidente de la Comisión de Libertades Civiles, Justicia y Asuntos de Interior y comprometido siempre con el derecho a la defensa, con la abogacía y en particular con esta mujer, que defiende el derecho de las mujeres a liberarse del hiyab en un contexto enormemente represivo, exigimos a Irán su liberación inmediata.

(Încheierea intervențiilor la cerere)

  Neven Mimica, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, we believe that the best way to advance human rights worldwide is through diplomatic pressure and direct engagement with the relevant authorities. This has always been our approach to human rights violations with Iran.

The High Representative and all of us raise the issue in all of our meetings with the Iranian authorities at all levels. No one is as engaged as the European Union against the death penalty in Iran, against all restrictions of fundamental rights and on the side of Iranian human rights defenders.

For many years now, we have been closely following the case of Sakharov prize winner Nasrin Sotoudeh and her husband, Reza Khandan. When Ms Sotoudeh was awarded the Sakharov prize in 2012, it was for her work to provide legal representation to human rights defenders, juvenile offenders facing the death penalty and women. As a result of these efforts, she has been harassed, her work impeded, and in 2010 she was sentenced to three years of imprisonment after being convicted of security-related charges.

Following her release in 2013, Ms Sotoudeh’s engagement to promote human rights continued and she was again detained in June this year. Her husband, who had been campaigning for her release, was himself detained in September.

Since her detention, the European Union has repeatedly raised Ms Sotoudeh’s case with the Iranian authorities at all levels, including in the framework of the EU-Iran high-level dialogue. At every occasion we express our concerns about the situation of human rights in Iran and the treatment of Iranian human rights defenders. Member States have also raised the case during their own bilateral contacts with the Iranian authorities.

This engagement has recently contributed to certain positive developments. Just one year ago, Iran decided to amend its anti-narcotics legislation and this has resulted in a dramatic reduction in drug-related executions. We are continuing to advocate for further improvements in this regard, including an immediate moratorium on the execution of juvenile offenders.

We continue to call for the release of Ms Sotoudeh and her husband. They should be guaranteed timely access to a lawyer of their own choosing. They should be allowed to communicate with their two children and they should not be subject to any form of mistreatment.

Let me conclude by thanking you for your attention to this case. We will continue to work together with you and engage with the Iranian authorities in order to secure the release of Ms Sotoudeh and her husband.

  Președintele. – Dezbaterea a fost închisă.

Votul va avea loc la sfârșitul dezbaterilor.

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