JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

12 March 2003

pursuant to Rule 50(5) of the Rules of Procedure by

• –John Joseph McCartin, Bernd Posselt, Lennart Sacrédeus and Dana Rosemary Scallon on behalf of the PPE-DE Group
• –Anna Karamanou, Lissy Gröner, Fiorella Ghilardotti, Christa Prets, Walter Veltroni and Hannes Swoboda on behalf of the PSE Group
• –Marieke Sanders-ten Holte and Bob van den Bos on behalf of the ELDR Group
• –Nelly Maes, Didier Rod and Caroline Lucas on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
• –Sylviane H. Ainardi, Marianne Eriksson, Luisa Morgantini, Geneviève Fraisse, Feleknas Uca and Ilda Figueiredo on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
• –Gerard Collins and Cristiana Muscardini on behalf of the UEN Group

replacing the motions by the following groups:

• –PSE (B5‑0172/2003),
• –Verts/ALE (B5‑0175/2003),
• –PPE-DE (B5‑0179/2003),
• –GUE/NGL (B5‑0182/2003),
• –UEN (B5‑0183/2003),
• –ELDR (B5‑0184/2003),

on the case of the Nigerian woman, Amina Lawal, sentenced to death by stoning in Nigeria

European Parliament resolution on the case of the Nigerian woman, Amina Lawal, sentenced to death by stoning in Nigeria

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to its resolution of 5 September 2002 opposing the death sentence by stoning passed on Ms Amina Lawal by the Sharia Court of Bakori in Katsina state on 22 March 2002, for having a child out of wedlock,

A.  aware that the death sentence has been appealed and is due for hearing on 25 March 2003,

B.  repeating the point made in its earlier resolution that Nigeria remains one of the few countries in which a person can be sentenced to death for consensual sexual activity,

C.  whereas to execute Ms Amina Lawal for the alleged offences is in breach of human rights as defined inter alia in the UN Charter on Fundamental Human Rights and in the African Charter of Human and Peoples' Rights,

D.  whereas, if she is condemned, Amina Lawal would have the right to appeal this verdict before a non-religious court,

E.  whereas the new Federal Justice Minister, Kanu Agabi, has announced the Government's wish to appeal the Sharia court verdict and has recalled that Muslims must benefit from the same rights and protection as other Nigerians, in conformity with the Constitution,

1.  Expresses its categorical opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances because it represents the ultimate violation of the right to life guaranteed by international law, and urges the Nigerian Government to take all steps to ensure that all executions are halted and the use of the death penalty is ended;

2.  Calls on the Upper Sharia Court of Appeal of Katsina to uphold its commitment to all the international agreements that Nigeria has signed up to in the human rights field, and therefore asks that all elements of Sharia law that contradict international law be repealed;

3.  Calls on the Nigerian Supreme Court to make a judgment to bring regional legislation into line with the international law that Nigeria has signed up to;

4.  Calls on the Nigerian Government to ensure that the courts operate in accordance with international human rights law and the bill of rights in Nigeria's own constitution;

5.  Confirms that respect for human rights is one of the fundamental clauses in all agreements between the EU and third countries;

6.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the African Union, the Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, the UN Secretary-General and the Government and Parliament of Nigeria.