Regarding the case of the prominent Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, EP Vice-President Heidi Hautala, and Pier Antonio Panzeri, Chair of the EP Human Rights Subcommittee, stated:
"We are concerned by the situation of Nasrin Sotoudeh, arrested last June and convicted in December 2018 to a five-year prison sentence. The trial was held in absentia and she was not represented by a lawyer during the process".
I support Gustavo Petro's call to protect human rights defenders and opposition leaders in a more efficient way. I urge the Colombian authorities to implement the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights' recommendations on Colombia."
Background
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) filed an application before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (I/A Court H.R.) in Case 11,227, Officials and members of the Patriotic Union (Unión Patriótica, UP by its Spanish acronym), with regard to Colombia.
The civil society organisation Somos Defensores, in 2018, registered 805 attacks and 155 assassinations of social leaders and human rights defenders in Colombia. This is the highest figure ever registered in the history of the information system. During the first semester of 2019, there were over 29 assassinations of social leaders documented in the country.
The delegation gave me a detailed overview of the current issues and key challenges facing the Yazidi community. Only through full recognition of and respect for its rights and freedoms will the Yazidi community be protected. Human Rights are not an abstract concept. In this specific case, human rights are the only way of ensuring that this community is treated with respect and dignity. In addition, it is indispensable within the partnership agreements between the EU and countries where Yazidis live, that we also guarantee that economic benefits go directly to this community.
The European Parliament and most specifically the Subcommittee on Human Rights have been paying close attention to the Yazidis' situation in Iraq over the last few years. In fact, two Yazidi women, Nadia Murad Basee Taha and Lamya Haji Bashar, both survivors of sexual enslavement by the Islamic State, were awarded the 2016 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought", said Mr Panzeri in his statement.
The next meeting of the Subcommittee on Human Rights will take place on Monday 9 September 2019 from 15.00 to 18.30 (tbc).
Representatives of NGOs as well as other organisations are requested to accede to the EU Transparency Register and follow the procedures therein for access to the European Parliament.