Sous-commission Droits de l'homme (DROI) - Parlement européen

The Chair of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI), Elena Valenciano, made the following statement on the killing of Guatemalan human rights defender Brenda Marleni Estrada Tambito:

"I condemn in the strongest terms the killing of Brenda Marleni Estrada Tambito, member of the Coalition of Workers' Unions of Guatemala (Unión Sindical de Trabajadores de Guatemala) and the Union's Sub-Coordinator of the Legal Aid Commission.

For the full statement seek link below

Press statement
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Source : © Union européenne, 2016 - PE

The objective of this hearing, on 30 June from 9.00-11.00, is to assess whether the use of drones complies with international law including respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. Issues related to civilian casualties and impact on affected communities, the question of transparency and accountability as well as the need for meaningful compensation mechanisms will also be addressed.
Location : PHS 4B001, BRUSSELS
Programme
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 20 June, marked World Refugee Day, Enrique Guerrero Salom, European Parliament's Standing Rapporteur for Humanitarian Assistance, and Elena Valenciano, Chair of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights issued the following statement:

"On today's World Refugee Day, we have little to celebrate but much to reflect on the hardship millions of families face, the courage and resilience they demonstrate, the dedication of those who come to their aid and the need for an adequate international response ..."

Full press statement
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

"Where are European governments in face of brutal repression in Egypt? Is Italy still a friend of Egypt? Do friends kill each other?" are amongst the questions addressed by the parents of EU citizen Giulio Regeni murdered in Egypt earlier this year, to the Human Rights Subcommittee Members during a debate on Wednesday 15 June.
Full press statement
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Current financial crisis of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) will have a direct impact on victims of human rights violations in the regio.

"Solutions must be found" to the current financial crisis of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), jointly stated members of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights, of the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly and of the Delegation for relations with the countries of the Andean Community after they debated with IACHR representatives on Wednesday 15 June.
Full press statement
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Following up on the arrest of human rights defender Nabeel Rajab, the Chair of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI), Elena Valenciano (S&D, ES), made the following statement:

"I strongly condemn the arrest on 13 June 2016 of Nabeel Rajab, who is a leading human rights defender and President of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights. Mr Rajab was once again arrested for simply exercising his right to freedom of expression and for his peaceful human rights work. This arrest constitutes a blatant violation of Bahrain's commitments under international human rights law..."



Full press statement
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Length of video : 63'
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Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Length of video : 205'
You may manually download this video in WMV (1.9Gb) format

Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Human rights: Mejlis ban in Crimea, arrests in The Gambia, elections in Djibouti

Parliament condemns the banning of the Mejlis, the representative body of ethnic Crimean Tatars, urges the immediate release of all protestors arrested in an April electoral reform demonstration in The Gambia, and calls for a thorough investigation into the transparency of the re-election of President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh in Djibouti, in three resolutions voted on Thursday.

Press release
Crimean Tartars
Gambia
Djibouti
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Opposition in Cambodia, prisoners of conscience in Tajikistan, continuing violations of human rights in Vietnam

Parliament deplores the worsening climate for opposition politicians and human rights activists in Cambodia, calls on Tajikistan to allow opposition groups, lawyers and journalists to operate freely, and urges Vietnam to put an immediate end to all harassment, intimidation, and persecution of political activists, journalists, bloggers, dissidents and human rights defenders, in three resolutions voted on Thursday.

Press statement
Cambodia
Tajikistan : situation of prisoners of conscience
Vietnam
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Parliament deplores the worsening climate for opposition politicians and human rights activists in Cambodia, calls on Tajikistan to allow opposition groups, lawyers and journalists to operate freely, and urges Vietnam to put an immediate end to all harassment, intimidation, and persecution of political activists, journalists, bloggers, dissidents and human rights defenders, in three resolutions voted on Thursday. Full press statement below.
Further information
Full press statement
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Source : © Union européenne, 2016 - PE

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution was one of the most tragic periods in China's history. It unleashed a decade of violence, in which more than a million Chinese died, some 16 million were banished to the countryside and many others suffered imprisonment, seizure of property, torture or humiliation. It left in its wake a shattered country, a fractured society in turmoil and a devastated economy. The Chinese Communist Party ignored the 50th anniversary on 16 May of the start of the Cultural Revolution, with no official commemoration. The state-controlled media then exhorted the people to regard the Cultural Revolution as a closed chapter and to look ahead. They distanced the Party from its responsibilities for the disaster, in an indication that the country's leaders are still haunted by its spectre. Nonetheless, the Cultural Revolution's legacy lives on in modern China and some parallels are being drawn with the current President Xi Jinping's crackdown against corruption. Xi's use of some of the Revolution's methods seems to reflect a pragmatic attempt to reassert the Party's authority in response to the new challenges posed by the rapid transformation of China, rather than heralding a repeat of the Cultural Revolution. The Party has said its lessons have been learned and it must not be repeated. Nevertheless, the former Premier, Wen Jiabao, cautioned in 2012 that without effective political reforms, a similar historical tragedy might happen again.
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

In early research on land grabbing, the initial focus was on foreign companies investing abroad, with a particular focus on those based in countries such as China, Gulf States, South Korea, and India. In recent years, it has become evident that the range of countries land investors originate in is far broader, and includes both North Atlantic - and EU-based actors.
Further information
Land grabbing and human rights: The involvement of European corporate and financial entities in land grabbing outside the European Union
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The next meeting of the Subcommittee on Human Rights will take place on Wednesday 15 June 2016, from 9.00 - 12.30 and from 15.00 - 18.30 in meeting room PHS 4B001.

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.
Further information
Watch the meeting live
Draft agenda and meeting documents
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 30 May DROI held a hearing on minorities caught between the Syrian civil war and ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The hearing focused on the plight of various minorities in Syria and Iraq and also on possible action to be taken by the international community and the EU. For the full press statement see below.
Further information
Programme
Press Statement
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

On 30 May DROI held a hearing on minorities caught between the Syrian civil war and ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

The hearing focused on the plight of various minorities inSyria and Iraq and also on possible action to be taken by the internationalcommunity and the EU.

For the full press statement see below.

Press statement
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Chair of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights, Elena Valenciano (S&D, ES) made the following statement on the release of Khadija Ismayilova:

"I am very happy to learn that yesterday Khadija Ismayilova was released from prison. This good news should be a good signal for freedom of expression in Azerbaijan...."

Full statement below

Press statement on Khadija Ismayilova
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP