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

The Chair of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights, Elena VALENCIANO (S&D, ES), and the Chair of the EP Culture and Education Committee, Silvia COSTA (S&D, IT), stress the link between access to information and fundamental freedoms on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day:

"In today's interconnected world, confronted by increasing number of humanitarian, economic and political crises, free access to information is more important than ever. We are therefore most concerned by the constant erosion of press freedom worldwide...."

For full statement see link below

Press statement
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

"Mexican Government to go on with the investigation", says DROI Chair

As the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI) brought its conclusions regarding the disappearance of the 43 students in Ayotzinapa, the Chair of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI), Elena Valenciano (S&D, ES), made the following statement:

"On behalf of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, I wish to express my concern regarding the findings of the second and final report presented by the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI) on the disappearance of the 43 students in Ayotzinapa.

For full statement see link below

Press statement
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Elena Valenciano, Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights in the European Parliament, on the attack in Aleppo on the Al Quds hospital, another facility supported by Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF):

"I express my strongest condemnation of this attack that has caused significant loss of life among patients and doctors, including children, and one of Aleppo's last paediatricians. These intentional attacks on civilian facilities are blatant violations of international humanitarian law and have a brutal impact on the already meagre living conditions of thousands of people.

For the full statement see below

Press statement
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Links between foreign investment in agricultural land in third countries and the rights of local populations, the need for a multi stakeholders approach and mechanisms to protect indigenous peoples were among the issues raised in the Human Rights Subcommittee's hearing on human rights defenders and land-grabbing issues on Wednesday afternoon, 20 April.
For the full statement please see link below.
Further information
Programme
Press release
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The next meeting of the Subcommittee on Human Rights will take place on Monday, 30 May 2016, from 15.00 - 18.30 in meeting room ASP - A3G-3.

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

Human rights: attack in Lahore, murders in Honduras, abductions in Nigeria

Parliament condemns the attack in Gulshani-Iqbal Park in Lahore, Pakistan, on 27 March 2016, which killed more than 73 people and injured at least 300; recent murders of human rights defenders in Honduras, in particular Berta Caceres, Nelson Garcia and Paola Barraza; and worsening security and human rights in Nigeria, in separate resolutions voted on Thursday.
Press release
Pakistan, in particular the attack in Lahore
Honduras: situation of human rights defenders
Nigeria
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Looming hunger crisis in southern Africa: aid agencies should receive sufficient funding, say DROI and DEVE Chairs.

Elena Valenciano, Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights in the EP, and Linda McAvan, Chair of the Committee on Development in the European Parliament (EP), on the worrying situation in southern Africa:

"No fewer than six countries in southern Africa (South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Zambia) are facing a major crisis due to the worst southern African drought in decades. According to the World Food Programme (WPF) over 10 million people across the region will need food aid in the coming year. The WFP estimates that more than 30 million people are currently food insecure and the WFP believes that these numbers are still going to grow. Full statement - see link below.

Press Release
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

European Parliament Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, Elena Valenciano (S&D, ES) on the situation in Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria:

"I am deeply concerned about the civilians in Yarmouk who are once again suffering extreme shortages of food and clean water. Some 6,000 civilian families are continuing to experience a situation of danger, trapped in the intense fighting taking place in the camp between extremist armed groups which since April 6 has been preventing UNRWA from carrying out humanitarian missions to support the population in the Yarmouk-Yalda area.

Full statement - see link below

Press statement
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Links between foreign investment in agricultural land in third countries and the rights of local populations, the need for a multi stakeholders approach and mechanisms to protect indigenous peoples were among the issues raised in the Human Rights Subcommittee's hearing on human rights defenders and land-grabbing issues on Wednesday afternoon, 20 April. For the full statement please see link below.
Press statement
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Durée de la vidéo : 207'
Vous pouvez télécharger manuellement cette vidéo au format WMV (2.1Gb)

Clause de non-responsabilité : L'interprétation des débats facilite la communication mais ne constitue en aucun cas un enregistrement authentifié des débats. Seuls le discours original ou la traduction écrite révisée du discours original peuvent être considérés authentiques.
Source : © Union européenne, 2016 - PE

Durée de la vidéo : 211'
Vous pouvez télécharger manuellement cette vidéo au format WMV (2.1Gb)

Clause de non-responsabilité : L'interprétation des débats facilite la communication mais ne constitue en aucun cas un enregistrement authentifié des débats. Seuls le discours original ou la traduction écrite révisée du discours original peuvent être considérés authentiques.
Source : © Union européenne, 2016 - PE

European Parliament Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, Elena Valenciano (S&D, ES) welcomes the permission given by Baku authorities to Leyla and Arif Yunus, two of Azerbaijan's most prominent human rights defenders, to leave Azerbaijan. For the full statement please see the link below.
Press statement
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Over the past few years, foreign investment in agricultural land in third countries, which involves large-scale land acquisition, has put at risk the land use rights of local populations and their right to food. Repression of human rights defenders who voice concerns about the issue is also a common practice in some countries. Speakers from Oxfam, Colombia, Honduras and Libera will address these issues during the hearing and Members will have the opportunity to put forward questions.
Location : ASP 1G3
Programme and documents
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Elena Valenciano, DROI Chair denounces the critical plight of thousands of civilians in the besieged Iraqi city of Fallujah

"I am profoundly worried about civilians in Fallujah who are at extreme risk. There are reports of lack of medicines and widespread food shortages resulting in people resorting to eating grass and burning anything they have to keep alive..."
Full statement
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

European Parliament Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights expresses her profound concern at the sentencing on 28 March 2016 of 17 Angolan activists to prison terms of between two years and three months and eight and a half years "solely for exercising, peacefully, their rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association."

For full statement see document below
Press statement
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

A Delegation of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights conducted a visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia from 30 March to 2 April 2016 to obtain information on the human rights situation in the country and exchange views with a wide range of stakeholders. The EU is the first export market for Cambodia and the largest donor of grant development aid and the Delegation's goal was also to evaluate what impact the EU's policies and cooperation have on Cambodia's human rights record.

For full press release see link below.
Press statement
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Length of video : 96'
You may manually download this video in WMV (654Mb) 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

Source : © Union européenne, 2016 - PE