Rechten van de mens: Zimbabwe, Iran, Tsjaad (en) - Europa NU

As usual the European Parliament adopted three human rights resolutions at the end of this week's Strasbourg plenary session. In these resolutions, MEPs call for Zimbabwe's election results to be released immediately, they highlight issues of women's rights and the number of executions in Iran, and lastly they call for dialogue between government and rebel groups in Chad.

Zimbabwe: democracy must prevail, say MEPs

In a resolution on Zimbabwe supported by five EP political groups but not the Socialists, Parliament calls for the immediate release of all the original results of the recent elections and for the democratic wishes of the Zimbabwean people be respected.  Other African and international actors must play their part too, say MEPs.

In the wake of the elections of 29 March, the resolution "insists that the democratic wishes of the Zimbabwean people be respected" and "urges all those who wish to participate in the future of Zimbabwe to cooperate with the forces of democratic change".  

It "calls on the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission immediately to release all the original election results". A similar request has been made by the South African Development Community (SADC). In addition, the Zimbabwean Government is urged "to honour its own commitments to democratic principles, human rights and the rule of law" as a signatory to various international treaties.

The post-electoral political violence against supporters of opposition parties is strongly condemned, as is the arrest of foreign journalists. MEPs call for the lifting of all restrictions on freedom of the press and assembly and for the release of the 36 citizens arrested in the course of a peaceful protest against the delayed publication of results.  

The role of the international community

Parliament welcomes the recent acknowledgement by South Africa's ruling African National Congress party that Zimbabwe has entered a 'state of crisis' and "trusts that this will lead to positive action".  It also calls on the African Union to help resolve the crisis.  

South African dockers are commended for refusing to unload arms bound for Zimbabwe's security forces from the Chinese cargo ship An Yue Jiang. The resolution calls on all SADC countries to refuse to unload the cargo. The Chinese Government is urged to cease arms exports to Zimbabwe and to order the return of the An Yue Jiang to Chinese waters.

Lastly Parliament calls on the EU Council "to ensure that all Member States rigorously apply existing restrictive measures", but also to accelerate preparation of the emergency measures that will be put in place as soon as the democratic transformation in Zimbabwe has taken place.  

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Iran: continuing concern about women's rights and executions

In its resolution on Iran, Parliament criticises the deteriorating human rights situation in the country, including the sharp increase in executions, although it welcomes the release of a women's rights activist and another woman sentenced to death for adultery. The role of the Supreme Leader and the Head of the Judiciary in these and other decisions is mentioned and the Iranian parliament is urged to keep up the momentum by reforming the penal code.

MEPs first welcome the release of Khadijeh Moghaddam, a prominent women's rights and environmental activist (albeit on the high bail of 1 billion rials = €50,000), and Mokarrameh Ebrahimi, who was sentenced to death for having an extra-matrimonial. They note the role of the Supreme Leader and the Head of the Judiciary in these and other cases.  

Freedom of expression and women's rights

Next, however, the resolution condemns the repression of civil society movements in Iran, including women's rights defenders such as those involved in the One Million Signatures Campaign. It also urges the authorities to end the persecution of those peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression and to release all prisoners of conscience.  

MEPs also want the Iranian Parliament and Government "to change the discriminatory Iranian legislation which, among other things, excludes women from the most senior State offices and appointment as judges, denies them equal rights with men in marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance, and determines that any evidence they give before a court carries only half the weight of that given by a man".  

Death penalty: Iran executes more children than any other country in the world

In addition, the EP "reiterates its strong condemnation of the death penalty in general, calls for an immediate moratorium on executions in Iran and is appalled that that country continues to have the highest number of executions of child offenders in the world and that the moratorium on stoning is still not fully implemented".

A ray of hope is seen in "directives recently issued by Head of Judiciary Sharoudi on banning public executions without prior consent and detentions for long periods without charge". MEPs want the newly elected Majlis (parliament) to go further, and "speedily to pass the pending reform of the Iranian Penal Code, with the aim notably of abolishing stoning and executions of child offenders" and "to move towards a moratorium on the death penalty".  

EU action

Lastly, the resolution calls on the Council and the Commission to monitor the human rights situation in Iran and to submit to Parliament in late 2008 a report with proposals for funding projects under the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights.  

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Turmoil in Chad

Parliament's resolution on Chad, adopted by 50 votes to 1, with 5 abstentions, highlights the scale of the problems facing the country, with internal political unrest as well as a huge influx of refugees from neighbouring countries. MEPs call for dialogue between the government and rebel groups and urge the international community to boost its aid to Chad.

There are more than 250,000 Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad, over 57,000 refugees from the Central African Republic and 180,000 internally displaced persons. The government faces rebel groups (one of which briefly penetrated the capital, N'Djamena, in February) but has itself been accused of widespread human rights abuses.

Persecution of opposition condemned

Today's resolution condemns the persecution and arbitrary arrest of opposition politicians and journalists. It calls on the Chadian Government to clarify the situation of any who are still being detained and highlights the case of opposition leader Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh, who was arrested on 3 February 2008 and has not been heard of since.  

Although crises in neighbouring Darfur (Sudan) and the Central African Republic have had a huge impact on Chad, with large numbers of refugees spilling over the borders, the EP "denounces any attempt by the Chadian Government to use Sudan and Darfur as a smokescreen for hiding political dissent within Chad".

Inclusive approach the best solution to political impasse

It "stresses the need for politics in Chad to become more ethnically and geographically representative", argues that "no lasting solution can be found without a genuine process of national reconciliation and of global dialogue" and "reaffirms that a real and comprehensive, all-inclusive inter-Chadian dialogue must be convened as soon as possible", "bringing the rebel groups into the political process".

The EP acknowledges the usefulness of the UN-approved EUFOR TCHAD/RCA military mission for guaranteeing the safety of camps for refugees and displaced persons and of humanitarian organisations. However it "regrets that, in terms of troop composition, EUFOR does not sufficiently reflect the diversity of the European Union, and calls on the Member States which have not yet done so to contribute to providing the necessary troops and matériel so as to guarantee its European identity".  

More aid needed from international community

Turing to the increasingly serious humanitarian and security situation in Chad, Parliament "calls on the international community to scale up its aid to meet the 2008 Humanitarian Appeal for Chad" and "stresses that donor contributions are urgently required to ensure that purchases are completed in the coming months so that food reaches eastern Chad on time".

Lastly, Parliament calls for human rights violations to be prosecuted and punished in accordance with international human rights law. And it backs the MINURCAT mission tasked with supporting the Chadian courts and prisons systems and with training the 'Chadian police for humanitarian protection'. 

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