Activities of Pino ARLACCHI related to 2013/2020(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the situation of human rights in the Sahel region PDF (407 KB) DOC (198 KB)
Amendments (23)
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
- having regard to the Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, dated 28 February 2013, regarding his mission to Morocco, including Western Sahara,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 b (new)
Citation 9 b (new)
- having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 25 November 2010 on the situation in Western Sahara,
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 e (new)
Citation 9 e (new)
- having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 13 December 2012 on the Annual report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2011 and the European Union's policy on the matter,
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 f (new)
Citation 9 f (new)
- having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 7 February 2013 on the 22nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council,
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 g (new)
Citation 9 g (new)
- having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 16 February 2012 on Parliament's position on the 19th Session of the UN Human Rights Council,
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 h (new)
Citation 9 h (new)
- having regard to the Annual report on the Common Foreign and Security Policy from the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to the European Parliament, endorsed by the Council on 4 October 2012,
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas in the last 20 years elections have been held on a regular basis in Mali, and that prior to the coup d'état this country was considered as a success story for democracy in Africa;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the Malian crisis is manifold and cannot be reduced to an ethnic conflict; whereas Tuareg resentments in northern Mali were exploited by extremist groups who in early 2012 allied with, and subsequently displaced, the secular National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) in their rebellion; whereas these groups, in particular Ansar Dine, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), further benefited from the instability arising from the subsequent coup in Bamako; whereas the systematic violations of human rights in the north, combined with the impending existential threat to the Malian state itself, precipitated the international interventions to help shore up democracy, restore the rule of law and improve the situation of human rights; whereas the situation in Mali requires a response that goes beyond addressing security threats, including a long-term commitment on the part of the international community and decisive action to tackle deep-rooted political, governance, development and humanitarian challenges;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas complex and interdependent problems require efficient coordination of different EU policies, linking EU efforts in the areas of human rights, democracy support and the rule of law, to EU objectives on crisis management, the security sector, development co-operation and ecological sustainability; whereas an effective solution to the actual crisis must encompass economic and social policies that aim to improve the living standard of the population;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas a ceasefire in Western Sahara between the Moroccan Government and the Polisario Front has been in place since 1991; whereas the UN considers Western Sahara a non-self-governing territory; whereas no country recognises Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; whereas the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is currently recognised by the AU and over 45 UN states, but not by the UN collectively or by any EU Member State; whereas the UN and EU do not explicitly consider Morocco to be anaccording to international law, the Kingdom of Morocco not only has no sovereignty over Western Sahara, but is the occupying power; whereas a referendum on the status of Western Sahara, first agreed on principle in 1988, has still not taken place;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas according to recent report from the UNSR on torture, the human rights violations by the Moroccan law- enforcement officials in Western Sahara are alarming; whereas Morocco has signed and ratified several international and human rights treaties such as the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention Against Torture (CAT), the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the United Nations Declaration on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (UNPHRD); whereas in view of the principle of international humanitarian law spelled out in the 1907 Hague Regulations (arts 42-56) and the Fourth Geneva Convention (GC IV, art. 27-34 and 47-78) as well as in the additional Protocol I, the EU should ensure that those partner falling under the category of occupying power respect their duties towards the population in occupied territories;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the situation of human rights in the Sahel has acquired greater international prominence as a result of the armed conflict in Mali and the international response to it; acknowledges that this conflict has created specific problems in that country, as well as exacerbating fundamental underlying challenges already present in Mali and elsewhere in the region; stresses the need of a political solution that includes all the parties to the conflict and which aims to tackle the root causes of it, such as poverty, inequality, under-development and arms trafficking in the region; stresses, however, that the immediate concerns in Mali should not deflect attention from the chronic and pervasive problems that seriously impact on human rights in the rest of the Sahel, in particular, slavery and human trafficking, jihadi extremism and radicalisation, fragile governance and institutional corruption, and systemic and debilitating poverty;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the conclusions of the International Donors Conference ‘Together for a New Mali’, held in May 2013; commends the Malian Government's Plan for the Sustainable Recovery of Mali (PRED)stresses that donors have undertaken to donate EUR 3.25 billion to Mali in the next two years, with the EU taking the lead by pledging EUR 520 million; commends the Malian Government's Plan for the Sustainable Recovery of Mali (PRED); calls on the EU and its international partners to implement their mutual commitments as part of an effective and coordinated follow-up to the conference; reiterates the need to link aid with institutional reform and discernible social and political development; furthermore commends the constructive involvement of regional actors;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Considers the need to fight impunity and hold all perpetrators of serious human rights violations accountable, irrespectiveto prosecute all those who have committed serious violations of human rights, regardless of affiliation and status, as key to ensuring lasting peace and stability in Mali; welcomes therefore the Malian Government's referral of the situation to the ICC and the ICC Prosecutor's opening of formal investigations; calls on the EU and other international partners of Mali to help the government to pursue its objective of investigating and prosecuting perpetrators of abuses; calls on the Malian Government to consider establishing a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, along the South African lines, to encourage dialogue and foster trust between communities;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Emphasises the need forCondemns in the strongest terms the ongoing violation of human rights in Wwestern Sahara to be considered without anticipating any final political settlement or expressing a view on such a settlement; regrets that last 25th of April the UN Security Council's failed to add human rights monitoring to the mandate of its Western Sahara peacekeeping force MINURSO and recall therefore the UN bodies to establish as a matter of urgency a human rights monitoring mechanism in Western Sahara; urges Morocco and the Polisario front to continue negotiations for a peaceful solution of the conflict and reiterate the rights of the Sahrawi people to self determination; reiterates, nevertheless, that self-determination is a fundamental human right, as specified by Article 1 of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; moreover, recalls UN Security Council Resolution 1754, urging the parties to enter into negotiations in good faith, without preconditions, ‘with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which would provide for the self- determination of the people of Western Sahara’; fears that the 25-year delay in arranging a referendum is increasing Sahrawi alienation and the potential for violence, particularly amongst the young;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 a (new)
Paragraph 37 a (new)
37a. Notes that reports of excess use of force against demonstrators, alleged torture in detention and restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly and association continue to emerge in Western Sahara; remind that in several occasion the European Parliament condemned the ongoing repression of the Sahrawi people in the occupied territories; regrets that there are no independent human rights observers currently operating on these territories, leaving the residents vulnerable to abuses;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Expresses deep concern at the recent report from the UNSR on torture, who found evidence that Moroccan officials have detained individuals on political grounds, inflicted torture and rape on Sahrawi inmates, kidnapped and abandoned protesters in the desert to intimidate them, and deliberately and frequently targeted pro-independence advocates, including in their homes; notes further widespread allegations of forced disappearances and unfair trials; draws particular attention to the dismantling of the Gdeim Izik protest camp in November 2010, where significant violence claimed Moroccan and Sahrawi lives, and the subsequent trial of 25 Sahrawis, many of them known human rights activists, in February 2013; notes Morocco's insistence regardunderlines that during theis trial's fairness and due process, a military court as sentenced 25 Sahrawi civiliands the positive conclusions of some international observers, but also recalls the UNSR's concern at the use of a military court, the allegations of torture, and the Moroccan authorities' failure to investigate themo 9 life sentences, 4 sentenced to 30 years, 7 sentenced to 25 years, 3 sentenced to 20 years and 2 sentenced to 2 years and 3 months, which they already have spent in custody; notes Morocco's failure to investigate claims that the defendants were subjected to torture; underlines Morocco's refusal to transfer the trial to a civilian court capable of handling fair trial standards and Morocco's obligations under international law; notes the conclusions by some NGOs and human rights observers relating to the case's alleged politicised prosecutions, deficient evidence and excessive sentences; calls therefore on the Moroccan authorities to work with civil society and other actors to guarantee the transparency and fairness of its judicial processes, and to investigate and prosecute security officials alleged to have been involved in arbitrary detentions, torture and other abuses of power;
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38a. Condemns the fact that on Wednesday 6 March 2013 Morocco expelled a delegation of four Members of the European Parliament; notes that the aim of the delegation was to visit the territories of Western Sahara, to inquire about the situation of human rights and to meet with representatives of the MINURSO; condemn Morocco's authorities behaviour and demands the Kingdom of Morocco to permit free access and free movement in Western Sahara to independent observers, members of parliaments, to the press and to humanitarian organisations;
Amendment 277 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Reiterates the concerns of the 2006 OHCHR report about restrictions on freedom of speech, assembly and association in Western Sahara; notes Morocco's claim to allow sit-ins and other forms of protest; regrets Morocco's apparent institutional obstruction of NGOs advocating a pro-independence position by preventing their legal registration and recogis concerned by the inability of the Sahrawi human rights defenders to register as civil society organization; notes that such registration is essential for allowing the organization to effectively advocate in their communitiones; condemns the often severe punishments for ‘undermining Moroccan territorial integrity’, an item of legislation reportedly used to target Sahrawis peacefully advocating independence; recalls the findings of the UN Independent Expert on cultural rights that the Moroccan authorities suppress certain aspects of Sahrawi culture, and repeats her call to overturn such measures and promote full cultural diversity;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Welcomes the significant economic and infrastructural development implemented by the Moroccan Government in Western Sahara; remainIs concerned, however, by the ongoing dispute over the exploitation of the territory's natural resources, particularly relating to phosphate mines, fisheries, and preliminary oil exploration; notes that several reports have shown that natural resources of Western Sahara are being exploited without any benefit to the local population; recalls the UN Under- Secretary-General for Legal Affairs' advice in 2002, which stressed the Western Saharan people's ‘inalienable rights’ to their territory's natural resources, and determined that further exploitation ‘in disregard of the interests and wishes of the people of Western Sahara’ would be illegal; stresses, therefore, that Western Saharan goods and resources should be exempt from any trade agreements between Morocco and the EU unless the Sahrawi population's consent and benefit can be clearly demonstrated; recalls the European Parliament decision of 13 December 2011 to reject a proposed extension of the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement because it did not take into account the interests of the Sahrawi population; expresses particular concern that the EU should not re-institute a fisheries agreement with Morocco while this controversy remains unresolved;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Welcomes the significant economic and infrastructural development implemented by the Moroccan Government in Western Sahara; remains concerned, however, by the ongoing dispute over the exploitation of the territory's natural resources, particularly relating to phosphate mines, fisheries, and preliminary oil exploration; recalls the UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs' advice in 2002, which stressed the Western Saharan people's ‘inalienable rights’ to their territory's natural resources, and determined that further exploitation ‘in disregard of the interests and wishes of the people of Western Sahara’ would be illegal; stresses, therefore, that Western Saharan goods and resources should be exempt from any trade agreements between Morocco and the EU unless the Sahrawi population's consent and benefit can be clearly demonstrated; expresses particular concern thatinvites the EU shouldto not re-institute a fisheries agreement with Morocco while this controversy remains unresolved;
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. Notes that while most recent observers, and reports from the OHCHR, Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, and Human Rights Watch, have identified little evidence of systemic and institutional human rights violations in the camps, multipledifferent actors, including the Moroccan Government, Moroccan NGOs and some former inhabitants of Tindouf, have alleged that the Polisario authorities restrict inhabitants' freedom of expression and freedom of movement, practise or permit slavery, forcibly marry children, and separate families in order to send children to Cuba for military training; notes Polisario's vigorous denials of these accusations, which it claims are politically motivated; calls therefore on Polisario to allow independent human rights observers full, regular and unfettered access to the camps; amidst reported evidence of some residual private slavery in both Tindouf and Western Sahara, calls on the Polisario and Moroccan authorities to redouble their efforts to terminate this practice and rehabilitate its victims;
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
46. Notes, nevertheless, the serious and contested allegations against both the Moroccan and Polisario administrations, and rRecalls the UN Secretary-General's recent emphasis on ‘independent, impartial, comprehensive and sustained monitoring of the human rights situation in both Western Sahara and the camps’; noteregrets, in this regards, that the UN did not upgrade the mandate of MINURSO in April 2013 to incorporate a human rights dimension; encourages the UN to do so, or else to establish a new, permanent, impartial human rights body for the purpose of supervising and reporting on the overall situation of human rights, and investigating individual complaints; calls on such a body to encompass the Moroccan-controlled section of Western Sahara, the Tindouf camps, and other territory controlled by the Polisario Front;