Parliament urges EU member states not to give awards to leaders involved in rights abuse
Rabia Iclal Turan |
18.12.2020
EU Parliament calls for 'restrictive measures' against Egypt
ANKARA
The European Parliament on Friday adopted a resolution calling for restrictive measures against Egypt in view of its grave human rights violations.
The parliament called on the EU high representative and member states to respond to Egypt's human rights violations in a “unified and resolute manner” as well as consider targeted restrictive measures against high-level Egyptian officials.
“The human rights situation in Egypt has continued to deteriorate as authorities intensify their crackdown on civil society, human rights defenders, health workers, journalists, opposition members, academics, and lawyers,” the parliament said in the document.
It also called on the EU member states not to “give awards to leaders responsible for human rights violations".
In a controversial three-day visit to Paris last week, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who came to power in 2013 through a coup, was awarded the prestigious Legion of Honor by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Expressing “strong political and human support” to the family of slain Italian researcher Giulio Regeni, the European Parliament also urged Egyptian authorities to “fully cooperate with Italian judicial authorities”.
Regeni, 28, was an Italian researcher and doctorate student in Egypt, who went missing on Jan. 25, 2016. Nine days later, the researcher's naked body was found in a ditch on a highway in Cairo.
Rome prosecutor’s office earlier this month requested trial for four Egyptian officers, including a general.
The parliament also called for more transparency on all forms of financial support or training by the EU institutions, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank to Egypt (EIB).
The European Parliament repeated the previous calls for the release of three senior staff members of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) and Egyptian human rights defenders who were incarcerated after meeting diplomats.
It also expressed “deep concern” for the detainees and prisoners held in “overcrowded places of detention, in abysmal conditions”, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.
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European Parliament calls for review in relations with Egypt
December 18, 2020 at 4:27 pm | Published in: Africa, Egypt, EU, Europe & Russia, International Organisations, Italy, News
European Parliament in session in Brussels, Belgium on 15 December 2020 [Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency]European Parliament in session in Brussels, Belgium on 15 December 2020 [Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency]
December 18, 2020 at 4:27 pm
The European Parliament called on its member states to conduct a "deep and comprehensive" review of relations with Egypt in light of the deteriorating human rights situation there.
In a statement issued late on Wednesday, the European Parliament called for more transparency in all forms of financial support provided by the EU, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the European Investment Bank (EIB) to Egypt, pointing out that prizes should not be given to leaders responsible for serious human rights violations.
The statement stressed the need to make tangible improvements to the human rights situation in Egypt, and to negotiate the priorities of the new partnership by setting clear criteria that lead to more cooperation to achieve progress in reforming democratic institutions.
The European Parliament also called for human rights concerns to be raised in all talks with the Egyptian authorities, while the Commission also urged the release of human rights defenders.
The statement demanded studying the imposition of sanctions on senior Egyptian officials, who are involved in "serious violations".
Cooperation in the areas of fighting terrorism and illegal immigration should not come at the expense of continued pressure to comply with human rights and accountability for freedoms, it continued.
READ: Human rights take a back seat as Cairo-Paris axis strengthens
The European Parliament called on Cairo to cooperate with the Italian authorities in the file of the murder of student Giulio Regeni, and hand over the addresses of the suspects to the Italian prosecutor, in order for them to be formally charged.
Italy accuses four prominent Egyptian officers of torturing and killing researcher Regeni in February 2016, and demands Cairo extradite them for trial.
Egypt has refused to cooperate with the investigation. At the beginning of this month, it announced it was temporarily ending the investigation claiming that Egypt's prosecution had evidence a criminal gang carried out the murder after robbing Regeni.
It said that the gang, whose identity they do not yet know, have carried out similar crimes against Egyptian and foreign nationals and used false documents linking them to the security apparatus.
Egypt's public prosecutor says there is insufficient evidence to bring the case to trial.