ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
B4-0370/97

Resolution on freedom of the media in Turkey

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on the violation of human rights in Turkey,

A. whereas in particular its resolution of 13 December 1995 on the human rights situation in Turkey ((OJ C 17, 22.1.1996, p. 46.)), adopted in conjunction with its assent to the EU- Turkey customs union, clearly set out its desire for the development of new formal relations between the European Union and Turkey,

B. emphasising that one of the indispensable preconditions for better relations between Turkey and the European Union is respect for freedom of the press,

C. whereas, according to the New York Committee for Protecting Journalists (CPJ), Turkey - with 78 journalists in custody - tops the list of countries which constantly violate freedom of opinion and restrict the freedom of the press,

D. whereas I Ks uk Yurtçu has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for being editor of the newspaper "Özgür Gündem¨, publication of which was banned in 1994,

E. whereas the Union of European Journalists named I Ks uk Yurtçu journalist of the year in 1996 and declared 3 May 1997 a "Day of Solidarity with I Ks uk Yurtçu¨,

F. whereas the journalist and sociologist Ismail Besikci, arrested under Article 8 of the "anti-terrorism¨ law for the opinions he has expressed on the situation of the Kurds, has been sentenced to 67 years in prison,

1. Reaffirms its commitment to freedom of expression and calls on the Turkish Government to ensure that journalists and the Turkish media are able freely to exercise their profession;

2. Calls on the Turkish Government to remove all legal obstacles to freedom of expression for the media and in particular Article 8 of the "anti-terrorism¨ law;

3. Calls for the release of I Ks uk Yurtçu, Ismail Besikci and other Turkish journalists imprisoned for practising their profession;

4. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Turkish Government and the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
B4-0946, 0951, 0960, 0961, 0974 and 0985/97

Resolution on a permanent international criminal court

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on an International Criminal Court,

A. whereas crimes against humanity, genocide and serious war crimes continue to be perpetrated, and national courts often fail to prosecute those guilty of these crimes,

B. whereas a permanent impartial system of international criminal justice is needed to stop the current reign of impunity and help prevent future serious violations of international law,

C. welcoming the progress in this direction made by the ad-hoc tribunals on former Yugoslavia and Rwanda,

D. whereas the UN General Assembly of 1996 has decided to hold a Diplomatic Conference in mid-1998 to create an International Criminal Court (ICC), and Italy has offered to host the conference,

E. whereas the PrepComs scheduled for December 1997 and March 1998 will be critical for a successful outcome on issues like state cooperation and compliance as well as criminal procedures and the definition of war crimes in internal armed conflict,

F. Welcoming the supportive statement by the Luxembourg Presidency made at the 6th committee of the UN General Assembly on 20 October 1997,

1. Calls on the Council and the Member States to reach a common position on all aspects of the Statute for the International Criminal Court, and to act in concert in the PrepComs and at the 52nd General Assembly of the UN to ensure that the Diplomatic Conference is successfully completed in Rome in 1998, without compromising on essential points of principle;

2. Stresses that the court must be strong and independent, not subject to vetoes on the UN Security Council, and able to investigate cases and present indictments on its own initiative and without prior consent of states parties;

3. Stresses that the statute of the court must provide for long-term and secure financing and that the EU must be involved in securing this;

4. Stresses that the commitment of an increasing number of NGOs present at the UN Preparatory Committees has made an important contribution to the negotiations, and calls on the Council and the Member States to do their utmost to ensure the participation, along the line of prior PrepCom involvement, of non-governmental organisations in the Diplomatic Conference in Rome in 1998;

5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the President of the United Nations General Assembly.
B4-0060 and 0072/98

Resolution on the violation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The European Parliament,

A. having learned of the arrest and arbitrary detention of Mr Z'ahidi Arthur Ngoma at his movement's annual conference on 25 November 1997 for having voiced his opposition to the regime of Mr Kabila,

B. indignant that he should have been mistreated, imprisoned without trial and arbitrarily detained since that date,

C. having regard to the recent arrest of several other human rights activists, notably Mr Nsala, Secretary-General of the Kinshasa Human Rights Centre (Cenadho),

D. whereas the press is also the target of acts of intimidation by the regime in power,

E. whereas political parties other than the AFDL, the party in power, demonstrations and public meetings have been banned since Mr Kabila became the country's leader,

The European Parliament,

1. Deplores the policy of intimidation and repression against political opponents, human rights activists and the press;

2. Reminds the Member States and the Commission of:

- the need to make all international aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) subject to progress in human rights and the implementation of a genuinely democratic process in that country;

- the need to support the democratic process and to assist the non-governmental organizations working for human rights in the DRC;

3. Calls on the leaders of the DRC:

- to release all prisoners of conscience, notably Mr Z'ahidi Ngoma and Mr Nsala, without delay;

- to apply the rule of law, to reestablish fundamental freedoms, allow political movements to operate freely and, through an open debate among all shades of opinion in the country, to hold genuinely democratic elections;

4. Calls on the Member States, the Council and the Commission to take the steps and apply the pressure vis-à-vis the DRC authorities needed to ensure that they make steady progress towards democratization and respect for human rights;

5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Assembly, the Council, the Commission, the UN Secretary-General, the Secretary-General of the OAU and the government of the DRC.
B4-0392, 0401, 0403, 0408 and 0417/98

Resolution on freedom of expression in Cameroon

The European Parliament,

A. whereas the journalist Pius Njawé, editor of the newspaper 'Le Messager', was arrested on 24 December 1997 following publication of an article reporting that Cameroon's President Paul Biya had had heart problems,

B. whereas a denial issued by the Presidency was published in a subsequent edition of the same newspaper,

C. whereas on 13 January 1998 Pius Njawé was sentenced to two years' imprisonment and a fine of CFA 500 000 for 'dissemination of inaccurate news',

D. whereas at the same hearing a second journalist, Michel Michaut Moussala, was also sentenced to six months' imprisonment and a fine of CFA 1 million for an article, published in the 'Aurore Plus' weekly newspaper of which he is editor, criticizing the Director of the Cameroon Ports Authority, who is also a member of parliament belonging to the ruling party,

E. regretting that, despite the appeals made to the Cameroonian authorities by both political and civilian circles, no response has yet been received on the case of Pius Njawé,

F. deploring the recent upsurge in violations of freedom of expression in the country,

G. whereas Cameroon is a signatory to the Lomé Convention, Article 5 of which stipulates that development aid is conditional upon respect for basic human rights and freedoms, one of the most prominent of which is freedom of expression,

The European Parliament,

1. Deplores in the strongest terms the arrest and the heavy sentences meted out to Pius Njawé and Michel Michaut Moussala and calls for their immediate and unconditional release;

2. Calls on the Cameroonian Government to show all due respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and in particular freedom of expression;

3. Calls on the Commission and the Council to ensure compliance with Article 5 of the Lomé Convention and closely monitor the human rights situation in Cameroon;

4. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Assembly and the Cameroonian Government.

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B4-0324/98

Resolution on Lebanese prisoners held in Syria

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on Syria,

A. whereas human rights organizations report that numerous Lebanese nationals have been arbitrarily detained and held in solitary confinement by the Syrian forces in Lebanon,

B. whereas, according to the same reports, these prisoners have been incarcerated in Syria, no charge has been brought against them and their families have remained in complete ignorance of their fate for many years,

C. having regard to the negotiations between the European Union and Syria for a Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement,

1. Welcomes the fact that at least 121 of those prisoners have recently been released;

2. Is concerned at the fate of those remaining in detention in Syria, the number of which, according to reports by international humanitarian organizations, exceeds thirty;

3. Calls on the Syrian Government to provide a full list of the Lebanese nationals detained in Syria, to release those prisoners who face no charges and to transfer the other Lebanese prisoners to Lebanon;

4. Calls on the Council and the governments of the Member States to take these factors into consideration when negotiating the Euro-Mediterranean association agreement with the Government of Syria;

5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the Lebanese and Syrian governments.
B4-0407 and 0423/98

Resolution on the death penalty in the United States

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its earlier resolutions on the death penalty in the United States, and in particular on the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal,

A. whereas on 30 March 1998 Judy Buenoano was executed in the electric chair in Starke (Florida),

B. whereas Judy Buenoano was the first woman to be executed in Florida since 1848, and only the third in the entire United States to be executed since the Supreme Court re-established capital punishment in 1976,

C. whereas Mumia Abu-Jamal was condemned to death in December 1982 and whereas international protests have so far succeeded in preventing his execution,

D. having regard to the hunger strike staged by Mumia Abu-Jamal and other prisoners under sentence of death in protest against the deterioration in their conditions of imprisonment at Greene prison in Pennsylvania,

1. Calls on the United States to abolish the death penalty, and calls on all its individual states to remove the death penalty from their statute books;

2. Reaffirms its opposition to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances and, in this connection, expresses its outrage at the execution of Judy Buenoano;

3. Reiterates its call for Mumia Abu-Jamal's case to be reviewed and for the death sentence on him to be commuted;

4. Calls on the Pennsylvania prison authorities fully to respect the rights of prisoners, including visiting and canteen rights and the right to possess personal documents;

5. Instructs its delegation for relations with the United States to raise the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal and the whole subject of the death penalty at its next meeting with US members of Congress;

6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the President of the United States and the Governor of Pennsylvania.
B4-0595, 0615, 0621, 0642, 0658 and 0665/98

Resolution on the question of the death penalty and the establishment of a universal moratorium on executions

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on the death penalty,

A. whereas in 1994 the United Nations General Assembly rejected by only 8 votes a resolution on the establishment of a universal moratorium on the death penalty,

B. recalling the 1997 resolution of the UN Commission on Human Rights (E/CN.4/1997/L.20) which maintains that 'abolition of the death penalty contributes to the enhancement of human dignity and to the progressive development of human rights¨,

C. recalling the resolution of the UN Commission on Human Rights of 3 April 1998, (E/CN.4/1998/L.12) which calls for the establishment of a universal moratorium on executions;

D. welcoming the latest report of the UN Secretary-General which contains information on changes and positive developments in law and practice concerning the death penalty world-wide (E/CN.4/1998/82),

E. welcoming the fact that several countries, while still keeping the death penalty in their legislation, are applying a de facto moratorium on executions,

1. Calls on the Member States to undertake all necessary steps to ensure that the question of the death penalty is included on the agenda of the next session of the UN General Assembly;

2. Requests the Council to give a mandate to the Austrian Presidency to coordinate the initiatives of the EU Member States concerning the inclusion of a universal moratorium on executions on the agenda of the next session of the UN General Assembly;

3. Calls on the Council, the Member States and the Commission, acting within their respective remits, to table at the next UN General Assembly a resolution for the introduction of a universal moratorium on executions;

4. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments of the Member States, the UN Secretary-General and the President of the UN General Assembly.

10
B4-0975/98

Resolution on the arrest of General Pinochet in London

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions in defence of democracy and human rights in Chile adopted during the dictatorship of General Pinochet,

- having regard to its resolutions of 18 November 1993 on the legal proceedings concerning the murder of European citizen Mr Carmelo Soria Espinosa in Chile ((OJ C 329, 6.12.1993, p. 278.)), 20 June 1996 on the amnesty for the alleged kidnappers of Carmelo Soria ((OJ C 198, 8.7.1996, p. 209.)), who was assassinated by agents of the Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional (DINA - the Chilean National Intelligence Agency), who have been found but who remain unpunished, 18 September 1997 on the hearing on the Spanish nationals who disappeared under the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet and the Spanish victims of that dictatorship ((OJ C 304, 6.10.1997, p. 143.)) and 19 February 1998 on the appointment of General Pinochet as life senator in Chile ((OJ C 80, 16.3.1998, p. 250.)),

A. whereas the former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet has been arrested in London by British judicial authorities at the request of Spanish judicial authorities,

B. whereas General Pinochet faces serious charges of having committed international crimes in connection with the death and disappearance of thousands of people during his military dictatorship, including dozens of Community citizens,

C. whereas the 1992 Treaty on European Union lays down certain obligations relating to cooperation between Member States in combating international crime, notably in Article K, and whereas these provisions have been strengthened by the new Treaty on European Union of 1997, in particular in Article 31 of the consolidated version,

D. whereas the independent action of judicial bodies in defence of the rule of law constitutes an essential basis of the Constitutional State,

1. Congratulates the Spanish and British judicial authorities for their effective cooperation in the arrest of General Pinochet;

2. Reaffirms its commitment to the principle of universal justice to protect human rights in accordance with the international treaties signed by the various Member States and calls on the competent authorities to interpret them in accordance with the principles of the Treaty on European Union and the secondary legislation adopted by the Council;

3. Calls on the Spanish Government to request the extradition of General Pinochet as soon as possible, should the judicial authorities require it, in order that he appear in court in connection with the various proceedings instituted in Spain concerning the crimes of which he is accused;

4. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the British and Spanish Governments, the Presidency of the Council, the Commission and the Government of Chile.
B4-0888, 0889, 0890 and 0891/98

Resolution on the crisis in the pigmeat sector

The European Parliament,

A. whereas the Commission, by adopting Regulation 2042/98 of 25 September 1998 on special conditions for the granting of private storage aid for pigmeat, launched, with effect from 28 September 1998, an aid scheme for private storage of pigmeat in order to offset the impact of the crisis which has been affecting the sector for several months,

B. whereas the fall in pigmeat prices in the European Union has hit certain regions and producer countries harder than others and whereas some farmers are being forced to dispose of their animals at prices 30% below the cost of production,

C. whereas this industry is worth ECU 20 billion annually to rural Europe and involves a considerable number of farmers and many other workers,

D. whereas the height of the crisis is coinciding with the peak in the sector's production cycle, and whereas it is likely that this very high production level has been encouraged by the very attractive prices available over the last four years,

E. whereas the crisis in this sector could worsen if EU exports to the Russian market, which account for one-third of its total pigmeat exports, remain blocked and whereas there are still problems with exports to the Japanese markets,

The European Parliament,

1. Expresses grave concern at the situation facing small producers in particular and its misgivings about the lack of effective planning in connection with the management of supply;

2. Notes the decisions taken at Union level and in certain Member States and calls on the Commission to check that they are consistent with the legislation in force;

3. Further calls on the Commission, in addition to the measures already taken (aids to private storage and increased export refunds), to introduce further measures to reduce the surplus on the home market;

4. Calls on the Commission, in the near future, to assess the impact of the measures adopted and to submit a report to Parliament, possibly accompanied by details of the further measures it plans to take;

5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments of the Member States.
B4-0453/99

Resolution on the nomination of the Commission President

The European Parliament,

- having regard to Article 214 of the EC Treaty and to Declaration No 32 on the organisation and functioning of the Commission annexed to the Final Act of the Treaty of Amsterdam,

- having regard to the nomination of Romano Prodi as President of the Commission by the Heads of State and Government at the European Council in Berlin,

- having regard to the statement by the President-designate of the Commission before Parliament on 13 April 1999 and the presentation of his political guidelines on 4 May 1999,

1. Approves the nomination of Romano Prodi as President of the Commission for the remainder of the term of office;

2. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the President-designate of the Commission and to the governments of the Member States.
B4-0378/99

Resolution on imports of garlic from third countries

The European Parliament,

- having regard to Commission Regulation (EC) No 2288/97 laying down marketing standards for garlic ((OJ L 315, 19.11.1997, p. 3.)),

- having regard to Commission Regulation (EC) No 1859/93 on the application of the system of import licences for garlic imported from third countries ((OJ L 170, 13.7.1993, p. 10.)), as amended by Regulation (EC) No 1662/94 ((OJ L 176, 9.7.1994, p. 1.)), and to Commission Regulation (EC) No 544/97 introducing certificates of origin for garlic imported from certain third countries ((OJ L 84, 23.3.1997, p. 8.)),

A. whereas garlic production is heavily concentrated in certain regions where it plays a major social and economic role; whereas over 15 000 agricultural holdings are engaged in this activity, which generates more than 3.5m man days in direct employment,

B. whereas the system of frontier protection established in 1993 has not succeeded in preventing major disturbances of the Community garlic market, in the face of imports amounting to more than 20% of Community production at prices one-third lower than the Community prices,

C. whereas most of the disturbances of the market are the result of triangular operations aimed at getting round the annual quota of 12 000 tonnes for garlic imports from China, while most of the countries participating in such triangular operations are not garlic producers,

D. whereas the practices of the customs services in certain Member States facilitate the non-application of the rules on marketing and trade with third countries,

1. Reminds the governments of the Member States of their obligation to ensure that the entry points for imports are equipped with the human and material resources needed to guarantee the application of Community rules;

2. Urges the Member States, through their customs services, to ensure that garlic imports are correctly classified for tariff purposes, and to carry out phytosanitary and product origin inspections;

3. Calls on the Commission to extend the scope of Regulation (EC) No 544/97 introducing certificates of origin for garlic imported from third countries;

4. Urges the Commission to propose retaliatory trade measures against countries participating in triangular operations involving Chinese garlic;

5. Calls on the Commission to start the procedure for establishing a maximum overall quota of 33 600 tonnes for third-country garlic imports,

6. Urges the Commission to start the tariff deconsolidation procedure with a view to applying a deterrent tariff to imports exceeding the overall quota;

7. Calls on the Commission to draw up proposals for compensation for income losses to garlic producers up to the moment of entry into force of the global quota and the tariff deconsolidation;

8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments of the Member States and the WTO.