WRITTEN QUESTION E-3335/01 by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission. The arrest of Mohamed Nasheed, MP, in the Maldives on 8 October 2001.
Date: 2001-11-30
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU relations, Maldives, imprisonment, political prisoner, right to justice

29.8.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 205 E/27

As mentioned in the above letter from the Commission, the project involves complicated calculations,
which are difficult to understand. For this reason, the Commission intended to examine the costs of the
project right from the start of its funding. However, I am informed that the Commission has not yet
carried out this examination.

1. What kind of complexities are involved in the calculations for this project’s construction budget?

2. Why has the Commission not examined the costs, as it originally intended to do?

3. Why has this project not yet been operational?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(11 January 2002)

Construction of the Kyllini spa centre was begun in the 1970s using national funds by EOT, the Greek
public tourism body, which built the structure of the building and a waste-water drainage system.

The complexity of the expenditure connected with Community part-financing for this project arises from
the number of sources of aid spread over several programming periods.

the

period

During
of
GRD 1 028 071 979 under the Integrated Mediterranean Programmes to complete work on the centre.
Supplementary aid of GRD 733 337 205 was approved to reinforce the structure of the building as a result
of the earthquake which took place in the region.

approved Community

the Commission

part-financing

1986-1992,

During the 1989-1993 programming period, Community part-financing of GRD 1 040 000 000 was
in order to
granted under priority 4 (bridge projects) of the Community support framework (CSF)
construct the operational phase of the centre.

The project then received Community part-financing of GRD 2 368 833 076 under the Tourism and
Culture operational programme of the CSF for 1994-1999 in order to complete work on the spa in
general. The building has a total area of 12 748m2 and can receive up to 6 500 people per day.

The Commission decided to await closure of the operational programme under which the last part-
financing was approved in order to have an overview of all the aid granted. When it examines that final
report, which the Greek authorities must send no later than 30 June 2002, the Commission will check
both the financial and economic data of this project and will decide what measures to take if the centre is
not still operational.

(2002/C 205 E/028)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3335/01

by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission

(30 November 2001)

Subject: The arrest of Mohamed Nasheed, MP, in the Maldives on 8 October 2001

Is the Commission aware of reports that Mohamed Nasheed, a Member of Parliament in Malé, Republic of
Maldives, and a human rights activist, was arrested on 8 October 2001 without any clear reason being
given.

Would the Commission consider asking the Maldives Government to indicate the exact reason for
Mohamed Nasheed’s arrest and the charges, if any, that have been brought against him?

C 205 E/28

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

29.8.2002

Supplementary answer
given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(1 March 2002)

Further to the response given to the Honourable Member on 21 December 2001, the Commission is
informed through its Delegation in Colombo that, besides holding office as a Member of Parliament,
Mr Nasheed is also a journalist. It appears that it was in connection with journalistic enquiries that
Mr Nasheed was arrested, on charges relating to the disappearance of papers from the former President of
the Maldives’ office.

He was tried on these charges, found guilty, and banished to an outlying island for two years.

(2002/C 205 E/029)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3338/01

by Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Council

(3 December 2001)

Subject: Nigeria

On 9 October 2001 an Islamic court in the state of Sokoto (northern Nigeria) sentenced a pregnant
woman to be stoned to death for having had a pre-marital relationship. The 30-year-old Safiya Hussaini
Tungar Dudu is the first person to have been condemned to death following the introduction in 2000 of a
strict Islamic code. The judge, Mohammed Bello Sanyinnawal, from the Gwadadawa High Islamic Court,
sentenced the woman to death after she had admitted having had a pre-marital relationship. The court,
which has released the man whom Safiya Hussaini Tungar Dudu named as her lover on the grounds that
there was insufficient evidence for him to be put on trial, has given the woman 30 days in which to
appeal. On 25 October 2001, Safiya Hussaini Tungar Dudu’s defence lawyer appealed against the sentence
and called for a stay of execution pending a ruling from the Sharia Appeals Court. On 1 November 2001
the President of the Nigerian Senate, Anyim Pius Anyim, partially condemned the sentence passed by the
Islamic court on the grounds that it discriminated against the woman (who was found guilty, whereas the
man was released), whilst the federal government has also appealed against the sentence.

In Nigeria there are many other cases in which the Sharia has been applied to pre-marital relationships,
following the decision by a dozen of the federation’s states to introduce a strict Islamic code two years ago.
Last January, in the state of Zamfara, a 17-year-old girl, Bariya Mugazu, was given 100 lashes for having
had a pre-marital relationship, after the court had rejected her powerful testimony to the effect that she
had been raped by three suspects whom she called before the court but who were released for lack of
evidence.

What urgent bilateral and multilateral action has the Council taken (or does it intend to take) in order to
prevent Safiya Hussaini Tungar Dudu from being sentenced and in order to encourage the Nigerian
authorities to abolish the Sharia and strengthen the rule of law in the country? How does the Council
intend to tackle, on an international basis, the problem of the many Islamic countries which resort to
public executions and other punishments such as whipping which are inflicted mainly on women and
often for offences which do not
the standards laid down under
international human rights agreements?

involved violence,

in breach of

Reply

(13 May 2002)

The Council would point out that Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 7 of
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provide that no one shall be subjected to torture or
to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. On this basis, both in international fora and in
its bilateral relations the European Union works for the cessation of such practices and for an end to the
application of the death sentence.