European Parliament resolution on Iraq: the Assyrian community; the situation in Iraqi prisons
Date: 2006-04-06
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Christian, Iraq, civil defence, cruel and degrading treatment, human rights, penal institution, political rights, violence

C 293 E/322

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

2.12.2006

Thursday 6 April 2006

6. Welcomes the decisions taken by the UN Security Council in March 2006 on a ban on offensive
flights in Darfur; calls for an effectively enforced no-fly zone across Darfur;

Calls on the EU, the US and other international actors to take all necessary action to help end impun-
7.
ity by enforcing the Security Council sanctions regime and seeking for this regime to include targeted
sanctions against individuals who obstruct the deployment of the UN force and otherwise contribute to
abuses of civilians;

Calls for the international community to support the ICC's investigation into violations of inter-

8.
national humanitarian and human rights law in Darfur;

9.
Joins the UNHCR in calling for an end to forced conscription of Sudanese refugees in Chad; calls for
the implementation of a Chad-Sudan border monitoring force, as provided for in the accord signed by the
Presidents of the two countries on 10 February 2006;

Strongly criticises the Government of Sudan for preventing Jan Egeland, the UN Under-Secretary-

10.
General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, from visiting Darfur;

Calls on the African Union to continue to play a leading role in the Abuja peace talks, and for all

11.
those involved in the talks to work to achieve these ends;

Calls on the Government of Sudan to work alongside the NGO community for the benefit of its
12.
people; urges the Government to revise the Organisation of Voluntary and Humanitarian Work Act 2006 to
bring it into line with international human rights standards; insists that Sudan's Humanitarian Aid Commis-
sion (HAC) facilitate the issuing of visas and travel permits to humanitarian workers and stop the har-
assment of international NGOs; criticises the lack of independence of the HAC from the Government of
Sudan;

13.
Calls on the Government of Sudan to release Ms Amouna Mohamed Ahmed (17), Ms Fayza Ismail
Abaker (16), Ms Houda Ismail Abdel Rahman (17) and Ms Zahra Adam Abdela (17) while their case is
investigated and considers that these girls should be given appropriate care as victims of attempted rape;

14.
Criticises Russian and Chinese efforts to block UN Security Council actions over Darfur; urges the
international community to exert more pressure on these countries in order to prevent these countries'
economic interests in oil and arms sales from undermining efforts to bring peace to Darfur;

15.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Government of
Sudan, the UN Security Council, Jan Pronk, Jan Egeland, Kofi Annan and the Heads of Government of the
ACP countries.

P6_TA(2006)0143

Iraq: Assyrian community, situation in Iraqi prisons

European Parliament resolution on Iraq: the Assyrian community; the situation in Iraqi prisons

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its resolution of 24 February 2005 on the EU's priorities and recommendations for
the 61st session of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva (14 March to 22 April 2005) (1),

— having regard to its resolution of 28 April 2005 on the Annual Report on Human Rights in the World

2004 and the EU's policy on the matter (2),

(1) OJ C 304 E, 1.12.2005, p. 375.
(2) OJ C 45 E, 23.2.2006, p. 107.

2.12.2006

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 293 E/323

Thursday 6 April 2006

— having regard to its resolution of 6 July 2005 on the European Union and Iraq — A framework for

engagement (1),

— having regard to the decision of the General Affairs and External Relations Council of 21 February

2005 to launch an Integrated Rule of Law Mission for Iraq (EUJUST LEX),

— having regard to the conclusions on Iraq of the External Relations Council of 7 November 2005,

— having regard to the conclusions on Iraq of the External Relations Council of 27 February 2006,

— having regard to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or

Punishment,

— having regard to Article 35 of the Iraqi Constitution of 2005, Article 333 of its Penal Code and Arti-

cle 127 of its Code of Criminal Procedure, prohibiting all forms of torture,

— having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

The Assyrians (Chaldeans, Syriacs and other Christian minorities)

A. whereas on 29 January 2006 four churches and the offices of the Vatican's representative in Baghdad,
as well as two churches in Kirkuk, were attacked, killing three people (including a 14-year-old child) and
injuring several others,

B. whereas the Assyrians (Chaldeans, Syriacs and other Christian minorities) have increasingly become the
victims of targeted violence such as destruction of property, kidnapping, attacks on churches, har-
assment, extortion, and torture of persons perceived as not respecting Islam,

C.

recognising that there has also been a rise in attacks on Christian students in Iraqi universities, espe-
cially in Mosul, and that Christian citizens of Mosul are being told to move out of the area,

D. noting the dire situation of Christians who have fled from Iraq and are refugees in neighbouring coun-
tries, mainly Syria and Jordan, where, according to a report by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), they
receive no international aid,

E. whereas the Assyrians (Chaldeans, Syriacs and other Christian minorities) constitute an ancient and
indigenous people who are very vulnerable as a result of persecution and forced emigration, and
whereas there is a danger of their culture becoming extinct,

The situation in prisons in Iraq

F. whereas, according to the Human Rights Office of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), the

conditions and the legality of detention in Iraq remain a matter of particular concern,

G. whereas, according to the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights, as of 28 February 2006 there were a total of
29 565 detainees: 14 229 in the custody of the Multinational Force-Iraq (MNF-I), 8 391 in the custody
of the Ministry of Justice, 488 juveniles in the custody of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs,
5 997 held by the Ministry of the Interior and 490 by the Ministry of Defence,

H. whereas inspections are carried out by representatives of Iraqi ministries in places of detention under
the control of the Ministries of Interior and Defence or run by the Special Forces throughout the
country,

I. whereas EUJUST LEX is providing the necessary training for over 700 Iraqi judicial, police and prison

personnel,

J. mindful that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provides that no-one should be
subjected to arbitrary detention and that deprivation of liberty must be based on grounds and pro-
cedures established by law, and urging all parties to apply its provisions,

(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0288.

C 293 E/324

Official Journal of the European Union

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Thursday 6 April 2006

The Assyrians (Chaldeans, Syriacs and other Christian minorities)

1.
Strongly condemns all acts of violence against the Assyrians (Chaldeans, Syriacs and other Christian
minorities) in Iraq; urges the Iraqi authorities and the MNF-I to find the perpetrators of these serious crimes
and bring them to justice as soon as possible;

Urges the Iraqi authorities to protect the Assyrians (Chaldeans, Syriacs and other Christian minorities)

2.
from discrimination, in accordance with their international obligations;

3.
Urges the Iraqi authorities to improve the security situation of the Assyrians (Chaldeans, Syriacs and
other Christian minorities) and to facilitate the return and resettlement of Assyrian (Chaldean, Syriac and
life are
other Christian minority) refugees to a secure environment where their customs and way of
respected;

4.
Calls for the involvement of the Christians in Iraq in the reconstruction and administration of their
land and villages in Northern Iraq and elsewhere in the region in order to preserve their cultural, religious
and ethnic identity within one undivided country;

5.
Strongly supports the calls by most Iraqi political and religious leaders for restraint and urges the
communities in Iraq to come together in a spirit of dialogue and mutual respect; expresses its full support
for the efforts of the UN in promoting intercommunal dialogue within the framework of a national dia-
logue; welcomes the initiative by the League of Arab States to hold a second conference on national recon-
ciliation with the participation of all Iraqi communities;

Urges the Constitutional Committee of the Iraqi Council of Representatives to preserve the cultural

6.
and religious rights of all Iraqi communities in its proposals for a constitutional amendment;

Calls on the Commission and the Council to take all necessary measures to assist and protect the

7.
Assyrians (Chaldeans, Syriacs and other Christian minorities);

The situation in prisons in Iraq

8.
Expresses its concern at the conditions of detention in prisons and other places of detention in Iraq;
inhuman or degrading treatment of
reaffirms its condemnation of the use of torture and other cruel,
prisoners; calls on the Iraqi authorities and the MNF-I to ensure that conditions of detention conform to
international standards for the treatment of prisoners;

Calls on the MNF-I and the Iraqi authorities to release immediately the identities of all remaining
9.
detainees and to ensure that they have access to legal counsel and prompt access to their families, and are
informed of the reasons for their detention;

Calls on the Iraqi authorities and the MNF-I to put in place adequate safeguards to protect detainees

10.
from torture and ill-treatment by:

(a)

ensuring that all allegations of such abuse are subject to prompt, thorough and independent investi-
gation and that any military, security or other officials found to have used, ordered or authorised
torture are brought to justice;

(b) ensuring that detainees are able effectively to challenge their detention before a court and are subject to

due process;

(c) prosecuting all those currently held without charge for internationally recognisable criminal offences or

else releasing them;

11. Welcomes the ongoing investigations carried out by the MNF-I into allegations of abuse of prisoners;

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 293 E/325

Thursday 6 April 2006

12. Welcomes the inspection of places of detention throughout the country carried out by the Iraqi
authorities; welcomes the fact that more inspections are underway; also welcomes the fact that UNAMI
encourages this process;

Calls on the MNF-I and the Iraqi authorities to grant the International Committee of the Red Cross

13.
unfettered access to all British and US detention facilities;

Supports the continuing efforts of the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights to uphold high standards,

14.
including for people under detention;

15.
Supports EUJUST LEX; notes that the Iraqi authorities have requested that the mission be extended
beyond the end of its current mandate and the scope of the training provided expanded; urges the Com-
mission and the Council to extend the mission beyond the end of its current mandate and to expand the
scope of the training provided to include forensic policing;

Calls on the Iraqi Council of Representatives to ratify the Convention against Torture and Other

16.
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment;

Calls on the Commission, the Council and the Member States to make further contributions to the

17.
strengthening of human rights and the rule of law in Iraq;

*

*

*

18.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Iraqi Transi-
tional Government, the Iraqi Council of Representatives, the Government of the United States of America,
the governments of the other countries that are part of the MNF-I, and the UN Secretary-General.

P6_TA(2006)0144

Egypt: the Ayman Nour affair

European Parliament resolution on Egypt: the Ayman Nour affair

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its previous resolutions on the case of Ayman Nour and on the Euro-Mediterranean

Partnership,

— having regard to the Barcelona Declaration of 28 November 1995,

— having regard to the communication of 21 May 2003 from the Commission to the Council and the
European Parliament on reinvigorating EU actions on Human Rights and democratisation with Medi-
terranean partners — Strategic guidelines (COM(2003)0294),

— having regard to the first conference of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network, held in Cairo

on 26 and 27 January 2006,

— having regard to the work programme adopted by the Heads of State and Government at the Barcelona

Summit on 28 November 2005,

— having regard to the conclusions of the fifth Conference of Euro-Mediterranean Presidents of Parlia-

ments, adopted in Barcelona on 26 November 2005,

— having regard to the resolutions adopted by the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (APEM) on

27 March 2006 and the declaration of its President,

— having regard to its resolution of 19 January 2006 on the European Neighbourhood Policy (1),

(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0028.