unimelb-nlp/MultiEup-v2 huggingface dataset:
Debate: Azerbaijan, notably the repression of civil society and the cases of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu and Ilhamiz Guliyev
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Fabio Massimo Castaldo
Political group: Renew
Country: France
Language: IT

Eppure cosa è cambiato? Il regime di Baku ha forse rivisto le sue posizioni? No. Ha allentato la presa sui dissidenti interni? No. Si è forse reso disponibile a un negoziato serio e accettabile di pace con l'Armenia? Nemmeno. Il tempo delle condanne a parole è finito. È giunto il momento di esigere delle azioni concrete, anche di mettere sul tavolo un regime sanzionatorio qualora queste richieste non venissero accolte, perché il dottor Gubad Ibadoghlu, in questo momento, se non verrà fatto espatriare potrebbe anche morire. Ha bisogno di cure urgenti. Tutti i prigionieri politici, sono oltre 200, devono essere rilasciati, inclusi quelli armeni incarcerati dopo l'occupazione del Nagorno-Karabakh. La retorica aggressiva, militarista, soffocante e dittatoriale di Aliyev nei confronti dell'opposizione interna così come anche dell'Armenia deve cessare definitivamente.  Smettiamo di trattare l'Azerbaigian come un partner affidabile. Smettiamo di sacrificare i nostri principi e valori sull'altare della realpolitik. Non possiamo essere l'Europa che è forte con i deboli e debole con i forti.
Debate: Azerbaijan, notably the repression of civil society and the cases of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu and Ilhamiz Guliyev
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Miriam Lexmann
Political group: PPE
Country: Spain
Language: EN

Mr President, while the Commission and the Council continue to pretend that Azerbaijan is the EU’s strategic partner, the regime in Baku continues to oppress its own people, threaten its neighbours and thwart efforts towards regional peace. Today there are 300 political prisoners in Azerbaijan. I welcome the release of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu, but the regime must not be allowed to pull the wool over our eyes. Dr Ibadoghlu remains gravely ill as a result of imprisonment and requires immediate surgery. All the trumped-up charges against him must be dropped, and he must be allowed to travel abroad to undergo medical treatment. At the same time, after the ethnic cleansing of Christian Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, the regime continues to threaten Armenia and thwart efforts towards sustainable peace. This reality is all the more haunting today as we commemorate the anniversary of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. The world failed to act in 1915, and it failed to act again this year when over 100 000 Armenians had to flee their homeland. The phrase ‘never again’ cannot be just empty words. We must use our diplomatic and economic strengths to ensure that Baku returns to peace and stops oppression at home. It is time to stop dreaming about the strategic partnership. Face the reality and act in accordance with our values and principles.
Debate: Azerbaijan, notably the repression of civil society and the cases of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu and Ilhamiz Guliyev
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Michael Gahler
Political group: PPE
Country: Spain
Language: EN

Mr President, colleagues, to end the debate, I have a suggestion to make. As I learned from Zhala, from his daughter, that apparently, President Aliyev is on Friday in Berlin meeting the Chancellor Scholz. Perhaps those who took the floor here, that we all send an email to the Chancellor’s office asking him, or asking his aides, to include in his speaking notes the reference to our case here, to Dr Ibadoghlu, and asking the Chancellor to raise the issue and allow him to travel home. So that is my suggestion, where perhaps it has an impact and might lead to an immediate result.
Debate: Azerbaijan, notably the repression of civil society and the cases of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu and Ilhamiz Guliyev
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Isabel Santos
Political group: S-D
Country: Hungary
Language: PT

Senhor Presidente, quero aqui salientar o facto de este ser um momento feliz. O agendamento desta urgência teve de facto um efeito quase imediato, ao levar à passagem do Dr. Ibadoghlu para o regime de prisão domiciliária.  Contudo, isso não é suficiente. Eu, hoje, acabei de ter contacto com a sua filha, que está aqui presente, a assistir a esta sessão, Zhala Bayramova – que quero aqui saudar –, e ela deu-me conta da situação do seu pai. Ele precisa de tratamento urgente na Alemanha. Esse tratamento é possível. As instituições médicas estão preparadas para o receber e para o tratar e todo o nosso esforço deve ser concentrado na criação da possibilidade de ele viajar. Mas este esforço não deve parar aqui. E temos de ser muito claros: a União Europeia tem o dever de exigir a libertação de todos os presos políticos – todos os presos políticos – no Azerbaijão. E o Azerbaijão não pode ser considerado, como tem vindo a ser considerado várias vezes pela Comissão e também pelo Conselho, como um parceiro fiável. Não é um parceiro fiável, e os negócios não podem justificar as violações de direitos humanos a que estamos a fechar os olhos. Temos de ser claros e precisos nesta matéria.
Debate: Azerbaijan, notably the repression of civil society and the cases of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu and Ilhamiz Guliyev
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Virginijus Sinkevičius
Language: EN

Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu is a well-known Azerbaijani economist, political opponent and vocal critic of the government, who has been held in pre-trial detention since July 2023. Mr Guliyev is a political activist who has been in pre-trial detention since December 2023. Since November 2023, we have seen several waves of arrests of independent journalists and political activists affiliated with a number of media outlets and non-governmental organisations. At least 16 people have been detained, among them Ilhamiz Guliyev. Since the last debate in this Chamber and the resolution adopted on Dr Ibadoghlu, we have repeatedly raised our concerns on the rights of detained persons, including their access to medical assistance, independent doctors and the International Committee of the Red Cross, both in direct contact with the authorities and in public statements. We continue to call on Azerbaijan to uphold its obligations under international law. The EU delegation in Baku also regularly conducts trial-monitoring in politically motivated cases like those of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu, political activist Ilhamiz Guliyev, seriously ill journalist Alasgar Mammadli, public activist Baxtiyar Haciyev, and others. It has also repeatedly requested to visit Dr Ibadoghlu and other prisoners. Civil society organisations in Azerbaijan are operating under difficult circumstances. Support for these organisations is and will remain a key priority for the European Union, with currently more than EUR 12 million in assistance. We also continue to call on the authorities to allow civil society organisations to operate freely in the country. Human rights, the rule of law and civil society remain a priority in EU-Azerbaijan bilateral relations. So, therefore, we will continue to call on Azerbaijan to adhere to its obligations under international law, including international human rights law.
Debate: Azerbaijan, notably the repression of civil society and the cases of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu and Ilhamiz Guliyev
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Jan-Christoph Oetjen
Country: France
Language: DE

Die Aussprache ist geschlossen. Zum Abschluss der Aussprache wurden sechs Entschließungsanträge eingereicht, und die Abstimmung darüber findet am Donnerstag, 25. April 2024, statt.
Debate: The proposed repeal of the law banning female genital mutilation in The Gambia
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Jan-Christoph Oetjen
Country: France
Language: DE

Als nächster Punkt der Tagesordnung folgt die Aussprache gemäß Artikel 144 der Geschäftsordnung über die vorgeschlagene Aufhebung des Gesetzes, das Genitalverstümmelung bei Frauen und Mädchen verbietet, in Gambia ( ______________ * Siehe Protokoll.
Debate: The proposed repeal of the law banning female genital mutilation in The Gambia
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Michael Gahler
Country: Spain
Language: DE

Wir haben bestehende Konventionen zur Eliminierung aller Formen von Diskriminierung von Frauen, ein Übereinkommen über die Rechte des Kindes und ein Übereinkommen gegen Folter und andere grausame, unmenschliche oder erniedrigende Behandlung oder Strafe. Diese Genitalverstümmelung ist in der Tat etwas, was nicht ins 21. Jahrhundert gehört und was auch nicht seitens irgendeiner Regierung als etwas Fortschrittliches oder im Interesse der Frau Gerichtetes ausgesprochen werden kann. Nehmen Sie diese Absicht zurück. Das ist unser Aufruf an die Regierung in Gambia.
Debate: The proposed repeal of the law banning female genital mutilation in The Gambia
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Hannes Heide
Country: Slovakia
Language: EN

According to UNICEF, 76 % of Gambian women aged 15 to 49 have been circumcised. Around 46 % of girls under the age of 14 are victims of genital mutilation, with serious consequences including irreparable physical, psychological, reproductive and sexual health damage. In the worst case, it leads to death. In 2015, The Gambia adopted the landmark Women’s Act, which penalises the practice of female genital mutilation with up to three years in prison. This legislation was recognised worldwide as a leading step forward! The repeal has already passed the second reading in the Gambian Parliament and The Gambia risks being the first country in the world to reverse legal protection against female genital mutilation. The recently signed Samoa Agreement commits all parties to abolish female genital mutilation. The Commission and the European External Action Service urgently and systematically has to address the problem with the Gambian authorities and get involved to guarantee women’s and girls’ rights throughout the region.
Debate: The proposed repeal of the law banning female genital mutilation in The Gambia
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Svenja Hahn
Country: Finland
Language: EN

As a woman, as a politician, I am deeply worried that The Gambia is looking into lifting the ban on female genital mutilation. It would be the first time ever that this protection of women’s rights would be reversed – and with the numbers of women affected, it is shocking. Around 76 % of Gambian women between 15 and 49 have been circumcised, or 230 million girls and women worldwide are affected. As the European Parliament, we call on the Gambian Parliament: demonstrate your country’s commitment to international human rights law and the multiple international and regional agreements The Gambia has signed – and I expect the European Commission to join the efforts from this Parliament. We need to protect the rights of women and girls and – the Gambian Parliament: please reject the proposal to lift the ban and uphold the criminalisation of female genital mutilation.
Debate: The proposed repeal of the law banning female genital mutilation in The Gambia
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana
Country: Spain
Language: FR

Si ce projet de loi est adopté, la Gambie deviendra le premier pays au monde à revenir sur l’interdiction des mutilations génitales féminines. Cela rendrait les mutilations légales, créerait un dangereux précédent en matière de recul des droits des femmes et compromettrait également l’objectif de développement durable 5, qui vise à éradiquer les mutilations génitales féminines à l’échelle mondiale d’ici 2030. La légalisation de l’excision constituerait une violation de la Convention sur l’élimination de toutes les formes de discrimination à l’égard des femmes, de la Convention relative aux droits de l’enfant et de la Charte africaine des droits et du bien-être de l’enfant, toutes ratifiées par la Gambie. Au nom des jeunes filles de la diaspora et de la Gambie, au nom de toutes les jeunes filles, ne faisons pas la sourde oreille devant leur désarroi et entendons leur cri du cœur, car ni le Coran – je suis fille de musulmans –, ni la Torah, ni la Bible n’exigent qu’une femme soit excisée.
Debate: The proposed repeal of the law banning female genital mutilation in The Gambia
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Assita Kanko
Country: France
Language: EN

Today, female genital mutilation continues despite all laws. It breaks my heart when I see the governments of the Gambia wanting to repeal the law banning female genital mutilation, instead of protecting girls. It’s vital that we do all we can to convince the Gambia’s Parliament not to decriminalise female genital mutilation, vital because it could literally cost girls’ and women’s lives or adversely affect their quality of life. It’s also a dangerous precedent, as this could lead to a wave of reduction of women’s rights in other countries.  The Commission and the European External Action Service should urge the Gambian authorities to honour their human-rights commitments and enforce the legal ban on female genital mutilation. The law against female genital mutilation is not a law against their religion or culture. It is a human right that protects and improves the lives of women and girls.
Debate: The proposed repeal of the law banning female genital mutilation in The Gambia
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Miguel Urbán Crespo
Country: Belgium
Language: ES

Me gustaría recordar que los acuerdos de asociación de la Unión Europea incluyen cláusulas de derechos humanos que permiten la suspensión de dicha relación en caso de violación de estas cláusulas. Pero, lamentablemente, estas bonitas palabras son papel mojado, como hemos comprobado sistemáticamente en esta legislatura que ahora termina. Porque, más allá de las palabras bonitas, necesitamos acciones concretas: más políticas públicas efectivas.  Desde la izquierda europea hemos propuesto que en esta Resolución se incluyera la mención al refuerzo necesario de los servicios públicos de salud como medida para combatir también la mutilación genital femenina, pero el resto de grupos ha decidido descartar esta mención. En su lugar se ha hablado de la interlocución necesaria con los líderes religiosos. Creo que es un buen resumen de las prioridades de la mayoría de esta Cámara.  Y, señor presidente, quería terminar mi última intervención en el Parlamento Europeo dando las gracias a las trabajadoras y los trabajadores. Sin las trabajadoras, el mundo no funciona y sin las trabajadoras invisibles de este Parlamento, este Parlamento tampoco funcionaría.
Debate: The proposed repeal of the law banning female genital mutilation in The Gambia
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Carina Ohlsson
Political group: S-D
Language: SV

Kvinnors och flickors situation i Gambia är extremt allvarlig. 76 procent av alla kvinnor och flickor i åldern 15 till 49 år har genomgått könsstympning. Detta är en allvarlig kränkning av mänskliga rättigheter. Hälsokonsekvenserna är väl dokumenterade och mycket svåra. Många dör. De som överlever får men för livet. Infektioner, infertilitet och förlossningskomplikationer tillhör de vanligaste förekommande komplikationerna.  Jag uppmanar verkligen Gambias parlament att omedelbart förkasta förslaget. Varje flicka förtjänar rätten till sin egen kropp och sitt eget liv. Alla flickor ska få växa upp fria från våld och förtryck. Kvinnlig könsstympning är en medeltida sedvänja som bäst hör hemma på historiens skräphög.  Gör istället som vi här i EU när vi i dag fattar beslut om en lagstiftning mot våld mot kvinnor och flickor.
Debate: The proposed repeal of the law banning female genital mutilation in The Gambia
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Charles Goerens
Political group: Renew
Country: Czechia
Language: FR

De deux choses l’une: ou bien les autorités des États où ces pratiques existent encore sont impuissantes face au maintien d’une tradition abominable, ou bien les autorités sont malveillantes et laissent faire. Dans la première hypothèse, nous devons mutualiser tous nos efforts – nous, c’est-à-dire: l’Union européenne, nos États membres, le monde associatif, les agences des Nations Unies et notamment l’UNICEF – pour sensibiliser les femmes et les autorités politiques des pays concernés et y accorder les moyens budgétaires nécessaires. Des exemples, trop rares hélas, nous montrent que nous pouvons faire quelque chose. Quand un gouvernement, comme c’est le cas en Gambie, agit à contresens de l’histoire, nous devons encore déployer plus d’efforts pour mettre fin à un crime qui va désormais risquer d’être légalisé.
Debate: The proposed repeal of the law banning female genital mutilation in The Gambia
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Max Orville
Political group: Renew
Country: Greece
Language: FR

Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Commissaire, avant de commencer mon propos, je veux vous lire un témoignage. «On m’ordonne de retirer ma jupe, puis ma culotte. Chacun attrape une partie de mon corps. Je suis écartelée. L’exciseuse prend un vieux couteau et attrape mon petit bout. Elle le coupe à vif en plusieurs fois. Je rugis de douleur. J’essaye de me débattre, mais je suis tenue par quatre adultes qui me crient dessus. L’exciseuse prend une petite bouteille contenant un liquide transparent et le jette sur mon sexe. C’est de l’alcool à 90 degrés.» Tel est le calvaire vécu par Halimata Fofana à seulement cinq ans. C’est douloureux à entendre. Ça l’est encore plus à subir. Rien ne justifie de telles pratiques, ni la culture, ni la religion. Les mutilations génitales féminines ne sont rien d’autre que de la torture. Revenir sur la loi qui les interdit est inacceptable. Ce n’est qu’un recul supplémentaire des droits des femmes et des droits humains. Nous ne pouvons rester silencieux et laisser en détresse les femmes gambiennes. L’Union européenne doit être forte et unie à leurs côtés. Le silence réprobateur est inenvisageable.
Debate: The proposed repeal of the law banning female genital mutilation in The Gambia
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Virginijus Sinkevičius
Language: EN

It has demonstrated a commitment to defending human rights and multilateralism, with the UN at its core. It has voted in solidarity with Ukraine. It has been at the forefront of many human rights battles, including the Rohingyas in Myanmar. It is a respected member of the United Nations Human Rights Council. In this positive context, the bill to repeal the ban on female genital mutilation, suggested by an independent National Assembly member, casts a shadow over the reputation of The Gambia. However, it should be made clear that this initiative does not come from the government. The EU has already taken steps to discuss with the Gambian authorities in quiet diplomacy. We have shared our concerns and passed strong messages through our EU Ambassador, as well as through the EU Special Representative for Human Rights. While respecting alternative cultures and traditions, the EU is against all gender-based violence. The EU has convened the view that legal protection of young women provided for by this 2015 law should not disappear. If it did, it would represent a substantial setback for the status of women in the country. The Gambian Government, from all our contacts, shares our concerns, and there is much hope that the National Assembly would vote against this initiative. The matter needs to be approached in a way that is sensitive to local politics. Much needs to be done to avoid reinforcing the position and arguments of the bill sponsors, who often present themselves as defenders of The Gambia’s traditions and culture against the influence and interference of foreign actors. We need to move forward in a way that bases our approach firmly on the commitments already made by The Gambia and its leaders. Of course, we will continue to broaden our outreach to key political actors in the National Assembly, which is currently examining the proposal at the committee level. We will continue to encourage The Gambia based on its commitments to reject these proposals.
Debate: The new security law in Hong Kong and the cases of Andy Li and Joseph John
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Roberts Zīle
Language: LV

Nākamais darba kārtības punkts ir debates par pieciem rezolūciju priekšlikumiem attiecībā uz jauno drošības likumu Honkongā un Andy Li un Joseph John lietu ( ______________ * Sk. protokolu.
Debate: The new security law in Hong Kong and the cases of Andy Li and Joseph John
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Miriam Lexmann
Country: Spain
Language: EN

What has happened in Hong Kong is both a telling example of how the totalitarian regime works, but it is also a warning for all of us. The daily attempts to undermine our democracies, including in this House, shine true light on these regimes and its aims. This is why we need urgent EU action on Hong Kong, particularly holding accountable those Chinese and Hong Kong officials like John Lee, responsible for the destruction of the freedom in the city. Moreover, we need stronger protection of our citizens, including dual nationals targeted by Chinese transnational oppression.  At the very end, let me express sincere gratitude to all colleagues, and especially to Reinhard Bütikofer, for all their cooperation over the past four years in standing up for freedom in the face of the totalitarian CCP. Working across political divides, the European Parliament has become a leading voice for a changing EU stance towards the CCP, one that is more principled, that protects our democratic institutions and societies, that defends our economic security, and, above all, that stands up for those countless voices oppressed by the Communist regime.  Let me say a big ‘thank you’, but let me also take this opportunity to urge the Commission and the Council to finally step up too.
Debate: The new security law in Hong Kong and the cases of Andy Li and Joseph John
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Isabel Santos
Country: Hungary
Language: PT

Pasme-se: cinco anos de pena de prisão ditados pela aplicação da extraterritorialidade por aquilo que o juiz designou como «distorcer a história e demonizar a China». Ridículo! É por ele, mas também por Andy Li, Kok Tsz-Lun e por todos os ativistas e defensores da liberdade, da democracia e dos direitos humanos em Hong Kong – e é bom não esquecer também Macau –, que aqui, mais uma vez, digo: basta! Urge acabar com as esquadras clandestinas chinesas na União Europeia, pôr termo aos tratados de extradição entre os Estados-Membros, a China, Hong Kong e Macau e garantir a instituição de um mecanismo de «salva-vidas» para os cidadãos de Hong Kong.
Debate: The new security law in Hong Kong and the cases of Andy Li and Joseph John
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Reinhard Bütikofer
Country: Italy
Language: EN

Today’s urgency raises, in particular, the individual cases of Andy Li and Joseph John. We not only criticise how they’re being treated – even tortured – and demand their freedom, as much as we demand freedom for Jimmy Lai and all other Democrats, but we also call upon the EU authorities to act vis-à-vis Hong Kong: sanction John Lee, Beijing’s spineless vassal in Hong Kong; suspend all still existing extradition treaties with Hong Kong and China; and keep the memory of Hong Kong’s democracy movement alive, and carry the torch of freedom forward.
Debate: The new security law in Hong Kong and the cases of Andy Li and Joseph John
Date: WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2024
Speaker: Thijs Reuten
Political group: S-D
Country: France
Language: EN

Civil rights in Hong Kong are by now fully curbed, and the reinforced security law made it even more chilling. But how did we get here?  The PRC imposed security legislation, formalising already existing pressure on Hong Kong, in clear breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The UK, nobody ever really attached effective consequences to this breach. And we know how autocrats perceive this: ‘Oh, we can go ahead!’ Free media silenced, Jimmy Lai in prison, Andy Li and Joseph John arrested and tortured, democracy defenders fleeing the country without saying goodbye to family – and even then, they are not safe from Beijing’s long arm. We demand restrictive measures against John Lee and all PRC officials responsible for the crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong, up to the highest level, in defence of Hong Kong’s civil rights and of international law.