Debate: Statements by the President
Date: MONDAY, 15 JANUARY 2024
Speaker: Roberta Metsola
Country: Poland
Language: EN

First of all, dear colleagues, it is with a deep sense of pride and honour that I inform you that on Saturday I was in Vilnius to receive on behalf of all MEPs and the European Parliament, the Freedom Prize from the Republic of Lithuania. It was a moving and emotional moment and I was glad to be there in your name to witness it. This prize is for all of you and your work in support of peace, democracy, human rights and freedom. It is in recognition of what our Parliament does. May it serve to continue to inspire our actions. Dear colleagues, in the spirit of defending freedom, I need to refer again to what is happening in Belarus, still controlled by Europe’s last dictator. Activists, innocent people are still being detained arbitrarily. The number of political prisoners continues to grow. We cannot allow it to fall off the top of our agenda. That is why I have met with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya last week and promised to do what we can to support political prisoners and urge their release. For that reason I have agreed to join their campaign and became a so-called ‘godparent’ of Palina Sharenda-Panasyuk, a mother, an activist, sentenced in 2021 and then in 2022 by Lukashenko’s regime to four years in prison on trumped‑up charges. Palina has been beaten, placed in a punishment cell, and refused medicines and access to her family or a lawyer. My appeal to all of you who have not yet done so is to join the campaign and consider adding your voice too. Dear colleagues, last year, you will recall, the European Parliament awarded the Sakharov Prize to Jina Mahsa Amini and the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement. However, a few days before they were scheduled to receive their award, the Iranian regime placed Ms Mahsa Amini’s family under a travel ban – a stark example of the type of treatment that the people of Iran are faced with every day. On 12 December, this House welcomed Mr Saleh Nikbakht, the Amini family lawyer, to receive the Sakharov Prize on their behalf. Shortly after his return to Iran, Mr Saleh Nikbakht was arrested and the award was confiscated. According to our information, Mr Saleh Nikbakht has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment for allegedly engaging in ‘propaganda against the system’. It is a false charge. It is unacceptable. It is inexcusable, and this House condemns it. I want to recognise that bravery and commitment by Mr Saleh Nikbakht. He spoke eloquently and courageously. On behalf of the European Parliament, I call for the immediate and unconditional release of Mr Saleh Nikbakht. I will also take this opportunity to reiterate our unwavering support to Mahsa Amini’s family and the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement in their ceaseless fight for liberty, justice and human rights. You are not alone. Dear colleagues, on 21 December 2023 we witnessed a horrific – the worst – mass shooting in Czechia when a gunman in Prague shot dead 14 people at the Charles University and injured many more. It pains us to think of the many families that were forced to mourn their loved ones at a time of peace and togetherness. My thoughts are with them and with the victims of these brutal attacks, who are still recovering. Before we move to the approval of the minutes of the previous sitting, is there a point of order?