MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Human trafficking in Sinai, in particular the case of Solomon W.

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on the problem of human trafficking, in particular its resolutions of 16 December 2010 on Eritrean refugees held hostage in Sinai and of 5 April 2011 on migration flows arising from instability,

– having regard to the Council's Conclusion on Egypt of 27 February 2012,

– having regard to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, especially Articles 4 and 5 thereof, affirming that the slave trade shall be prohibited in all its forms,

– having regard to the 1949 United Nations Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others,

– having regard to the 1993 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families,

– having regard to the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 protocol thereto,

– having regard to the UN Protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime of 2000,

– having regard to Law 64 of 2010 on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (Anti-Trafficking Law), adopted by the Egyptian People's Assembly on 2 May 2010,

– having regard to Rule 122 of its Rules of Procedure,

A.   whereas hundreds of African refugees are held captive in Egypt's Sinai desert and have been subject to torture, abuse and mistreatment in order to obtain ransom money from Bedouin traffickers in exchange for their release and entrance into the State of Israel;

B.   whereas more than 30,000 people have fled to Israel, from countries such as Tunisia, Libya, Ethiopia, Sudan since 2009, out of which around 10,000 died during the travel and 3,000 have fallen prey to organ theft;

C. whereas in January 2012, thirteen Eritrean refugees were taken hostage in northern Sinai, and threatened to be sold to an organ trafficker if a ransom was not paid;

D. whereas reports emerged in 2011 that human-traffickers have subjected Sub-Saharan Africans to forcible surgical removal of their organs for sale on the black market, yet the victims often do not survive the procedures and die either during or after surgery;

E. whereas Egypt 's Minister of Justice Adel Abdel Hameed reaffirmed on 27 February 2012 Egypt 's interest in combating human trafficking before it becomes an international phenomenon;

F. whereas political, social and economic instability, lack of security, political repression and authoritarian regimes are the major driving forces behind migration;

1. Strongly condemns the inhumane and cruel practice of human trafficking, forced enslavement and organ theft of individuals from Sub-Saharan African inside Egypt 's Sinai Desert;

2. Emphasizes that human trafficking is a transnational crime perpetrated by criminal syndicates, and is an international concern;

3. Urges that measures are adopted by the Egyptian authorities to investigate and apprehend individuals suspected of people-trafficking, organ harvesting and work towards the effective dismantlement of human trafficking networks;

4. Calls for the Egyptian authorities to take urgent steps to improve the security within the Sinai, in order to curtail the problem of human trafficking, arms smuggling and ensure the security of its border with Israel;

5. Urges the Egyptian authorities to take without delay all necessary steps in order to safe the life of the Eritrean refugee Solomon W. and of all refugees currently in the hands of organ smugglers or human traffickers in the Sinai Peninsula;

6. Calls for the Commission and the EEAS to make further efforts with regard to development, stability and democratization of countries of origin such as Sudan , Eritrea and Ethiopia , in order to tackle the problems associated with migration at their root;

7. Expects the EU's partner countries to ensure that all people submitting applications for asylum at their borders are guaranteed safety and a fair procedure in accordance with international conventions and principles of international refugee law;

8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, the African Union, the Government of Egypt and the Government of Israel.