European Parliament resolution of 10 October 2024 on the case of Bülent Mumay in Türkiye (2024/2856(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous reports and resolutions on Türkiye,

–  having regard to the 2024 World Press Freedom Index, which ranks Türkiye 158th out of 180 countries,

–  having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas, on 6 May 2023, Bülent Mumay, a Turkish journalist and coordinator of the Istanbul bureau of Deutsche Welle’s Turkish editorial office, was sentenced to 20 months in prison for social media posts about a pro-government company’s seizure of Istanbul Municipality’s subway funds during the AKP administration; whereas his appeal was rejected, and his tweets removed;

B.  whereas, on 20 August 2024, Istanbul’s 26th Regional Court, acting as an appeals court, upheld the sentence and ordered the Information and Communication Technologies Authority to block access to news reports about the upheld prison sentence;

C.  whereas the verdict, coupled with repeated censorship, demonstrates the escalating pressure on press freedom in Türkiye, with Bülent Mumay’s case not being an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of judicial harassment and censorship targeting Türkiye’s independent media;

D.  whereas Türkiye, as a member of the Council of Europe and EU candidate country, is required to apply the highest democratic standards and practices, including respect for human rights, the rule of law, fundamental freedoms (such as press freedom and freedom of expression), the universal right to a fair trial and strict respect for the principle of presumption of innocence and the right to due process;

1.  Condemns the sentence against Bülent Mumay, which follows a broader pattern of silencing critical journalism; calls on the Turkish authorities to drop the charges against Bülent Mumay, and all arbitrarily detained media workers and journalists, as well as political opponents, human rights defenders, civil servants and academics;

2.  Is deeply concerned about the ongoing deterioration of democratic standards in Türkiye, relentless crackdown on any critical voices and targeting of independent journalists, activists and opposition members amid frequent reports of legal intimidation, censorship and financial coercion as ways to suppress criticism and investigative journalism;

3.  Deplores the fact that, the Turkish Government, through a number of laws, including the 2020 social media law, the 2021 anti-money laundering law, and the 2022 disinformation law, has built a complex web of legislation serving as a tool to systematically control and silence journalists; is highly concerned about the new ‘foreign agent regulation’ to be introduced by the end of 2024;

4.  Continues to condemn the lack of independence of the prosecution and judiciary and the political instrumentalisation of the judicial system in Türkiye and calls on the Turkish authorities to restore judicial independence, respect press freedom and ensure compliance with international human rights obligations;

5.  Calls on the EEAS to adequately support the EU Delegation to Türkiye in intensifying trial observation of detained journalists and media workers and raising their cases with the Turkish authorities at all levels, while maintaining close relations with civil society;

6.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the EEAS, and the President, Government and Parliament of Türkiye and have it translated into Turkish.

European Parliament resolution of 10 October 2024 on the cases of unjustly imprisoned Uyghurs in China, notably Ilham Tohti and Gulshan Abbas (2024/2857(RSP))

P10_TA(2024)0019 RC-B10-0101/2024

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to Articles 4 and 36 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China (PRC),

–  having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas in 2014 Ilham Tohti was convicted of politically motivated charges of ‘separatism’ and sentenced to life imprisonment; whereas he worked to foster dialogue between Uyghurs and Han Chinese; whereas he was awarded the 2019 Sakharov Prize;

B.  whereas Gulshan Abbas is serving a 20-year sentence on fallacious terrorism-related charges relating to activities of her sister, a defender of the human rights of persecuted Uyghurs in the PRC;

C.  whereas this reflects the PRC authorities’ systemic repression of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR); whereas Uyghurs are arbitrarily detained in internment camps and forced to renounce their ethnic identity and religious beliefs;

D.  whereas the defence of human rights, democracy and the rule of law should be at the centre of EU-PRC relations;

1.  Strongly condemns the PRC’s violations of the human rights of Uyghurs and people in Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China;

2.  Urges the PRC to immediately and unconditionally release Ilham Tohti and Gulshan Abbas, as well as those arbitrarily detained in China and those mentioned by the EU during the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council, guarantee their access to medical care and lawyers, provide information on their whereabouts and ensure family visiting rights; calls for the EU and the Member States to apply pressure in this respect at every high-level contact;

3.  Calls for the EU and the Member States to adopt additional sanctions against high-ranking officials and entities involved in human rights violations in the PRC;

4.  Demands that the PRC authorities halt their repression and targeting of Uyghurs with abusive policies, including intense surveillance, forced labour, sterilisation, birth prevention measures and the destruction of Uyghur identity, which amount to crimes against humanity and a serious risk of genocide; calls for the closure of all internment camps;

5.  Strongly condemns the PRC for not implementing the recommendations of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); calls on the PRC to allow the OHCHR independent access to XUAR and invites the OHCHR to issue a comprehensive situational update and an action plan for holding the PRC accountable;

6.  Regrets the PRC’s lack of commitment to the Human Rights Dialogue and the absence of results;

7.  Calls on Member States and the international community to suspend extradition treaties with the PRC and Hong Kong, respect the non-refoulement principle and implement the OHCHR report;

8.  Urges Member States to address the transnational repression of Chinese dissidents and Uyghurs on their territory and prosecute individuals responsible;

9.  Welcomes the EU’s forced labour regulation and insists on its full implementation; calls on businesses operating in the PRC, particularly in XUAR, to comply with their HR due diligence obligations;

10.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the PRC authorities, the VP/HR, the Commission, the Member States and the United Nations.

European Parliament resolution of 10 October 2024 on Iraq, notably the situation of women’s rights and the recent proposal to amend the Personal Status Law (2024/2858(RSP))

P10_TA(2024)0020 RC-B10-0089/2024

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on Iraq,

–  having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas Iraq’s Parliament is drafting highly restrictive amendments to Law 188/1959 (the Personal Status Law), affecting women’s rights; whereas as a result, family matters, including marriage, divorce and child custody, would effectively fall under the remit of religious rather than civil courts, entailing disturbing discrepancies along religious lines, according to UN experts; whereas for some, the minimum legal marriageable age would be 9 for girls and 15 for boys, and there are fears of increased violence against women in the future; whereas 22 % of unregistered marriages involve girls under 14; whereas the draft amendments increase the vulnerability of female children, especially orphans and children from low-income families, and exacerbate the risk of them falling victim to human trafficking and exploitation by guardians and/or relatives; whereas the Supreme Court endorsed the constitutionality of the most problematic amendments before a third reading, which was postponed on 2 October 2024; whereas the women’s rights situation in Iraq already drew fierce criticism;

B.  whereas Iraq’s UN mission UNITAD, which had been investigating sexual crimes committed by Daesh against women, particularly Yazidis, had to close on 17 September 2024 following last year’s decision, supported by Russia and China, to discontinue its UN Security Council mandate; whereas Iraq’s UN mission UNAMI will also have to close in 2025;

C.  whereas the 2016 Sakharov Prize for freedom of expression was awarded to Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar, two Iraqi Yazidi women, for their struggle against conflict-related sexual violence;

D.  whereas Article 14 of Iraq’s constitution states that ‘Iraqis are equal before the law without discrimination based on gender’;

E.  whereas 73 % of respondents surveyed by the Iraq Polling Team expressed ‘strong opposition’ to the changes to Law 188/1959;

1.  Urges Iraq’s Parliament to fully and immediately reject the proposed amendments to Law 188/1959 (the Personal Status Law); underlines, with utmost concern, that the amendments would violate Iraq’s international obligations regarding women’s fundamental rights, and result in a significant rollback, an increasingly negative international reputation and the withholding of some foreign assistance from bilateral and multilateral organisations;

2.  Praises the women, including members of the Iraqi Parliament, who have condemned the reform, and the NGOs, activists and members of civil society who have fought since 1959 to preserve one of the most progressive laws in the region;

3.  Calls on the VP/HR and the Member States to condemn the proposed amendments; calls on the EU delegation to Iraq to make development grants conditional on judicial training on sexual and gender-based violence and the establishment of women’s shelters; urges Iraq to adopt a national action plan to eliminate child marriage, criminalise marital rape, fight domestic violence and strengthen women’s and girls’ rights, in line with the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; calls for a reinforced partnership with the Human Rights Committee of Iraq’s Parliament, in line with Iraq’s international obligations;

4.  Recalls that the current Personal Status Law requires children with at least one parent who has converted to Islam to become Muslims themselves; deplores the fact that the proposed amendments to the law, if enacted, would lead to an even more radical application of Sharia; states that these new provisions would also undermine the Iraqi State and affect the country’s minorities; expresses its deep concern about the consequences of these amendments for Iraq’s Christian communities;

5.  Calls on the Member States to increase their support to women’s and children’s rights defenders in Iraq;

6.  Is highly concerned by the lack of legal protection in the penal code for women and child victims of domestic violence and calls for improvements;

7.  Instructs its President to have this resolution translated into Arabic and to forward this resolution to Iraq’s Parliament and Government, the VP/HR and the Member States.