Summary: April 6, 2004: European Parliament - Fighting terrorism while still respecting human rights (Brussels)
The Foreign Affairs Committee adopted on Tuesday the draft annual report on human rights in the world for 2003 by 28 votes to 18 with one abstention. The report, by Véronique DE KEYSER (PES, B), puts the spotlight on the fight against terrorism and the rights of disabled people. The vote on this report was postponed a few weeks ago following the bombings in Madrid, as some MEPs wished to change the sections on the fight against terrorism.
MEPs stress that the fight against terrorism has to take place in the framework of international law and that democratic countries must set an example. The committee calls on the US authorities to put an immediate end to the legal limbo in which the detainees held in Guantánamo Bay have been placed and to guarantee immediate access to justice in order to determine the status of each individual detainee on a case-by-case basis. MEPs also condemn certain dictatorships (without naming them) which
use the fight against terrorism as a pretext for stepping up repression against political dissidence.
Turning to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Foreign Affairs Committee condemns all acts of violence, including extra-judicial killings, indiscriminate terrorist attacks, the continuing Israeli settlement activities and the construction of the "security fence".
Protection of the fundamental rights of disabled people, of whom the UN says there are more than 500 million in the world, occupies another central place in the report. The year 2003 was European Year of Disabled People and it focused attention on the special needs of the disabled, such as the barriers to their inclusion in social, professional, family, emotional and sexual life. Among their comments on this subject, MEPs condemn the unacceptable obstacles faced in some countries by disabled
children, adolescents and students in gaining access to education or training.
The committee deplores the human rights violations experienced by many disabled people in the world, notably those living in institutions where they are subject to degrading treatment, violence and abuse. MEPs call on the Commission to draw up a specific report on this matter. Lastly, the committee fully supports the Council and Member States in calling for an international convention to ensure the full enjoyment of human rights by disabled people.
06.04.2004 Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy
In the chair: Elmar BROK (EPP-ED, D)
| Top |
European Union Member States
Alerts by email
Email this page
Print this page