Work
23.April 2008 - 00:00
Joint Motion for a Resolution on Iran
JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
pursuant to Rule 115(5) of the Rules of Procedure, by
– Michael Gahler, Charles Tannock, Bernd Posselt, Eija-Riitta Korhola, Tunne Kelam, Urszula Gacek and Jana Hybášková, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group
– Pasqualina Napoletano, Hannes Swoboda and Paulo Casaca, on behalf of the PSE Group
– Marios Matsakis and Marielle De Sarnez, on behalf of the ALDE Group
– Roberta Angelilli and Cristiana Muscardini, on behalf of the UEN Group
– Angelika Beer and Raül Romeva i Rueda, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
– Umberto Guidoni, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
replacing the motions by the following groups:
– PSE (B6 0179/2008)
– GUE/NGL (B6 0182/2008)
– PPE-DE (B6 0184/2008)
– UEN (B6 0194/2008)
– ALDE (B6 0200/2008)
– Verts/ALE (B6 0206/2008)
on Iran
European Parliament resolution on Iran
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Council Declaration of 25 February 2008 on the legislative proposal on criminal law in Iran,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Iran, notably those concerning human rights and in particular the resolutions adopted on 25 October 2007 and 31 January 2008,
– having regard to the report by its Committee on Foreign Affairs on the EU’s Annual Report on Human Rights in the World and the EU’s policy on the matter,
– having regard to UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions, and in particular to UNGA Resolution 62/168 on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, adopted on 18 December 2007,
– having regard to UNGA Resolution 62/149 of 18 December 2007 on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty,
– having regard to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to all of which Iran is a party,
– having regard to the 2nd EP-Iran interparliamentary meeting, held in Tehran on 7-9 December 2007, and the report thereon,
– having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas since the launch of the One Million Signature Campaign for legal equality between men and women in Iran on 27 August 2006, over 70 activists have been arrested or are otherwise facing persecution because of their peaceful efforts to lobby for legislative change; whereas the Campaign’s website has been blocked numerous times by the authorities,
B. whereas women’s rights activists in Iran face growing repression, more than a hundred of them having been arrested, interrogated or sentenced in the past two years, while the government has raised over one million euros in bail; whereas women’s rights media have been closed down, including the most prominent magazine advocating women’s rights – Zanan –, which had existed for over 17 years and was closed down on 28 January 2008,
C. whereas a prominent member of the Campaign, women’s rights and environmental activist Khadijeh Moghaddam, was arrested on 8 April and only released recently after payment of the high bail of one billion rials (approximately 50 000 euros),
D. whereas the general human rights situation in Iran has continued to deteriorate since 2005, and whereas executions alone almost doubled in 2007, making Iran the country with the highest per capita execution rate after Saudi Arabia, these two countries and Yemen being the only three where executions are carried out for crimes committed by people below 18 years of age,
E. whereas at least ten women – Iran, Khayrieh, Kobra N., Fatemeh, Ashraf Kalhori, Shamameh Ghorbani, Leyla Ghomi, Hajar and the sisters Zohreh and Azar Kabiriniat – are still at risk of being stoned to death, as are two men – Abdollah Farivar and an unnamed Afghan national,
F. whereas Mokarrameh Ebrahimi was sentenced to death by stoning, together with her partner, the father of her children, for the simple reason of having maintained an extra matrimonial relationship – conduct which does not constitute a crime by international legal standards; whereas Mokarrameh Ebrahimi was pardoned by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after 11 years of imprisonment and released on 17 March 2008, together with her 5-year-old younger son, but, tragically, only after her partner Ja’Far Kiani had been stoned to death in July 2007,
G. whereas in an important move the Head of the Judiciary, Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, recently overturned the murder conviction of Shahla Jahed, a ‘temporary wife’, after finding ‘procedural flaws’ in the original investigation, which had found her guilty of murdering her temporary husband’s permanent wife,
H. whereas there have been some improvements as regards women’s rights in recent years, notably: the minimum age of marriage for girls has increased from 9 to 13, divorced mothers may retain custody of their sons up to age seven (previously up to only two), and women can now be judicial advisers, seek divorce or refuse to let their husband take a second wife,
I. whereas, however, a draft bill on ‘family protection’ has recently been submitted in the Iranian Majlis which attempts to further legitimise polygamy, temporary marriage and the unilateral right of men to arbitrary divorce and child custody,
J. whereas Iran is still not a party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,
1. Welcomes the release of Khadijeh Moghaddam and Mokarrameh Ebrahimi, and notes the role of the Supreme Leader and the Head of the Judiciary in these cases; calls for the release of Shahla Jahed;
2. Strongly condemns the repression of civil society movements in Iran, including women’s rights defenders such as those involved in the One Million Signatures Campaign; urges the Iranian authorities to end the harassment, intimidation and persecution of those peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression, association and assembly, and to release immediately and unconditionally all prisoners of conscience; recalls its resolutions of 25 October 2007 and 31 January 2008;
3. Acknowledges the active and important role women play in Iranian society, despite great persisting legal inequalities, which can be a source of inspiration and hope for women in other countries of the region;
4. Calls on the Iranian Parliament and Government to change the discriminatory Iranian legislation which, among other things, excludes women from the most senior State offices and appointment as judges, denies them equal rights with men in marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance, and determines that any evidence they give before a court carries only half the weight of that given by a man; considers that under certain circumstances this inequality may contribute to women’s committing violent crimes;
5. Reiterates its strong condemnation of the death penalty in general, calls for an immediate moratorium on executions in Iran and is appalled that that country continues to have the highest number of executions of child offenders in the world and that the moratorium on stoning is still not fully implemented;
6. Notes the directives recently issued by Head of Judiciary Sharoudi on banning public executions without prior consent and detentions for long periods without charge;
7. Calls on the members of the newly elected Majlis speedily to pass the pending reform of the Iranian Penal Code, with the aim notably of abolishing stoning and executions of child offenders, to move towards a moratorium on the death penalty, to bring Iranian legislation into line with international human rights obligations and to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women;
8. Calls on the Council and the Commission to monitor closely the human rights situation in Iran, to raise concrete cases of human rights abuses in Iran with the authorities and to submit to Parliament in the second half of 2008 a comprehensive report on the matter, including proposals for projects that could be financed in the framework of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights;
9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the High Representative of the CFSP, the Governments and Parliaments of the Member States, the UN Secretary-General, the UNSC, the UN Commission on Human Rights, the Head of the Judiciary of Iran and the Government and Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
pursuant to Rule 115(5) of the Rules of Procedure, by
– Michael Gahler, Charles Tannock, Bernd Posselt, Eija-Riitta Korhola, Tunne Kelam, Urszula Gacek and Jana Hybášková, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group
– Pasqualina Napoletano, Hannes Swoboda and Paulo Casaca, on behalf of the PSE Group
– Marios Matsakis and Marielle De Sarnez, on behalf of the ALDE Group
– Roberta Angelilli and Cristiana Muscardini, on behalf of the UEN Group
– Angelika Beer and Raül Romeva i Rueda, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
– Umberto Guidoni, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
replacing the motions by the following groups:
– PSE (B6 0179/2008)
– GUE/NGL (B6 0182/2008)
– PPE-DE (B6 0184/2008)
– UEN (B6 0194/2008)
– ALDE (B6 0200/2008)
– Verts/ALE (B6 0206/2008)
on Iran
European Parliament resolution on Iran
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Council Declaration of 25 February 2008 on the legislative proposal on criminal law in Iran,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Iran, notably those concerning human rights and in particular the resolutions adopted on 25 October 2007 and 31 January 2008,
– having regard to the report by its Committee on Foreign Affairs on the EU’s Annual Report on Human Rights in the World and the EU’s policy on the matter,
– having regard to UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions, and in particular to UNGA Resolution 62/168 on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, adopted on 18 December 2007,
– having regard to UNGA Resolution 62/149 of 18 December 2007 on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty,
– having regard to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to all of which Iran is a party,
– having regard to the 2nd EP-Iran interparliamentary meeting, held in Tehran on 7-9 December 2007, and the report thereon,
– having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas since the launch of the One Million Signature Campaign for legal equality between men and women in Iran on 27 August 2006, over 70 activists have been arrested or are otherwise facing persecution because of their peaceful efforts to lobby for legislative change; whereas the Campaign’s website has been blocked numerous times by the authorities,
B. whereas women’s rights activists in Iran face growing repression, more than a hundred of them having been arrested, interrogated or sentenced in the past two years, while the government has raised over one million euros in bail; whereas women’s rights media have been closed down, including the most prominent magazine advocating women’s rights – Zanan –, which had existed for over 17 years and was closed down on 28 January 2008,
C. whereas a prominent member of the Campaign, women’s rights and environmental activist Khadijeh Moghaddam, was arrested on 8 April and only released recently after payment of the high bail of one billion rials (approximately 50 000 euros),
D. whereas the general human rights situation in Iran has continued to deteriorate since 2005, and whereas executions alone almost doubled in 2007, making Iran the country with the highest per capita execution rate after Saudi Arabia, these two countries and Yemen being the only three where executions are carried out for crimes committed by people below 18 years of age,
E. whereas at least ten women – Iran, Khayrieh, Kobra N., Fatemeh, Ashraf Kalhori, Shamameh Ghorbani, Leyla Ghomi, Hajar and the sisters Zohreh and Azar Kabiriniat – are still at risk of being stoned to death, as are two men – Abdollah Farivar and an unnamed Afghan national,
F. whereas Mokarrameh Ebrahimi was sentenced to death by stoning, together with her partner, the father of her children, for the simple reason of having maintained an extra matrimonial relationship – conduct which does not constitute a crime by international legal standards; whereas Mokarrameh Ebrahimi was pardoned by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after 11 years of imprisonment and released on 17 March 2008, together with her 5-year-old younger son, but, tragically, only after her partner Ja’Far Kiani had been stoned to death in July 2007,
G. whereas in an important move the Head of the Judiciary, Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, recently overturned the murder conviction of Shahla Jahed, a ‘temporary wife’, after finding ‘procedural flaws’ in the original investigation, which had found her guilty of murdering her temporary husband’s permanent wife,
H. whereas there have been some improvements as regards women’s rights in recent years, notably: the minimum age of marriage for girls has increased from 9 to 13, divorced mothers may retain custody of their sons up to age seven (previously up to only two), and women can now be judicial advisers, seek divorce or refuse to let their husband take a second wife,
I. whereas, however, a draft bill on ‘family protection’ has recently been submitted in the Iranian Majlis which attempts to further legitimise polygamy, temporary marriage and the unilateral right of men to arbitrary divorce and child custody,
J. whereas Iran is still not a party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,
1. Welcomes the release of Khadijeh Moghaddam and Mokarrameh Ebrahimi, and notes the role of the Supreme Leader and the Head of the Judiciary in these cases; calls for the release of Shahla Jahed;
2. Strongly condemns the repression of civil society movements in Iran, including women’s rights defenders such as those involved in the One Million Signatures Campaign; urges the Iranian authorities to end the harassment, intimidation and persecution of those peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression, association and assembly, and to release immediately and unconditionally all prisoners of conscience; recalls its resolutions of 25 October 2007 and 31 January 2008;
3. Acknowledges the active and important role women play in Iranian society, despite great persisting legal inequalities, which can be a source of inspiration and hope for women in other countries of the region;
4. Calls on the Iranian Parliament and Government to change the discriminatory Iranian legislation which, among other things, excludes women from the most senior State offices and appointment as judges, denies them equal rights with men in marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance, and determines that any evidence they give before a court carries only half the weight of that given by a man; considers that under certain circumstances this inequality may contribute to women’s committing violent crimes;
5. Reiterates its strong condemnation of the death penalty in general, calls for an immediate moratorium on executions in Iran and is appalled that that country continues to have the highest number of executions of child offenders in the world and that the moratorium on stoning is still not fully implemented;
6. Notes the directives recently issued by Head of Judiciary Sharoudi on banning public executions without prior consent and detentions for long periods without charge;
7. Calls on the members of the newly elected Majlis speedily to pass the pending reform of the Iranian Penal Code, with the aim notably of abolishing stoning and executions of child offenders, to move towards a moratorium on the death penalty, to bring Iranian legislation into line with international human rights obligations and to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women;
8. Calls on the Council and the Commission to monitor closely the human rights situation in Iran, to raise concrete cases of human rights abuses in Iran with the authorities and to submit to Parliament in the second half of 2008 a comprehensive report on the matter, including proposals for projects that could be financed in the framework of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights;
9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the High Representative of the CFSP, the Governments and Parliaments of the Member States, the UN Secretary-General, the UNSC, the UN Commission on Human Rights, the Head of the Judiciary of Iran and the Government and Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran.