Sous-commission Droits de l'homme (DROI) - Parlement européen

The 20 June is celebrated as World Refugee Day. On 20 June the Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, Pier Antonio Panzeri made the following statement on the right to asylum:

"World Refugee Day is a day for us to focus on solidarity and on the rights of individual refugees worldwide. We have an obligation to receive asylum seekers and not to force them to return to a country in which they would be in danger of persecution. This principle reflects the commitment of the international community to ensure to all persons the enjoyment of human rights. June 20th is a day for us to commemorate the strength, courage, and resilience of millions of refugees. The right of asylum is one of the fundamental values underpinning our Union and one, which like solidarity among the Member States, we must protect at all costs".

Further information
Press statement - full text:
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

In a press statement on 1 June, the Chair of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights Antonio Panzeri called on President Sisi to reconsider new restrictive law on NGOs, and expressed his profound concern about new Egyptian rules which aim at further restricting independent NGO activities.
Press statement - full text
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Yesterday as Russia Day - the national holiday of the Russian Federation - was being celebrated, it was reported that Russian opposition figure and blogger Alexei Navalny had been arrested. The Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, David McAllister (EPP, DE), the Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D, IT), and the Chair of the Russia Delegation of the European Parliament, Othmar Karas (EPP, AT) have made the following statement:

"We are very concerned to hear of the arrest of Alexei Navalny on Russia Day. The right to freedom of peaceful assembly plays a decisive role in the emergence and existence of effective democratic systems as it is a channel allowing for dialogue, pluralism, tolerance and broadmindedness, where minority or dissenting views or beliefs are respected...."

Press statement in full
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Further information
Programme
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

• Forced sterilisation in Peru, 21 June at 11.30 • Draft report on Addressing shrinking civil society space in developing countries, consideration of amendments • Exchange of views on the occasion of the International day in support of victims of torture, 22 June at 11.30
Exchange of views with :

• Virginia Gambia, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
• Idriss Jazairy, UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights
• Human Rights and Democracy Network
  

Further information
Programmes and meeting documents
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

DROI and DEVE will hold a joint hearing on 'Human Rights and Development' on 21 June starting at 9.00 a.m. Respect for human rights and sustainable development policy are two sides of the same coin. Guest speakers will therefore address the question of a human rights-based approach to development, its implications for policy areas, also focusing on the case of indigenous peoples, and the state of play of the UN Declaration on the Right to Development.
Location : PHS 4B001, Brussels
Further information
Draft programme
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality organised a Joint Hearing on Child Marriages on 11 April 2017 from 15.00 to 17.00. Prof Benyam Dawit Mezmur, Chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child accepted the invitation to the hearing, together with Mr Fredrik Malmberg, Ombudsman for Children from Sweden, Ms Lakshmi Sundaram, Executive Director of Girls not Brides, UK and other experts.
Child marriages: MEPs discuss how to put an end to this scourge
Location : JAN 4Q1
Further information
Draft Programme
Full press statement
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

DROI and DEVE will hold a joint hearing on 'Human Rights and Development'. Respect for human rights and sustainable development policy are two sides of the same coin. Guest speakers will therefore address the question of a human rights-based approach to development, its implications for policy areas, also focusing on the case of indigenous peoples, and the state of play of the UN Declaration on the Right to Development.
Location : Meeting room PHS 4B001, Brussels
Further information
Draft Programme
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Since the European Parliament (EP) passed a resolution on the use of armed drones in February 2014, it has pointed several times to the need for a common EU position on the matter. It has stressed in particular the importance of ensuring compliance with international human rights and humanitarian law when using armed drones. This publication, which was requested by the EP’s Human Rights Subcommittee, includes a briefing with specific recommendations, drawn up from a legal standpoint, on the elements that a future Council decision on the use of armed drones should include. This publication also includes a report on the workshop held on 22 March 2017, at which a first draft of the briefing was presented and discussed with Members and stakeholders. The discussion at the workshop confirmed that there was broad support in Parliament for the development of common European principles governing the use of armed drones, not least in view of the emergence of new risks from non-state actors and the EU’s commitment to enhancing security and defence cooperation. While there is currently no agreement between Member States to pursue the matter at EU level, the workshop debate drew attention to the common rules on exports of armed drones and drone technology that already exist. Furthermore, progress has been made recently in agreeing a joint EU position regarding the related matter of lethal autonomous weapons.
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Yesterday as Russia Day – the national holiday of the Russian Federation - was being celebrated, it was reported that Russian opposition figure and blogger Alexei Navalny had been arrested. The Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, David McAllister (EPP, DE), the Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D, IT), and the Chair of the Russia Delegation of the European Parliament, Othmar Karas (EPP, AT) have made the following statement:

"We are very concerned to hear of the arrest of Alexei Navalny on Russia Day. The right to freedom of peaceful assembly plays a decisive role in the emergence and existence of effective democratic systems as it is a channel allowing for dialogue, pluralism, tolerance and broadmindedness, where minority or dissenting views or beliefs are respected.

Relations between the European Union and Russia have never been easy, but in 2014, they entered a new and particularly difficult phase after Ukraine's association agreement with the EU, and Russia's aggression in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine. The EU and other Western countries have imposed sanctions against Russia, and Russia has retaliated with counter-sanctions".

The European Parliament adopted urgency resolutions on 'Russia, the arrest of Navalny and other protestors' on 6 April 2017 and on 'Russia, in particular the case of Alexei Navalny' on 15 January 2015.

Further information
Press statement - full text
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The next meeting of the Subcommittee on Human Rights will take place on Wednesday 21 June from 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and from 3.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. and on Thursday 22 June from 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. in meeting room PHS P4B001.

Representatives of NGOs as well as other organisations are requested to accede to the EU Transparency Register and follow the procedures therein for access to the European Parliament.
Further information
Watch the meeting live
Draft agenda and meeting documents
Press statements issued by the DROI Chair
Press releases issued by the EP press service on the activities of DROI
Calendar of DROI Meetings 2017
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) organised, jointly with the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) and the European Parliament’s delegations to Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey, an exchange of views on the rights of women in the enlargement countries.
The discussions focused on "Violence against women in the Western Balkans and Turkey". The invited experts shared an overview about the current state of affairs with regards to the situation of women in the Western Balkan countries and in Turkey and the ongoing efforts to stop all forms of violence against women. For more information of the hearing please see attached draft programme.
Location : Brussels
Further information
Registration information
Draft programme
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

The next meeting of the Subcommittee on Human Rights will take place on Wednesday 21 June from 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and from 3.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. and on Thursday 22 June from 9 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. in meeting room PHS P4B001.

Representatives of NGOs as well as other organisations are requested to accede to the EU Transparency Register and follow the procedures therein for access to the European Parliament.
Further information
Watch the meeting live
Draft agenda and meeting documents
Press Statements
Calendar of DROI Meetings 2017
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Rapporteur: Cristian Dan Preda
Report on addressing human rights violations in the context of war crimes, and crimes against humanity, including genocide(2016/2239(INI))
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Length of video : 14'
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Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Length of video : 84'
You may manually download this video in WMV (954Mb) format

Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Source : © Union européenne, 2017 - PE

On 21 June 2017 from 14:30 to 19:30, the European Parliament will organise a high-level conference on migration management in the European Parliament in Brussels. The conference will bring together political leaders, policymakers and practitioners to contribute to a reflection on a strategy to manage migration flows, and ensure a stable and prosperous environment at our borders. It will be organised in cooperation with the relevant parliamentary committees.

Speakers will notably include:

Antonio Tajani, President of the European Parliament

Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission

Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission

Werner Hoyer, President of the European Investment Bank

Markku Markkula, President of the Committee of the Regions

Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship

Neven Mimica, Commissioner for International Development

Julian King, Commissioner for Security Union

Louise Arbour, United Nations Special Representative for International Migration

William Lacy Swing, Director General of the International Organisation for Migration

Claude Moraes, Chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee

Linda McAvan, Chair of the Committee on Development

Further information
Registration
Programme
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

In a press statement on 1 June, the Chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights Antonio Panzeri called on President Sisi to reconsider new restrictive law on NGOs, and expressed his profound concern about new Egyptian rules which aim at further restricting independent NGO activities.
Further information
Press statement - full text
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP