Brussels, 08/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - Greatly concerned at the disappearance - doubtless enforced - of the activist for sustainable and fair development Sombath Somphone, MEPs called on the Lao authorities on 7 February to carry out “prompt, transparent and thorough” investigations and to ensure the activist's immediate and safe return to his family. In a joint motion for a resolution, MEPs say that the Lao authorities should take all the necessary measures to put an end to the practice of arbitrary arrests and secret detentions, and the MEPs call on the Lao authorities to make enforced disappearance a criminal offence. The European Parliament also calls on High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton to follow the investigations closely, and it calls on the EU to include Laos in its priorities for the 22nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Pakistan: condemnation of murder of medical workers. In a second resolution, the Parliament condemns the numerous murders of medical aid workers in Pakistan during campaigns for vaccinating children against polio. MEPs call on the Pakistani government to bring those responsible to justice. The attacks seem to be linked to Islamic groups and were conducted in order to suspend the vaccination campaigns against the illness - a situation which MEPs say is a serious setback for world efforts to eradicate the disease. MEPs are also concerned about the fact that international humanitarian aid workers are increasingly considered as Western intelligence agents or activists, and the MEPs underline that humanitarian workers must be able to work in a safe environment.
Zimbabwe: call for human rights activists to be released. Lastly, in another resolution, MEPs urge the Zimbabwean authorities to release human rights activists who have been detained, to put an end to judicial harassment, and to shed light on all the abuse of which human rights defenders are victim. Supporting the targeted measures that the EU has set up to confront the political and human rights situation, MEPs nonetheless deplore the absence of an compulsory clause on human rights in the interim economic partnership agreement concluded with four states in eastern and southern Africa, including Zimbabwe. They call for such a clause to be included in future negotiations ahead of the economic partnership with the Zimbabwe. (CG/transl.fl)