Human rights breaches in China, Chad and Bahrain
On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted three resolutions on the respect for human rights in China, Chad and Bahrain.
In China, MEPs express their support for protesters fighting for fundamental rights who are being persecuted by the Chinese government, notably in the context of the zero COVID-19 policy. They are concerned about violations of freedoms of expression, association, assembly, press and media in China – intensified by the use of mass surveillance – and demand that human rights be guaranteed.
The resolution calls for sanctions against those responsible for crimes against humanity to be intensified, for better coordination regarding Chinese overseas police service stations and for addressing freedom of expression during official talks with China.
In Chad, the Parliament condemns the restriction of the fundamental right to demonstrate and the use of violence against pro-democracy protesters and civil society in Chad during the protests of October 2022. In their resolution, MEPs call for all protesters held by the Chadian government to be released and granted legal protection. They condemn their prosecution in mass trials that failed to adhere to international standards on transparency and justice.
In Bahrain, the Parliament demands the immediate and unconditional release of Danish-Bahraini citizen Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja and all other political activists. Al-Khawaja, who is the cofounder of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), has been in prison for twelve years serving a life sentence for leading peaceful protests during the 2011 Arab spring protests for democratic reforms.
MEPs strongly condemn the continued use of torture and mistreatment in the Gulf country.
The moratorium on capital punishment, which had been in place until 2017, should never have been lifted, MEPs say. Bahrain has executed six people since then, in what the UN has referred to as extrajudicial killings, and 26 more are currently on death row in the country.
The resolution was adopted by 316 votes in favor, 6 against with 38 abstentions.
