Results of vote in Parliament

Debate in Parliament

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) the case of Floribert Chebeya Bahizire found dead in his car in Kinshasa on 2 June 2010.

The resolution was tabled by the S&D, GUE/NGL, Greens/EFA, ALDE, ECR and EPP groups.

Parliament forcefully condemns the killing of Floribert Chebeya Bahizire and the fact that Fidèle Bazana Edadi, Mr Bahizire's driver, is missing.

Parliament calls for an independent, credible, thorough and transparent commission of inquiry to be set up to investigate the death of Mr Bahizire and the whereabouts of Mr Edadi, and for steps to be taken to ensure that the families of both men are protected.

It demands that those responsible be identified, brought before the courts and punished in accordance with Congolese law and international provisions for the protection of human rights.

Parliament welcomes the fact that the authorities responded to a request by Mr Bahizire's family for an independent autopsy by inviting an expert Dutch forensics team, led by Dr Franklin Van de Groot, to determine the cause of death.

It expresses its deep concern regarding the general degradation of the situation of human rights defenders in the DRC and calls on the DRC authorities to comply fully with the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1998 and to implement the UN's 2009 Universal Periodic Review recommendations as measures to protect the rights of human rights defenders.

Parliament condemns the ongoing oppression of human rights activists, journalists, political opponents, victims and witnesses in the DRC. It calls on the Member States to ensure that they are protected and to provide logistical and technical support to that end in accordance with the guidelines for the protection of human rights defenders.

It also condemns the atrocities committed by the LRA and other armed groups in the DRC.

Parliament stresses the need to tackle corruption and bring to justice the perpetrators of human rights abuses within the Congolese armed and police forces, and underlines MONUC's crucial role in doing this through joint planning and implementation of operations and proper accountability mechanisms for abuses. In particular, it urges the DRC to fulfil its international legal obligations and to arrest Bosco Ntaganda and transfer him to the ICC.

Parliament calls on the Government of the DRC to ensure that those responsible for breaching human rights and international humanitarian law are held to account and that it cooperates fully with the ICC.

Parliament underlines the fact that the EU and the DRC are signatories to the Cotonou Agreement, which includes explicit reference to the responsibilities of all the parties with regard to human rights, democracy and the rule of law. It calls for particular attention to be paid to these matters in the context of evaluation of the Agreement.

Lastly, Parliament calls on the Government of the DRC to commit itself to promoting political practice that upholds human rights and strengthens the rule of law.

T7-0244/2010

B7-0376/2010

B7-0377/2010

B7-0378/2010

B7-0380/2010

B7-0381/2010

B7-0382/2010

RC-B7-0376/2010