Blasphemy laws in Pakistan, in particular the case of Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Emmanuel

European Parliament resolution on Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan, in Particular the Case Shagufta Kausar and Shafqat Emmanuel. https://www.eudebates.tv/ The European Parliament calls on the Pakistani authorities to grant Shafqat prompt, regular and unrestricted access to adequate healthcare; calls on the Pakistani authorities to find alternatives to solitary confinement so as to ensure Shagufta’s safety without further restricting her fundamental rights; #eudebates #Blasphemy #Pakistan 3. Urges the government of Pakistan to abolish the death penalty; calls on the Pakistani authorities to review all death sentences against people accused of blasphemy offences; in this regard, urges the Pakistani authorities to release those deprived of their liberty solely for peacefully exercising their human rights; 4. Reiterates its call on the government of Pakistan to swiftly repeal the blasphemy laws and to bring them in compliance with human rights; urges the government of Pakistan to respect and fulfil its international human rights obligations, including the right to life, the right to a fair trial, the prohibition of discrimination, equality before the law, freedom of opinion and expression, as well as freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief; 5. Stresses that freedom of conscience, religion and belief includes the freedom to believe or not to believe, to practise or not to practise the religion of one's choice, and to abandon or change one's religion; calls on the Pakistani authorities to strengthen these rights by means of inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue, and without resorting to human rights violations; 6. Urges the Pakistani authorities to take the necessary measures to end the current climate of fear and to ensure an environment that respects diversity of opinion, belief and non-belief, namely by protecting those at risk of violence, persecution and prosecution due to blasphemy laws; in this view, calls on the Pakistani authorities to ensure that lawyers, police prosecutors and judges are able to conduct their work in an effective and impartial manner, that critics of the government and of Islam can freely and safely express their opinion, -including artists, journalists and human rights defenders-, and that religious minorities and non-believers can freely and safely express their beliefs and non-beliefs; 7. Calls on the Pakistani government to respect, fulfil and promote women’s rights and to address structural inequalities; urges the Pakistani government to take all the necessary measures to effectively prevent and address violence against women, including domestic violence, forced marriage, child marriage and honour killings, both in law and practice; 8. Calls on the Pakistani authorities to adequately protect and defend targets and victims of TLP, and to effectively address the use and threat of violence by TLP; 9. Deplores the fact that many state actors around the world limit human rights by adopting and enforcing laws prohibiting blasphemy; stresses that secularism should be preserved and promoted as a key element to ensure human rights and peace among believers, as well as between believers and non-believers; 10. Recalls that in a large number of Member States blasphemy and similar offences still exist and are still enforced; urges Member States to swiftly repeal all blasphemy, “religious insult” and similar laws; stresses that, in the meantime, the credibility and legitimacy of the EU and Member States to call on Pakistan to repeal blasphemy laws will be greatly compromised; 11. Calls on the Commission to urgently submit a report to the Parliament explaining why Pakistan remains eligible for the GSP+; when preparing the report, calls on the Commission to take into consideration the persistent and serious human rights violations, as well as its own Report on the GSP+ on Pakistan, which states that “implementation remains generally slow with little impact” and that “determined action for reform, in particular in the area of fundamental freedoms, as well as labour rights” is still needed, and expresses “grave concern” at “the deteriorating situation of freedom of expression”; 12. Calls on the EU and its Member States to strengthen their engagement in political discussions with Pakistan to demand the abolition of the death penalty and to fulfil its human rights obligations; calls on the EU and its Member States to ensure that any criminal justice training or cooperation in Pakistan includes a relevant human rights component, paying particular attention to blasphemy cases; 13. Urges the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression to raise the issue of the abuse of blasphemy laws and the death penalty with the government of Pakistan, and to discuss ways to bring them into line with human rights; https://www.eudebates.tv/