(AGENPARL) - Roma, 13 Febbraio 2025 - (AGENPARL) – gio 13 febbraio 2025 None [1] Press service ** European Parliament **
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Press release 13-02-2025 Plenary session   DROI None [4] Human rights breaches in Türkiye, Nicaragua and Nigeria
On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted human rights resolutions on Türkiye, Nicaragua and Nigeria.
Violations of the rule of law, principles of democracy, and fundamental rights in Türkiye, notably the cases of mayors Mehmet S?dd?k Ak?? and Abdullah Zeydan
*MEPs are deeply concerned about Türkiye’s disregard of the rule of law and the government’s violation of the fundamental principles of democracy, such as the practice of replacing democratically elected mayors with government-appointed trustees in predominantly Kurdish regions.
Condemning the arbitrary dismissal and imprisonment of democratically elected mayors, MEPs call for their immediate release, acquittal and reinstatement. They demand judicial reforms to abolish the trustee system, especially given the impact of these violations on local governance in Kurdish-majority areas, underlining the need to resume the Kurdish peace process.
MEPs recall that EU financial assistance to Türkiye is conditional upon the country’s respect for the rule of law and fundamental rights, and urge the Commission to consider imposing restrictive measures against Turkish officials involved in these violations under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime [5] .
The Ortega-Murillo regime’s repression in Nicaragua, targeting human rights defenders, political opponents and religious communities
*Parliament strongly condemns Ortega-Murillo regime’s systemic human rights violations against Nicaraguan citizens and its persecution of religious leaders. MEPs denounce the use of exile as a weapon against critics and demand the regime respects the right to dissent. The immediate release of arbitrarily detained people and the restoration of the rule of law as well as guarantees of human rights compliance are essential for any dialogue and EU funds allocation, MEPs say.
They also call on the regime to annul constitutional reforms and repressive totalitarian laws in order to respect its international human rights obligations. Member states must open investigations through the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and add Daniel Ortega, Rosario Murillo and their inner circle to the list of sanctioned individuals, MEPs say.
The ongoing detention and risk of death sentences for individuals in Nigeria charged with blasphemy, notably the case of Yahaya Sharif-Aminu
*MEPs urge the Nigerian authorities to uphold human rights and religious freedom by releasing Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, a Nigerian singer who faces blasphemy allegations, alongside all other individuals facing blasphemy allegations.
They condemn blasphemy laws as violations of international law and Nigerian constitutional rights, stressing the need to uphold human rights throughout the country and align the federal state and Sharia laws with human rights protections, including the abolition of provisions on religious insults in criminal law. Parliament also urges Nigeria to abolish the death penalty in all cases.
The resolution urges Nigeria to combat false blasphemy accusations and mob violence in order to ensure perpetrators face justice.