Committee passes human rights resolution with focus on free expression, political prisoners

ISTANBUL, 1 July 2013 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions today passed a resolution calling for government action to uphold freedom of expression, whether it is on the streets or on the Internet.

The resolution also "strongly urges" governments to respect the rule of law and judicial independence, and to release and exonerate all political prisoners and to allow these prisoners to receive visits from international institutions like the OSCE.

"Whether we are watching events in Tahrir or Taksim, concerned about free speech on the Internet or in the streets, this committee has spoken with a clear voice today in defense of fundamental freedoms and I urge the full body to adopt this resolution as the Istanbul Declearation," said Isabel Santos (Portugal), the committee chair.

The committee resolution also calls for increased participation of civil society, public and media in the OSCE and calls for governments to establish special anti-trafficking units and national action plans to combat modern-day slavery, abolish the death penalty, and reform the use of Interpol to avoid the abuse of the police agency’s red notices.

"This committee today has stood up against those who would rob so many of our citizens of their inherent freedoms," said Ann Phelan (Ireland), committee rapporteur and author of the resolution. “We have a compelling moral duty to protect vulnerable persons from this all too prevalent crime. I’m glad to see my colleagues take a strong stand against human trafficking and vote for this plan for greater direct action in our nations to help combat what is a serious affront to the dignity of the human person.”

The resolution is now up for a vote as part of the Assembly's Istanbul Declaration, which helps shape OSCE and national policy. The Declaration is to receive a vote on 3 July, the final day of the Annual Session taking place in Istanbul.

This is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is comprised of 323 parliamentarians from 57 countries spanning, Europe, Central Asia and North America. The Assembly provides a forum for parliamentary diplomacy, monitors elections, and strengthens international cooperation to uphold commitments on political, security, economic, environmental and human rights issues.