Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-03-15-Speech-4-246"
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"en.20070315.26.4-246"2
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"Mr President, the European Commission has been following the evolution of the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act submitted early last year to the Nigerian Federal Executive Council. The Commission shares the deep concern already expressed by international organisations, including the UN, through the Secretary-General’s special representative on human rights defenders, concerning the heightened level of discrimination, violation of individual rights and restriction of the right of free association that this bill would introduce, if approved.
The Commission equally shares the analysis by Nigerian and international human rights associations concerning the potential repercussions on persons engaging, or being suspected of engaging, in same-sex relationships. The same is true for human rights defenders advocating against the negative human rights implications of this homophobic bill. The bill would put them at greater risk of arbitrary arrest, detention, torture and ill-treatment. It would also restrict and silence the action of local human rights organisations. The bill reinforces the excessively severe provisions already in place. Nigeria’s criminal code punishes consensual homosexual conduct with up to 14 years’ imprisonment, while the shariah penal code adopted in 11 states in northern Nigeria lays down the death penalty for
[‘sodomy’].
The bill would also infringe a number of international human rights laws and treaties that Nigeria ceded to and ratified, possibly its own Constitution and key articles of the Cotonou Agreement. In view of the above and of the conclusions on EU relations with Nigeria adopted by the General Affairs and External Relations Council in 2003, the Commission would like to confirm its readiness to contribute to the implementation of the resolution this House is about to adopt. The Commission is prepared to actively participate, along with the Member States, in the political dialogue foreseen under Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement. This political dialogue will fully address the specific issue concerning the Same-Sex Marriage Bill as well as the essential elements regarding human rights, democratic principles, the rule of law and good governance listed in Article 9 of the Cotonou Agreement.
Finally, the Commission encourages the European Parliament to follow up last year’s visit by its former President, Mr Josep Borrell Fontelles, to the Nigerian Parliament, with a view to establishing a regular dialogue between the two parliaments."@en1
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