Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-05-22-Speech-2-561-000"
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"en.20120522.22.2-561-000"2
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"Mr President, I share the objectives of many in this debate who wish for an end to the conflict and to human rights abuses in Colombia. However, in deliberating on the draft Free Trade Agreement, I ask colleagues to base our assessment not on oft-repeated commitments, but on actual results in securing convictions for the perpetrators of human rights abuse in Colombia – in what, according to the United Nations, is a country with an impunity rate of more than 94%.
To the Commissioner, who tells us again tonight of undoubted improvement, I say that I agree there has been an improvement in language. How does he respond, however, to the International Committee of the Red Cross which says that last year, human rights violations got worse in Colombia, or to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court who says this is one of three countries in the world with the worst levels of international crime?
On the proposed action plan, I pay tribute to Catherine Bearder and the amendment she is putting forward: I hope we will support it. But I ask my friend Mr Lange, and all the Members of the House, to recognise that the American National Trade Union Federation says the Colombian Government has failed to comply with their action plan, so Europe must do better – not simply by ensuring benchmarks which are really binding, but also through the same dispute mechanism for human rights as for trade complaints and, crucially, we must see concrete implementation before, not after, parliamentary ratification.
Finally, three weeks ago after taking part in a demonstration, Daniel Aguirre Piedrahita, the General Secretary of the Colombian sugar cane workers’ union, was assassinated in cold blood, leaving a wife and three young daughters. He is one of 61 trade unionists assassinated since President Santos came to power, so I ask all colleagues, in dealing with this issue, to show proper respect for those who have suffered most."@en1
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