The recent corruption scandal that has tainted several members of the European Parliament and some NGOs has given rise to several statements by political groups in the European Parliament aimed at:
– freezing all activities of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI),
– stopping "emergency resolutions" on situations of human rights violations,
– and even limiting the access of human rights NGOs to the European Parliament
"Halting all human rights activities of the European Parliament while sweepingly calling into question the integrity and contribution of all civil society organisations in European Union policy-making would be solely in the interest of perpetrators of human rights abuses, to the detriment of their victims," the signatories write.
In contrast, the European Parliament, through its subcommittee and through the advocacy work of human rights NGOs, has contributed to:
– the release of human rights defenders and political prisoners,
– denounce human rights violations, repressive legislation and abusive government and corporate policies,
– and ultimately to human rights progress and accountability efforts worldwide.