09 May 2008 :

the European Parliament in Brussels approved the Report by Marco Cappato (Italian Radicals/ALDE) on human rights around the world, with 533 votes in favour, 63 against and 41 abstentions.
Commenting on the results of European policies relative to human rights in 2007, the report proposes to declare 2010 the European Year of Non Violence and says that the right to democracy is a fundamental human right.
Congratulating the UN vote for a universal Moratorium on capital punishment, the document “urges the Council to update its position on the death penalty to support all the activities times to the full application of the resolution by the General Assembly.”
The report also argues the importance of the clause on human rights in European agreements with third countries, on the necessity of an immigration policy that is respectful of human rights. It asks the major players to guarantee the freedom of expression, starting with the internet.
It furthermore asks the council to support the International Criminal Tribunal and all other courts for human rights, and to consider female genital mutilation a violation of human rights.
“In Europe, we criticise the American strategy of the promotion of democracy through military intervention for many reasons, but we are not able to put into practice a credible alternative strategy, one that isn’t pacifist neutralism, objectively allied with dictators and massacrists the world over. With the report approved today, in addition to denouncing the lack of respect for European law, for example due to the violation of the human rights clauses in commercial relationships with third countries, or the lack of valuation of the results of actual policies, the European Parliament urges the Commission and the Council to put attention and resources into the instruments of non violence and to proclaim 2010 as the European Year of Non Violence. We ask Minister Frattini to take this proposal seriously and present it to the Council,” Cappato said.
In this way, the Parliament confirmed support for the path chosen, for example, by the Dalai Lama in promoting autonomy for Tibet.”