Joint meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Development, the Subcommittee on Human Rights in association with the Delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula during the EP plenary session in Strasbourg. Exchange of views with Ensaf HAIDAR, wife of the 2015 Laureate of the Sakharov Prize, Raif BADAWI, and with Stavros LAMBRINIDIS, EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Pier Antonio PANZERI (S&D, IT), Marietje SCHAAKE (ALDE, NL) and Elena VALENCIANO (S&D ES)

Committee on Foreign Affairs

exchange of views

Strasbourg

Subcommittee on Human Rights

Committee on Development

VALENCIANO, Elena (S&D, ES)

PANZERI, Pier Antonio (S&D, IT)

joint meeting

SCHAAKE, Marietje (ALDE, NL)

Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought 2015 (T)

BADAWI, Raif (SA)

LAMBRINIDIS, Stavros (S&D, EL)

Sakharov Prize 2015: exchange of views with Ensaf HAIDAR, wife of the 2015 Laureate of the Sakharov Prize, Raif BADAWI, and with Stavros LAMBRINIDIS, EU Special Representative for Human Rights

Exterior shot of the European Parliament in Strasbourg

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Elena VALENCIANO, Raif may be in jail, may have been tortured, they may have tried to erase his work and make him bend by force, but he hasn't been silenced. That they have not succeeded at, that's why we are all here.

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Elena VALENCIANO (S&amp;D, ES), See, I think that the brave are not those who are not afraid but instead those who despite it fight for and defend their ideas and those who defend their ideas. We are giving the Sakharov prize to a brave man, a brave woman will receive it, a brave woman that is here. I pay tribute to Ensaf HAIDAR. (Applause)

SOUNDBITE (English), Stavros LAMBRINIDIS, EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Saudi Arabia is an important partner for the European Union and an influencial political, economic, cultural and religious actor in the Middle East and in the Islamic world. Now, beyond the symbolic right to drive for women which regularly makes the headlines in Europe, we are constantly engaging our Saudi partners on a core set of issues for which we believe reforms should be considered. In particular, in the fields of freedom of expression, in the fields of freedom of religion and belief, freedom of assembly, the abolition of corporal and degrading punishment and the use and scope of the death penalty.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Pier Antonio PANZERI (S&amp;D, IT), It is true that Saudi Arabia has given women the chance to take part in the recent administrative elections. It's a first step. but it is still very far away from the acceptable standards in the field of rights. Therefore it is important that the Europe reconsiders its relations with Riyadh that, for the sake of economic and energetic interests, is threatening to compromise the credibility of Europe on Human Rights.

SOUNDBITE (English), Marietje SCHAAKE (ALDE, NL), We cannot allow for cultural relativism to lead people to the claim that Human Rights are not universal. Raid's situation shows this very clearly. Even the strongest repression, even the most barbaric of punishments didn't deter your husband from creating his blog 'Free Saudi Liberals' Network'.