What Catarina spoke about.

10

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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Case of Abdoul Aziz Goma, arbitrarily detained in Togo

Mr President, dear colleagues, the arbitrary imprisonment of Abdoul Aziz Goma for over seven years in Togo is not just concerning, it's outrageous. His case exposes a system that punishes peaceful advocates with torture and sham trials. Aziz was arrested simply for helping protesters who were calling for democratic reforms. At the request of a friend he gave shelter to these protesters from rural …

10

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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Case of Victoire Ingabire in Rwanda

Mr President, dear Colleagues – and now, as well, dear children of Victoire – this Parliament calls today for the immediate and unconditional release of Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza and other opposition figures who are on trial for politically motivated grounds. She is a courageous opposition leader, jailed not for any crime but for daring to challenge the status quo and, sadly, her case is not uniqu…

10

Sep

2025

EN Speech

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Implementation of EU-US trade deal and the prospect of wider EU trade agreements (debate)

Mr President, dear Commissioner, you and our colleagues from the EPP called for political responsibility in supporting this deal. But I think it's very far-fetched to claim that it is responsible for us to spend USD 750 billion on natural gas, oil and nuclear energy from the US. If Russia has taught us something, it is that Europe must become independent in its energy production through a green tr…

9

Sep

2025

EN Question

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Gaza at breaking point: EU action to combat famine, the urgent need to release hostages and move towards a two-state solution (debate)

Dear colleague, you say this is not humanity. You just called all Palestinians extremists: is it humanity to call the 55 000 or more children who have been killed or injured in this horrible genocide extremists? Where is your humanity? How dare you call an entire nation extremist?…

9

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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Case of Ryan Cornelius in Dubai

Mr President, dear colleagues, the arbitrary and unjust imprisonment of Ryan Cornelius for 17 years in the United Arab Emirates is extremely concerning. He should be immediately and unconditionally released. But I must say he is not the only one. The Emirates have a concerning track record of arbitrary detention, unfair trials and allegations of torture. So why is it that the EU and this House too…

9

Jul

2025

EN Speech

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EU-US trade negotiations (debate)

Mr President, dear Commissioner, today the Commissioner came to us to say that the trade war seemed to be turning into some sort of trade truce, even though we don't know that much yet in detail about the content. In any case, I'm very happy to hear that, for you, our legislation remains a non-negotiable point. It can't have been easy to negotiate with the Trump administration. The amount of U-tur…

18

Jun

2025

EN Speech

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Dissolution of political parties and the crackdown on the opposition in Mali

Mr President, dear colleagues, the proposal to dissolve and ban political parties in Mali is concerning, to say the least. Anyone can see that such a ban is deeply undemocratic and a nail in the coffin of any self-respecting democracy. It is also at odds with the Constitution that was enacted in 2023. But this is not a standalone development; it is part of a wider crackdown on opposition, civil so…

17

Jun

2025

EN Speech

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Situation in the Middle East (joint debate)

Mr President, the EU-Israel Association Agreement requires respect for human rights from a government that targets aid workers, doctors and journalists; that is blocking humanitarian aid using famine as a weapon of war; that is committing apartheid in the West Bank; that is committing a genocide in Gaza. So, Commission, Council, colleagues in this House, my question to you is this: how long will y…

7

May

2025

EN Speech

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Arrest and risk of execution of Tundu Lissu, Chair of Chadema, the main opposition party in Tanzania

Madam President, colleagues, Commissioner, Mr Lissu started his career as a lawyer working on land rights and on the impact of mining in protected areas. His political activity and his exposure of government corruption made him a target for an assassination attempt, followed by several years of exile in Belgium. He returned home to Tanzania, he became a leader of the opposition party, and just las…

3

Apr

2025

EN Speech

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Establishment of a European Day of the Righteous (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, the European Day of the Righteous came about in 2012, intended as a way of commemoration, a way to honour the brave people who risked their lives to stand up for democracy and humanity in the dark times of totalitarianism that our continents experienced not too long ago. It is also a day to remind ourselves that we may never allow these tendencies to rise again. No o…

2

Apr

2025

EN Speech

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Prosecution of journalists in Cameroon, notably the cases of Amadou Vamoulké, Kingsley Fomunyuy Njoka, Mancho Bibixy, Thomas Awah Junior, Tsi Conrad (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, the media shapes our world view. Journalists who report with no fear or favour are able to foster transparency and to hold those in power accountable. Without them, we are the targets of misinformation and further polarisation, with immense risks for our societies and democracies. But the free press is under threat. We are witnessing alarming trends all around the wo…

1

Apr

2025

EN Question

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Human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2024 (debate)

Dear colleague, you and your colleagues have repeatedly used this debate on human rights to raise the issue of Marine Le Pen. My question to you is: yesterday, when our group proposed a debate on corruption, on this case, how did you vote? If you voted against, why are you instead using this platform to make the points that you could have voted on a debate to speak about?…

1

Apr

2025

EN Speech

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Human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – annual report 2024 (debate)

Madam President, dear colleagues, dear Ms Kallas, we look back on a year marked by the disregard of international law, kerbs on freedom of expression, shrinking civic spaces and a setback for women's rights. Human rights defenders face growing threats while discrimination against LGBTQi+ people persists. Huge issues like forced labour, torture and the death penalty continue to go on. So, the quest…

12

Mar

2025

EN Speech

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Unlawful detention and sham trials of Armenian hostages, including high-ranking political representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh, by Azerbaijan

Mr President, dear colleagues, Azerbaijan is facing a deep human rights crisis. The government installed severe restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly and association, and weaponised the legal system against critical voices. Armenian detainees are one of the groups most severely affected by the government's policies. Ill-treatment is widespread and fair trials have become an illusion. I a…

12

Mar

2025

EN Speech

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Severe political, humanitarian and human rights crisis in Sudan, in particular the sexual violence and child rape

Mr President, as the brutal war rages in Sudan, the population is confronted with an unprecedented humanitarian crisis: over 150 000 people have been killed, 13 million were forced to flee their homes and 30 million are dependent on humanitarian aid. Rape has become a method of warfare, leaving permanent scars and destroying lives. The sad conclusion is that the Western world is failing humanity i…

11

Mar

2025

EN Speech

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Deteriorating situation in Gaza following the non-extension of the ceasefire (debate)

Madam President, dear Commissioner, we celebrated a ceasefire, but it was short‑lived. After a few weeks, Netanyahu unleashed full war on civilians once again. The cutting of aid and electricity in Gaza, as well as the intensified attacks on the West Bank, can be added to the ever‑expanding list of war crimes that he should be imprisoned for. Instead of supporting and upholding international justi…

13

Feb

2025

EN Speech

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EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement (debate)

Madam President, dear Commissioner, time flies when you're having fun and with Mercosur, we've been negotiating for 25 years. But here in the European Parliament we were a bit late to the party, as we only had access to the final text after a political deal was announced in December. This agreement raises a lot of questions. How exactly will we ensure that it will not drive deforestation in the Am…

12

Feb

2025

EN Speech

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Continuing detention and risk of the death penalty for individuals in Nigeria charged with blasphemy, notably the case of Yahaya Sharif-Aminu

Mr President, dear colleagues, what were you doing when you were 27 years old? Maybe finishing a degree or starting a new job? Maybe you were getting married. Yahaya Sharif-Aminu is 27 years old and today he sits in a jail in Nigeria, sentenced to death by hanging. His crime? Writing a song and sharing it on WhatsApp. A Sharia court considered it to be blasphemy, tried him without legal representa…

11

Feb

2025

EN Speech

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Protecting the system of international justice and its institutions, in particular the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice (debate)

Madam President, colleagues, without universal enforcement, international law is just a huge pile of paper. Independent institutions such as the ICC and the ICJ are vital to uphold a system that we established to prevent war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. But then one day Donald Trump wakes up and decides he doesn't like the ICC targeting Netanyahu for what's happening in Gaza. And …

22

Jan

2025

EN Speech

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Stepping up international action to protect whales following Iceland’s decision to extend commercial whaling until 2029 (debate)

Madam President, colleagues, I'm going to do something I don't usually do in this House and tell a bit of a generational story. I come from a family, on my mother's side, in which there were many whalers in the Azores Islands. My great‑grandfather, the brother of my grandfather, they were proud whalers. It was their livelihood, it was their tradition. And I'm very glad, I'm very proud that that tr…

22

Jan

2025

EN Speech

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Case of Boualem Sansal in Algeria

Madam President, dear colleagues, on 16 November, 2024, French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal was arrested, charged with national security-related offences, a charge often used by the Algerian authorities to silence government critics. His trial has shown several flaws and denial of his rights, as Mr Sansal was interrogated without his lawyer present. We know the situation in Algeria is severe, wi…

22

Jan

2025

EN Speech

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Case of Jean-Jacques Wondo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Madam President, colleagues, Belgian-Congolese national Jean-Jacques Wondo was sentenced to death by a Congolese military court on the baseless accusation of being the mastermind behind the May coup attempt. This is, let me remind you, a civilian. Not a single piece of evidence has been presented to date. His situation in prison is rapidly deteriorating, and he is in urgent need of medical help du…

21

Jan

2025

EN Speech

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Situation in Venezuela following the usurpation of the presidency on 10 January 2025 (debate)

Mr President, dear colleagues, with the illegitimate consolidation of Maduro's power after the July elections, the Venezuelan people are entering a new chapter of repression, violence and state terror. The regime will use the upcoming years to further crush, harass and diminish opposition with no respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law. So in Europe we need to step up our game to s…

20

Jan

2025

EN Speech

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Ceasefire in Gaza - the urgent need to release the hostages, to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to pave the way for a two-state solution (debate)

Mr President, colleagues, in this Chamber we have mourned the deaths of almost 50 000 Palestinians, including 20 000 children. A ceasefire in Gaza, while fragile and imperfect, offers a crucial first step to end this bloodshed. This pause must not be an end on itself, but a beginning of a determined effort to achieve lasting peace. Our societies, governments and institutions have a very heavy resp…

18

Dec

2024

EN Speech

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Continued repression of civil society and independent media in Azerbaijan and the cases of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu, Anar Mammadli, Kamran Mammadli, Rufat Safarov and Meydan TV

Mr President, dear colleagues, over the past few years we've seen in many debates here the ongoing repression that civil society has faced in Azerbaijan. But I'm really shocked to see it unfolding at this very moment and with consequences for this very House. The European Parliament elected Mr Gubad Ibadoghlu as a Sakharov finalist. So yesterday his peers were here and they were here in person to …