Marietje Schaake – Mr President, about 250 Eritrean migrants are believed to be held hostage in the Sinai desert and inhumane treatment and rape are reported while these people await a ransom that needs to be paid to human traffickers for their release.
Recent events are part of a network smuggling sub-Saharan migrants through Egypt to Israel that has been operating in the Sinai since 2007. The Egyptian authorities are making welcome efforts to investigate the information provided by the UNHCR. Diplomatic procedures with the Egyptian authorities should be stepped up by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to eliminate the trafficking networks and prevent people from being smuggled.
At the same time, Egypt should improve the treatment of refugees according to international standards. This means that, during the justified defence of borders, no excessive or even lethal force should be used against immigrants or refugees, and this advice is something that we might also give ourselves in the EU once in a while.
Plenary speech on Eritrean refugees held hostage in Sinai
16 Dec 2010
