The European Parliament,

A. having regard to the relations of friendship and cooperation between Namibia and the European Community,

B. having regard to the recent incidents involving a number of Community vessels and crews who were fishing illegally in Namibian waters,

C. whereas, as a result of these incidents, heavy penalties have been imposed on the shipowners, including the seizure of vessels, heavy fines and the payment of deposits as a security,

D. whereas the competent Community institutions have unanimously condemned illegal fishing by Community vessels,

E. whereas, moreover, some members of these crews are still in prison in Namibia, which may constitute a breach of Article 73(2), (3) and (4) of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which Namibia is a signatory , the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 9), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adopted by the UN (Part III, 9-3 and 10-2) and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms,

1. Calls on the competent Community institutions to make the necessary representations to the Namibian authorities to obtain the immediate release of the Community fishermen who have been detained - Manuel Queimano Caamaño Piñeiro, Manuel Estevez Buceta, Joaquín Gómez Blanco, Eugenio Cidras Portabales, Pablo Sánchez Oro Aparicio, Salvador Martínez Tordes, Salvador Costa González, José Santomé Freire, Ramón Carmano Cernadas, José Luís Ferreiro and Luís Dajerán Pastoriza - together with authorization for them to return home;

2. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, Council and the Government of Namibia.