B3-0332 and 0346/94

Resolution on arrests in Senegal

The European Parliament,

A.gravely concerned at the arrests and maltreatment of at least 75 people, including leading figures of the opposition, and by the unprecedented scale of rioting on 16 February which claimed numerous victims, including a number of policemen, in Senegal,

B.believing that the arrest and detention of Maître Abdoulaye Wade, leader of the Parti démocratique senégalais (PDAS), and of two other Deputies, Mr Pape Omar Kane (PDS) and Mr Landing Savane, deputy leader of the Parti Africain pour la démocratie et le socialisme (PADS), is in flagrant breach of Article 50(3) of the Constitution of Senegal which defines the circumstances in which Deputies can be arrested,

C.shocked by the reports that Mr Lamine Samb, arrested on 17 February, has been tortured to death, that other cases of torture have been reported and that Maître Wade is held incommunicado in a cell with common criminals,

D.whereas these events occurred following the drastic devaluation of the CFA franc which hit the poorest people in society hardest,

E.aware of the rise of Islamic fundamentalist movements and their political exploitation of the crisis affecting the people of Senegal,

F.drawing attention to the protests of the Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense des Droits de l'Homme and of Le Collectif des Avocats du Sénégal,

G.recalling the example set in the past by Senegal in upholding democratic values and the rule of law,

1.Calls for the immediate release of the opposition leaders and calls on the government of Senegal to start negotiations with a view to a political dialogue with the opposition as a means of seeking a solution to the crisis;

2.Strongly condemns the acts of violence perpetrated during the riots on 16 February 1994;

3.Demands an independent inquiry into the reports of torture by members of the Division des investigations criminelles;

4.Calls on all the political leaders of the country to act within a democratic framework to prevent the extremist movements from exploiting the anxiety and distress of the people following the devaluation of the CFA franc;

5.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the President of Senegal, the leaders of all parties represented in the National Assembly of Senegal and the Co-Presidents of the ACP/EEC Joint Assembly.