B4-1151, 1161, 1180 and 1181/95

Resolution on the sentence to death in the United Arab Emirates of Sarah Balabagan

The European Parliament,

-having regard to the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women,

-having regard to the declaration issued by the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna in 1993,

-having regard to the United Nations declaration of December 1993 on the elimination of violence against women,

A.appalled at the sentencing to death by firing squad, for the murder of her employer, of a Moslem Filipino girl, Sarah Balabagan, aged 16, in the United Arab Emirates on 16 September 1995, overturning an earlier sentence to seven years in prison and damages to be paid by the employer's family,

B.pointing out that the earlier verdict recognized that the murdered man raped her and that his family was ordered by the court to pay her damages,

C.noting that rape is a crime and a physical and mental assault on women and that Sarah Balabagan's murder of the rapist may be regarded as an act of self-defence, as her counsel argued,

D.whereas thousands of servants of foreign origin leave the Gulf States each year because of the way in which they are treated by their employers and the outcome of court cases in several such matters,

1.Believes that to execute anybody in these circumstances must revolt even those who are not, in principle, opposed to the death penalty;

2.Asks the relevant authorities in the UAE to re-examine the case of Sarah Balabagan and appeals to UAE President Sheikh Zaid Bin Sultan al-Nahayan to consider granting her a presidential pardon;

3.Calls on the Council to make clear to the Government of the UAE its great concern about this case and to stress that the carrying out of the death sentence will damage the European Union's relations with the United Arab Emirates;

4.Calls on the United Arab Emirates Government to respect international agreements;

5.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Governments of the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates.