Theme: Human Rights

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has again expressed concern about continued human rights violations against MPs worldwide and the lack of respect for their parliamentary immunity.  During its January 2017 session, IPU’s Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians adopted decisions on the cases of 227 MPs from 16 countries. Over 100 MPs are from just three countries, Malaysia, Nicaragua and Turkey.  The Committee has elected a new President in the person of Ms. Fawzia Koofi (Afghanistan).

This year has seen a sharp increase in the number of parliamentarians who have suffered or who have alleged violations of their fundamental rights.  In an overview of cases being examined by the IPU’s Committee on Human Rights of Parliamentarians, 459 parliamentarians from 42 countries were investigated in 2016 in comparison to 320 parliamentarians in 2015 and 311 parliamentarians in 2014. This outcome underscores the dangers MPs face across the world in exercising their mandate and their right to freedom of expression.

Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, IPU is launching an innovative self-assessment toolkit which assists parliaments in reviewing their functioning and working methods, and how these contribute to gender equality.  This is a follow-up to the IPU’s landmark study on sexism against women MPs as part of the IPU’s commitment to advance gender-sensitive reforms in parliaments.  BGIPU has been active in promoting the IPU’s work and sees the launch as a vitally important contribution to such efforts.

The IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians will carry out several human rights missions in the coming months to push for progress on cases involving the abuses of the human rights of MPs.  In a range of decisions adopted during a three-day meeting on cases concerning a group of 40 MPs, priority has been given to missions to Cambodia, the Maldives and Venezuela.  The Committee also elected a new President, Bangladeshi MP Fazle Karim Chowdhury, and a Vice-President, Margret Kiener-Nellen of Switzerland.