Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that 10 December 2019 is United Nations Human Rights Day;

(2) acknowledges that the:

(a) United Nations General Assembly's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948 was a milestone moment which formalised mankind's shared aspiration for the equal dignity and worth of every person;

(b) declaration was drafted by representatives of diverse legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world; and

(c) declaration's values and principles of equality, justice and freedom remain as relevant today as they were in 1948;

(3) notes that the promise of the universal declaration is yet to be fully realised and that many people worldwide continue to have their rights threatened, denied or impinged; and

(4) encourages people of all nations to acknowledge Human Rights Day on 10 December 2019 and in their daily lives to stand up for their own rights and the rights of others.

Next Tuesday, 10 December, is Human Rights Day. It is the 70th anniversary of the moment that the United Nations affirmed mankind's belief that, 'All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,' a restatement of and recommitment to those universal values and the inherent rights proclaimed in that document that were desperately needed in 1948. They are just as critical now. I know that colleagues will speak eloquently and in detail about them following this speech.

I'd like to take this opportunity to draw the House's attention to the deeply disturbing infringements, taking place every year, of the human rights of those who form the first defence for others—our fellow parliamentarians worldwide. Madam Deputy Speaker Wicks, as you know, we recently attended the Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting in Serbia, where we joined 1,800 other parliamentarians from around the world in discussing many of the important issues which unite us. Throughout, I was impressed by my colleagues' commitment and passion for addressing the many challenges that we face. However, during a session of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, I was shocked by the dreadful stories that we heard.

We heard about five parliamentarians in Uganda who were violently arrested in August 2018 in the district of Arua, after the president's convoy was pelted with stones while passing. Two were tortured, while four sustained injuries during the arrest. We heard about credible reports of attacks, violent intimidation, politically motivated criminal proceedings, arbitrary detention and the confiscation of travel documents in Venezuela targeting 96 parliamentarians from the Democratic Unity Roundtable since 2017.

We heard about the abduction of independent MP Ms Seham Sergiwa from her home in Libya by masked men. They wounded her husband and daubed 'The army is a red line not to be crossed' on her house. Since her abduction in July, no trace of her has been found. We heard about the alleged attempted murder, abduction, arbitrary detention, property destruction and exile faced by 69 members of the Yemeni parliament since 2014. Of course, we also heard about the 600 separate criminal and terrorism charges brought against members of the Peoples' Democratic Party in the Turkish parliament over the last four years. Chillingly, many of these charges are for defamation of the president or the Turkish government. Some 29 Turkish parliamentarians are already in jail. In total, there are 468 cases around the world currently being addressed by the IPU's committee on the human rights of MPs.

I would understand if those outside watching this presentation asked, 'Why are the rights of MPs so important when people of all kinds face oppression?' Where the rights of members of parliament are infringed, the rights of all citizens are at great risk. In most countries, parliamentarians are afforded special privileges and freedoms. We spend a great deal of time in secure institutions. Often we are provided with the protection of police or security services. We are high-profile figures whose lives and work play out very visibly in the public domain. Parliamentarians have greater freedoms than most, they are better protected, and infringements of their rights are harder to conceal. Where parliamentarians are at risk, no-one is safe. We can be sure that their suffering is only the most visible part of a deeper and more widespread problem.

Further, when human rights are at risk, it is the people's elected representatives who form their first line of defence. Our unique privileges, our direct access to government and our national media platforms give parliamentarians worldwide the ability and the duty to stand up for their constituents. Sometimes this advocacy can bring about real change in itself. Other times it can be a powerful symbol and a rallying cry for those who would peacefully resist.

See this speech in context