The European Socialists and Democrats are seriously concerned over the increasing death threats and intimidation faced by Dr Denis Mukwege since he was awarded the Sakharov Prize in November by the European Parliament.
Gianni Pittella, president of the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament, said:
"The Sakharov Prize is an award celebrating freedom of expression and we must ensure that Dr Mukwege can continue denouncing these breaches of human rights, as well as doing his life-saving and life-changing work at the Panzi Hospital – and it is the responsibility of the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to ensure that he can do so.
"We must keep on speaking up for his freedom – as we did in the European Parliament's plenary session yesterday – and against the sexual violence that women, but also young children and newborn babies, regularly suffer in this region of the DRC. No woman, no child, no human being should be used as a weapon of war. And the government of DRC must seriously investigate these violations.
"We welcome the commitment from the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, Federica Mogherini, to seriously address the situation of Dr Mukwege and our Group will continue to take every initiative possible to mobilise the international community."
S&D MEP Elena Valenciano said:
"By awarding the Sakharov Prize to Dr Mukwege, we recognised his admirable work but we also made him more visible and therefore more vulnerable in the current situation in the DRC. The European Parliament must now live up to its commitment to the Sakharov laureate and keep up the pressure to ensure Dr Mukwege's safety.
"Since November he has denounced the huge increase in the number of children under five being brutally raped, putting himself in even greater danger. If the Congolese authorities continue to fail in investigating and prosecuting these revolting crimes, the EU and the international community should urgently call for the establishment of an independent international inquiry."
President Pittella will head a delegation of leading MEPs from different European Parliament committees (development, human rights, women's rights and international trade) to visit the Panzi Hospital in April and reaffirm our support for Dr Mukwege. Our Group is not just about speaking out but leading by example and we look forward to meeting with him again in his workplace. We trust that the authorities in the DRC will recognise that while they have the responsibility for bringing an end to the ongoing conflict in the region, Dr Mukwege's contribution to raising awareness and repairing the consequences of this conflict is invaluable.
