Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-07-04-Speech-3-564-000"
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"en.20120704.31.3-564-000"2
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"Mr President, free elections involve campaigning free of intimidation. It is right that we raise in advance questions about the reports of arrests, impounding of assets and restricted access to media in advance of these elections. Indeed for cable TV packages to exclude the opposition-leaning TV channels certainly appears indefensible. I also express my deep concern at the violent breaking up of the country’s first Pride March on the International Day against Homophobia in May earlier this year.
Nevertheless, Georgia is welcoming 400 OSCE election observers, has established a multi-party agency to rule on violations, there is a civil society ‘This Affects You’ campaign which we should support, and I understand that the European Union has started media monitoring, so all involved in the elections must know that we are watching.
Like my colleagues, I stress that these questions are put in a spirit of friendship to the country and its people. Having visited the EU observation mission at the administrative borderline of the occupied territories, I want to use this debate to also invite the Presidency to join me in expressing concern that the head of our mission has been declared persona non grata by the proxy authorities.
Finally, to my EPP colleagues, I place on record our objection that you blocked our oral amendment to the Eastern Partnership report this week, removing an appeal to Georgia to combat child labour, when UNICEF says that there are 2 500 working children on its streets. I understand that your party is about to hold an event in Batumi which could be interpreted as seeking to help Mr Saakashvili’s party. Our role in this Parliament should be to promote functioning democracy, and we do not do so best if it appears that we are scrutinising one party in an election in a third country to a different standard from any other."@en1
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