How to watch the Committee on Human Rights (DROI)

Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

Opening and hearing on caste-based discrimination in South Asia

Mounir Satouri and 5 others

The Chair opens the meeting and the public hearing on caste-based discrimination, followed by expert interventions from the UN, civil society and EEAS on legal recognition of caste, supply-chain abuses, the situation in Pakistan, and current EU external action, and concludes with an initial round of MEP questions and detailed replies on how EU due diligence, GSP+ and funding tools should address caste-related human rights violations.

In this chapter

1. Opening of meeting and adoption of agendaMounir Satouri
2. UN Special Rapporteur: caste, racism and intersectionalityMounir Satouri
3. ARISA: caste discrimination in South Asian supply chainsMounir Satouri

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

EU institutional assessment and MEP debate on Georgia

Mounir Satouri and 3 others

EEAS presents the EU’s assessment of Georgian laws, abuses and international scrutiny, after which MEPs debate elections, the role of oligarchic power and sanctions options; a second response round addresses the nature of protests, alleged election rigging, and the scope and limits of current EU conditionality and restrictive measures.

In this chapter

1. EEAS: EU assessment of Georgian laws, abuses and international scrutiny
2. MEP debate: elections, sanctions and EU strategy towards GeorgiaMounir Satouri
3. Second response round: protests, rigged elections and sanction optionsMounir Satouri

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

Georgia mission follow-up: deterioration of freedoms and state capture claims

Mounir Satouri Verts/ALE

The Chair introduces the Georgia follow‑up focusing on political prisoners, judiciary and media freedom, followed by testimony from journalist Guram Rogava on police violence and impunity and expert Tinatin Akhvlediani’s analysis of alleged state capture, calling for stronger and more targeted EU measures.

In this chapter

1. Transition to Georgia mission follow-up: human rights and political prisonersMounir Satouri
2. Journalist Guram Rogava: testimony on police violence and impunity in GeorgiaMounir Satouri
3. Expert Akhvlediani: state capture in Georgia and critique of EU response

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

Parliamentary follow-up on Bangladesh and future EU framework

Mounir Satouri and 2 others

MEPs react to the situation in Bangladesh and conditions in Rohingya camps, call for continued oversight and political dialogue, and the EEAS outlines negotiations of an EU‑Bangladesh Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with a strong human‑rights chapter requiring Parliament’s consent.

In this chapter

1. MEPs’ reactions: EU follow-up on Bangladesh and RohingyaMounir Satouri
2. EEAS closing: planned Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with BangladeshMounir Satouri

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

Bangladesh elections, reforms and Rohingya: institutional and legal perspectives

Mounir Satouri Verts/ALE

EEAS, the UN Resident Coordinator and a legal expert provide a structured assessment of Bangladesh’s 2026 elections, interim reform process, LDC graduation, and the Rohingya refugee crisis, including EU and UN engagement and the implications of the ICJ case The Gambia v. Myanmar for Rohingya protection, accountability and possible return.

In this chapter

1. EEAS: assessment of Bangladesh’s elections, reforms and Rohingya policyMounir Satouri
2. UN Resident Coordinator: interim reforms, LDC graduation and Rohingya response
3. ICJ case The Gambia v. Myanmar: legal basis and implications for Rohingya

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

Opening of DROI meeting and framing of Bangladesh item

Mounir Satouri and 1 other

The Chair opens the subcommittee meeting, adopts the agenda and frames the first item as a follow-up to the 2025 mission to Bangladesh, outlining focus areas including post‑election developments, human rights and the Rohingya situation, before giving the floor to the delegation chair for political context.

In this chapter

1. Opening: agenda and Bangladesh mission follow-upMounir Satouri
2. Delegation chair (Sturdza): political transition and human rights in BangladeshŞerban Dimitrie Sturdza

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

Bullmann: EU double standards and partnership agenda

Udo Bullmann and 1 other

Bullmann criticizes EU double standards on banned pesticides, calls for a concrete Commission legislative initiative, and commits to putting pesticide exports and protection of health and environment on the political agenda of the deepening EU–South Africa partnership.

In this chapter

1. Bullmann: criticism of double standards and demand for EU legislationUdo Bullmann
2. Bullmann: integrating pesticide exports into EU–South Africa partnershipUdo Bullmann

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

South African NGO testimony and call for EU export ban

Mounir Satouri Verts/ALE

Colette Solomon presents export data and on-the-ground exposure of women farm workers and families, explains domestic advocacy efforts, and urges the EU to honour its Chemicals Strategy pledge by adopting strong legislation to end exports of EU-banned pesticides to South Africa, while the Commission’s Manfredi outlines the EU’s internal chemicals framework, reliance on PIC, and the geopolitical constraints on proposing an export ban.

In this chapter

1. Colette Solomon: export data and women farm workers’ exposure
2. Colette Solomon: domestic lobbying and call for EU export banMounir Satouri
3. Commission (Manfredi): EU internal pesticide and zero-pollution framework
4. Commission (Manfredi): PIC limits, global conventions and geopolitical constraintsMounir Satouri

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

UN and South African tribunal evidence on banned pesticides

Mounir Satouri Verts/ALE

UN Special Rapporteur Orellana details his toxics and human rights mandate, the scale and impacts of EU-banned pesticide exports, and rebuts sovereignty and competitiveness arguments, followed by Navi Pillay’s account of the South African People’s Tribunal findings on environmental racism, weak regulation, health harms and recommendations aligned with the EU Green Deal.

In this chapter

1. UN Special Rapporteur: mandate and scale of double standards
2. UN Special Rapporteur: health impacts and rights violations
3. UN Special Rapporteur: rebuttal of sovereignty and competitiveness claimsMounir Satouri

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

Opening: human-rights framing and EU–South Africa link

Mounir Satouri and 1 other

The Chair and delegation chair Bullmann reopen the joint meeting, frame EU exports of banned pesticides as a human-rights issue, highlight South Africa as a case study, recall Commission commitments, and set up the exchange with UN and South African interlocutors.

In this chapter

1. Chair: context on EU-banned pesticide exportsMounir Satouri
2. Delegation chair Bullmann: link to EU–South Africa workUdo Bullmann

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Subcommittee on Human Rights HEARING Public hearing on third-country nationals forced to fight in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine

Chair: hearing closure and next steps

Pekka Toveri and 1 other

The Chair formally closes the morning hearing on human trafficking and foreign recruitment for Russia’s war in Ukraine, reiterates Parliament’s political condemnation of these abuses, and announces the suspension of proceedings until the afternoon session.

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Subcommittee on Human Rights HEARING Public hearing on third-country nationals forced to fight in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine

MEP Q&A: EU tools and partner engagement

Li Andersson GUE/NGL

Linked questions and responses focus on what additional EU instruments and diplomatic leverage can curb Russia’s recruitment and trafficking of foreign fighters, how to work with African and Asian governments, and how Ukraine manages coerced fighters and foreign volunteers. The EEAS details existing EU actions, including pressure on Russia, guidance to EU delegations, cooperation with partner countries, and efforts toward accountability and victim support.

In this chapter

1. MEP questions: EU leverage and instrumentsLi Andersson
2. Speakers’ replies: partner‑country engagement and victim impact
3. EEAS representative: EU response and diplomatic pressure

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Subcommittee on Human Rights HEARING Public hearing on third-country nationals forced to fight in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine

Evidence on recruitment schemes and victim impact

NGO, victim, journalist, and Ukrainian officials present detailed evidence on South Asian and African recruitment networks, trafficking indicators, coercive practices, numbers and origins of foreign fighters, deployment and casualty patterns, and the social, economic, and psychological impact on affected families.

In this chapter

1. NGO Truth Hounds: South Asian trafficking patterns
2. Victim testimony: Kenyan mother’s account
3. Journalist investigation: African recruitment networks
4. Ukrainian POW HQ: scale and methods of foreign recruitment

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Subcommittee on Human Rights HEARING Public hearing on third-country nationals forced to fight in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine

Opening of hearing and political framing

Pekka Toveri PPE

Chair and delegation representatives open the hearing on Russia’s recruitment of third‑country nationals, set the human rights and international law context, link to Parliament’s urgency resolution, and frame the issue as trafficking and exploitation requiring EU and partner‑country action.

In this chapter

1. Opening: hearing mandate and agenda
2. Associated delegations: political framing of issuePekka Toveri

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

Hearing context, trafficking patterns and victim testimony

Raquel García Hermida-Van Der Walle and 1 other

The Chair and MEPs frame the European Parliament hearing on Russia’s forced recruitment of third‑country nationals, followed by an expert analysis of South Asian trafficking routes and a Kenyan mother’s testimony illustrating African recruitment patterns, legal qualification as trafficking, and calls for EU and partner‑country action.

In this chapter

1. Chair and MEPs: hearing context and Russia’s use of foreign nationalsPekka Toveri
2. Civil society expert: South Asian recruitment and trafficking qualification
3. Kenyan victim testimony and African recruitment patterns

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

Afghanistan: women’s rights, political inclusion and EU response

MEPs, Afghan women leaders in exile, the EU Special Envoy and Commission services address Taliban gender apartheid, exiled MPs’ mandates, political inclusion and conditions for engagement, alongside detailed EU humanitarian and development tools targeted at Afghan women, girls and returnees. The segment covers calls for international criminalisation of gender apartheid, stricter aid conditionality and stronger action from regional actors, before the Chair closes the Afghanistan item.

In this chapter

1. MEPs’ interventions: support, migration and key questions
2. Afghan women leaders in exile: causes, consequences and demands
3. Afghan political inclusion and women’s representation
4. Afghanistan: EU humanitarian and development response

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

Witness testimonies: Taliban rule and EU response

Testimonies from Fawzia Koofi and an Afghan MP in exile on Taliban repression, regional dynamics and visions for a post‑Taliban Afghanistan, followed by the EU Special Envoy’s assessment of the situation, legal framework of Taliban decrees and the EU’s united policy, aid and accountability approach.

In this chapter

1. Fawzia Koofi: Taliban repression, extremism and accountability
2. Chair and Afghan MP in exile: testimony on Taliban rule
3. EU Special Envoy: situation and legal framework

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

Opening of hearing and EP mandate

Raquel García Hermida-Van Der Walle Renew

Procedural opening of the meeting, adoption of agenda and minutes, and presentation of the delegation’s mandate, crisis context and European Parliament position on Taliban gender apartheid and conditional engagement on Afghanistan.

In this chapter

1. Opening of meeting and EP procedural context
2. Chair and Delegation: mandate, crisis context, EP positionRaquel García Hermida-Van Der Walle

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

Committee rules, NGO funding and closure

Final part of the DROI meeting covering reminders on committee rules, clarification on NGO funding and bans, reaffirmation of respectful pluralistic debate, announcement of an upcoming EU delegation visit to the US Congress on fundamental rights issues, and information on the date of the next DROI meeting before formal closure.

In this chapter

1. Committee rules, NGO funding and respectful debate
2. Benifei: upcoming US Congress visit and rights agenda
3. Chair: announcement of next DROI meeting and closure

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

Subcommittee conclusions on US human rights and parliamentary diplomacy

Parker and Castro outline support for US civil society and differences on free speech, followed by the Chair’s remarks on US double standards and Benifei’s call to deepen systematic scrutiny of US human-rights degradation through strengthened parliamentary diplomacy with the US Congress.

In this chapter

1. Parker and Castro responses: support to US civil society, free speech traditions, parliamentary diplomacy
2. Chair: US double standards, ICE and ICC
3. Benifei: continued dialogue and parliamentary diplomacy with US

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

MEP political debate: ICE, US democracy and EU stance

MEPs engage in three rounds contrasting views on ICE’s mandate and abuses, risks of democratic backsliding and coup dynamics in the US, possible EU sanctions and support to NGOs, and the gravity of children’s rights violations and EU credibility.

In this chapter

1. First MEP reactions: US democratic backsliding and defense of ICE
2. Second round: ICE as political militia, coup risks, and need to criticise an ally
3. Third round: EU appeasement, sanctions options, NGOs and children’s rights

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

Briefings: US enforcement trends and EU human-rights diplomacy

Benifei details recent ICE operations, political fallout in Washington and implications for EU policy, Human Rights Watch outlines systemic abuses and recommended EU measures, and EEAS explains the EU’s human-rights framework and approach to the US and ICE.

In this chapter

1. Delegation Chair Benifei: Minnesota crackdown, DHS politics, US opinion
2. Human Rights Watch: systemic abuses by ICE and Trump migration policy
3. EEAS Castro: EU human rights diplomacy and approach to US and ICE

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

Opening and mandate: EU response to ICE abuses

The Chair opens agenda item 10, sets the human-rights context around ICE practices in the US, recalls UN and Inter-American condemnations, and frames the core question of which tools the EU has towards a key ally before introducing the speakers.

In this chapter

1. Opening of agenda item 10: ICE and EU human rights role
2. UN and Inter-American reactions; EU tools and speakers introduced

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

Chair’s conclusion on safe countries and meeting suspension

Mounir Satouri Verts/ALE

The Chair challenges the political consistency of recent ‘safe country’ designations in light of human rights concerns, recalls Parliament’s stance, and then formally suspends the DROI meeting to allow participation in the Ukraine plenary and to announce the afternoon joint hearing and joint human rights statement.

In this chapter

1. Chair: criticism of ‘safe country’ designationMounir Satouri
2. Procedural pause: suspension for Ukraine plenary and afternoon agendaMounir Satouri

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

Libya, Frontex and Pact on Migration: human rights safeguards

Mounir Satouri Verts/ALE

Experts, Frontex, the Commissioner and DG HOME address impunity and vetting in Libya, operational dilemmas on distress calls, the balance between anti‑smuggling and rescue obligations, and the legal framing of safe third country rules and external cooperation under the Pact on Migration and Asylum.

In this chapter

1. UN OHCHR follow-up: impunity, vetting and due diligence in Libya
2. Frontex response: monitoring practice and Libya dilemmas
3. Commissioner’s response: smuggling, citizen security and safe third countriesMounir Satouri
4. European Commission (DG HOME): defence of the Pact and external cooperation

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Subcommittee on Human Rights Ordinary meeting

MEP reactions: EU values, safe third countries and Libya cooperation

Francisco Assis and 5 others

MEPs articulate diverging political lines on externalization, from defending EU human‑rights credibility and opposing outsourcing to abusive states to prioritising anti‑smuggling and processing near origin, and they challenge the Commissioner and Frontex on safe third country rules, alleged system abuse, and EU complicity in supporting Libyan actors amid impunity, with the Chair framing justice and accountability concerns.

In this chapter

1. First MEP reactions: EU values, financing and smugglingFrancisco Assis
2. Further MEPs: reforming asylum law and safe third countriesArkadiusz Mularczyk
3. Italian Left MEP: EU hypocrisy and Libya cooperationIlaria Salis
4. Chair’s intervention: justice, impunity and EU complicityMounir Satouri

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