Arbitrary arrest and torture of Belgian-Portuguese researcher Joseph Figueira Martin in Central African Republic

In this non-legislative resolution, Parliament addresses the arbitrary arrest and torture of Joseph Figueira Martin, a dual Belgian-Portuguese citizen and humanitarian researcher working for the NGO FHI 360, who was kidnapped on 26 May 2024 in the Central African Republic by the Wagner Group and later handed to the CAR authorities and charged with espionage and terrorism. It demands his immediate and unconditional release, urges the CAR authorities to allow his medical evacuation and ensure access to legal representation and consular assistance, and strongly condemns his arbitrary and inhuman detention. Parliament insists that any judicial proceedings comply with due process guarantees under the ICCPR, condemns politically motivated foreign interference including Russian paramilitary forces and disinformation campaigns, and reiterates its call on the Council to designate the Wagner Group a terrorist organisation. It calls on the VP/HR to act in coordination with the Belgian and Portuguese authorities to secure his release, and instructs its President to forward the resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR, the Government and Parliament of CAR, the African Union and the UN.