The European Parliament has adopted three human rights resolutions covering Honduras’s disputed presidential election, the detention of a Belgian-Portuguese researcher in the Central African Republic, and the prosecution of British activist Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong.
The MEPs said they recognise Nasry Asfura as president-elect of Honduras following elections held on 30 November 2025 and called for the result to be respected, the parliamentary press service said in a statement.
They rejected a decree by the incumbent government ordering a recount, which they described as unconstitutional.
The European Parliament also condemned violence against opposition National Assembly member Gladys López and called for those responsible to be held to account.
The MEPs urged the outgoing administration to guarantee the safety of Honduras’s National Electoral Council and called on the President of the outgoing Congress, Luis Redondo, to stop preventing the newly elected Chamber from taking office.
Detention in Central African Republic and Hong Kong case
The MEPs condemned the “arbitrary detention” of Joseph Figueira Martin, a Belgian-Portuguese citizen and humanitarian researcher who Parliament said was kidnapped by the Wagner Group in 2024 and later sentenced on what it called unfounded accusations.
They demanded his immediate release and called for his medical evacuation and access to medical care, legal counsel, consular assistance and family visits.
The Parliament recommended sending an ad hoc delegation to the Central African Republic to assess his situation.
The MEPs also called on EU institutions and the Belgian and Portuguese authorities to consider targeted restrictive measures against those responsible for Martin’s detention, mistreatment and conviction if rights violations continue, and reiterated their call for the Wagner Group to be listed as a terrorist organisation.
In a separate resolution, MEPs condemned what they called the arbitrary prosecution of pro-democracy activist and British citizen Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong, saying the 78-year-old has spent more than 1,800 days in solitary confinement.
They said the case could result in life imprisonment and called on EU member states to suspend extradition treaties with China and Hong Kong, while urging sanctions against Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee and other officials under the EU’s Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime.
The Honduras resolution was adopted by a show of hands, while the Central African Republic text passed by 582 votes in favour, none against and 35 abstentions, and the Hong Kong resolution was adopted by 503 votes to 9 with 100 abstentions.
