Euro-MPs urge end to Sinai human trafficking

(STRASBOURG) - The European parliament called Thursday on Egypt to stamp out human trafficking in the Sinai and urged EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to make the issue a priority in ties with Cairo.

In a resolution, MEPs also urged the Egyptian authorities to step in to protect a 25 year-old Eritrean called Solomon who escaped from human organ traffickers in the area of Rafah.

"Solomon's life is in danger, as he knows where another 125 prisoners from Eritrea, Sudan and Ethiopia are located, and the human organ traffickers have put a price of 50,000 dollars on his head," a parliament statement said.

The resolution called on the Egyptian authorities to intervene rapidly to ensure the refugees were rescued and to investigate "murders, tortures and rapes".

Torture, extortion and trafficking of Eritrean and other refugees in Egypt must be stopped, the resolution added.

In late 2010, Egypt had promised an investigation into claims that scores of Eritreans were held hostage in the Sinai by gangs involved in all sorts of crime along the Egypt-Israeli border.