French anti-drugs activist Amine Kessaci

Ahead of the first debate of the session, on the murder of Mehdi Kessaci and the urgent need for ambitious European action against drug trafficking, President Metsola began the session by greeting Kessaci’s brother, Amine, and welcoming him to the hemicycle. A prominent French anti-drugs activist, Amine Kessaci has lost two brothers to murder by drugs traffickers, and yet has vowed to stand up to intimidation. President Metsola saluted Amine’s courage. Organised crime is a poison that destroys lives and weakens society. Fighting it is the responsibility of the whole of Europe, she said.

Release of political prisoners in Belarus

President Metsola welcomed the release, over the weekend, of political prisoners in Belarus, including Sakharov Prize laureates Maria Kolesnikova and Ales Bialiatski. She went on to say that there was still work to be done. “We will keep pushing until every political prisoner is free – including journalist…