57 Amendments of Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS related to 2022/2049(INI)
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Expresses deep concerns at the grave threats to human rights and democracy worldwide, noting that the number of democracies has continued to decline, while the number of authoritarian regimes has grown and nearly 75 % of the world’s population have experienced a deterioration in the situation of human rights in their country in the past year; underlines with concern the serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in an increasing number of places around the world;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia’s illegal, unjustified and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as the involvement of Belarus by enabling Russia to launch deadly attacks against Ukraine from its territory; urges to take all necessary measures to make sure that those who committed violations against human rights and war crimes in Ukraine are held accountable; expresses, in this regard, its deep grief at the human suffering and serious human rights violations, including sexual and gender based violence caused by the Russian armed forces at the EU’s bordersnd its proxies in Ukraine; welcomes the joint efforts of the EU and its Member States in response to the war; welcomes, moreover, the solidarity shown by a great number of countries towards Ukraine, as highlighted by their stance during the sessions and votes of the UN General Assembly on the crisisillegal war in Ukraine; calls for the EU and its Member States to give the Ukrainian people the support they need to defend democracy, human rights and international law; welcomes the unprecedented ambition of the sanctions imposed in the context of the war and calls for their coordinated implementation; calls for the EU and its Member States to continue to use all of the instruments at their disposal to support the Ukrainian people in their fight to free Ukraine from its occupiers and people fleeing Ukraine seeking support in the EU Member States;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Highlights the importance of long- term planning and continuation of support for projects and initiatives under the NDICI - Global Europe, particularly when it concerns provision of humanitarian aid in areas affected by conflicts, war and natural disasters;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes with regret that the post of the EU Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU has remained vacant for more than a year; reiterates its call for the Council and the Commission to carry out a transparent and comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness and added value of the position of the Special Envoy as part of renewing and reinforcing its mandate, to provide the Special Envoy with adequate resources, and to adequately support the Special Envoy’s institutional mandate, capacity and duties; reiterates its calls for the Commission to guarantee transparency in the nomination, mandate, activities and reporting obligations of the Special Envoy; recalls that the Special Envoy’s duties should focus on promoting freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, and the rights to non-belief, apostasy and the espousal of atheistic views while also paying attention to the situation of non- believers at risk; recommends that the Special Envoy work closely and in a complementary manner with the EU Special Representative for Human Rights and the Council Working Group on Human Rights (COHOM);
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Underlines that human rights dialogues with third countries represent a unique opportunity to focus on human rights challenges and calls for them to be harnessed to their full potential; reiterates its call for the human rights dialogues to be based from the outset on a clear set of benchmarks enabling their effectiveness to be monitored; calls for the EEAS to systematically carry out evaluations of the outcomes of the dialogues and to follow up on them accordingly; stresses that in order to be effective, the dialogues must not be used as a standalone tool, but should instead be integrated within the EU’s comprehensive set of activities with the third countries concerned, which would streamline the human rights dimension and reinforce the messages conveyed in the dialogues; draws attention to the importance of raising individual cases, in particular those highlighted by Parliament in its resolutions, in the context of human rights dialogues and of ensuring adequate follow-up to and transparency of these cases; stresses the importance of systemizing consultations with civil society organisations;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Calls on the EU institutions, including the European External Action Service, to ensure that EU and Member States human rights obligations are consistently implemented in the EU’s foreign policy; in this regard, encourages the EU to raise human rights issues with partner country counterparts, including individual human rights defender cases;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6 a (new)
Subheading 6 a (new)
EU Delegations
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 b. Reiterates its call for more involved work of the EU Delegations in support for human rights defenders, particularly in countries where human rights activists, political opposition, civil society organizations, trade unions and journalists, among others, are constantly persecuted, prevented from their activities and exposed to physical danger; urges the EU Delegations to thoroughly address topics and individual cases voiced in Parliament’s monthly resolutions on human rights abuses, as well as the cases of Sakharov Prize laureates and finalists at risk, by raising them to state authorities, engaging on a daily basis and providing support to the above mentioned oppressed and persecuted groups, including visiting those in prison and attending their trial procedures;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 7
Subheading 7
EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime (GHRSR-EU Magnitsky Act)
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Welcomes the fact that the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime (EU Magnitsky Act) has been increasingly used as an essential tool that strengthens the EU’s role as a global human rights actor through the use of targeted sanctions by the Council; calls for the restrictive measures that have already been adopted to be implemented effectively and in full, in full and in a coordinated manner, and for the adoption of additional measures if necessary; reiterates its request for a legislative proposal to extend the scope of the GHRSR to include acts of corruption or, alternatively, for a proposal for a new thematic sanctions regime against serious acts of corruption in order to effectively target the economic and financial enablers of human rights abuserswelcomes the commitment by the President of the European Commission in her 2022 State of the Union Address to present measures to update the EU legislative framework for fighting corruption and to include corruption in the GHRSR (EU Magnitsky Act), which is in line with the Parliament’s position; reiterates its call for the introduction of qualified majority voting for the Council’s decisions and implementation of sanctions under the GHRSR (EU Magnitsky Act); reiterates its call on the Commission and the Council to strive to incorporate Parliament’s recommendations for future targeted sanctions, as stipulated in its resolutions and elsewhere;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Calls on the European External Action Service and Member States to develop a strategy to improve the interplay between the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime (EU Magnitsky Act) and geographical sanction regimes, in particular through making a better use of the global regime to tackle violations that cannot directly be linked to a state, e.g. in cases of mercenaries committing human rights violations in territories outside of government control or cross-border cases such as human trafficking;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Reiterates its call to include robust clauses on human rights in agreements between the EU and third countries, supported by a clear set of benchmarks and procedures to be followed in the event of violations; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to actively reflect on how to ensure that the human rights clauses in existing international agreements are effectively enforced; stresses that the EU should react swiftly and decisively to persistent breaches of human rights clauses by third countries, including by suspending the relevant agreements if other options prove ineffective; stresses the importance of quality ex-ante and ex-post sustainability impacts assessments (SIA);
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Reaffirms that the effective protection of human rights around the world requires strong international cooperation at a multilateral level; underlines the particularly important role of the UN and its bodies as the main forum which must be able to effectively advance the efforts for peace and security, sustainable development and respect for human rights and international law; calls for the EU and its Member States to continue supporting the work of the UN, both politically and financially; underlines the need for the EU and its Member States to strive to speak with one voice both at the UN and in other multilateral forums and to promote the highest human rights standards; deplores the fact that two permanent members of the UN Security Council are responsible for gross human rights violations amounting to war crime and genocide; recalls the obligations of all UN member states to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, as enshrined in the Founding Charter of the United Nations and UN General Assembly Resolution 60/251; stresses the responsibility of the UN Human Rights Council to address all the grave violations of human rights around the world;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Calls on the EU to lead a pact with other democracies to strengthen multilateral organisations to defend the rules-based multilateral order against rising authoritarian powers;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Strongly condemns and is deeply concerned by the war crimes and serious violations of international humanitarian law including sexual violence, torture and killings of civilians and prisoners of war committed by Russian armed forces and its proxies in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Strongly welcomes the continuous contribution of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to the fight against impunity; calls for the EU and its Member States to provide the ICC with sufficient support to enable it to carry out its work; reiterates its condemnation of continuous efforts to undermine the legitimacy and work of the ICC by authoritarian and illiberal regimes and calls for the EU and its Member States to continue their efforts to counter them; welcomes the fact that the EU has provided support for the very first time to the ICC’s investigation capacities to help it scale up its investigations into war crimes committed by Russian armed forces in Ukrainecalls on the EU to support the ICC Prosecutor in investigating and prosecuting suspected perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and, possibly, genocide, by providing political support, making available any evidence in their possession, including open source intelligence, information and data, satellite imagery and intercepts of communications, and providing adequate human and financial resources to the general budget of the Court in order to fully protect its independence and impartiality;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Reiterates its call on the Commission to develop a comprehensive EU action plan on fighting impunity, which should include a chapter on Ukraine including measures to fight impunity for gender-based and sexual and reproductive rights violations in conflict settings; calls for the EU and its international partners to make full use of all relevant instruments to fight impunity, including support for universal jurisdiction at national level, special tribunals at a national and international level including for the crime of aggression, as well as establishing flexible cooperation and funding mechanisms to swiftly collect and analyse evidence of crimes; calls on the Commission to ensure that these instruments are applied in a coordinated and complementary manner with other relevant EU and Member State instruments; reiterates its commitment to providing all possible assistance to ensure accountability for atrocities committed by Russian armed forces and its proxies in Ukraine and provide effective remedies for the damages suffered by Ukrainian civilians;
Amendment 261 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Reiterates its principled opposition to the death penalty, which is a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and is irreversible; stresses that the EU must be relentless in its pursuit of the universal abolition of the death penalty as a major objective of its human rights foreign policy; calls on all countries that have not yet done so to abolish the death penalty or establish an immediate moratorium as a first step towards its abolition; meanwhile calls on countries that apply the death penalty to reduce the list of crimes subjected to this inhumane punishment; condemns any incidents of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment and deplores the fact that they continue to be common in many countries; notes with great concern the trend of increasing instances of torture worldwide and widespread impunity of its perpetrators;
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24 a. Reiterates that the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition; calls on the EU and its Member States to support the defence of this right, especially in countries and regions where health services are most scarce;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24 b. Urges for continuous EU funding to development and global supply of the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as to educate about the benefits of vaccination, and to increase the availability, accessibility and affordability of vaccination in order to avoid vaccine-preventable diseases;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls for the EU and its international partners to strengthen their efforts to ensure full enjoyment of human rights by women and their equal treatment with men; underlines that women continue to be the main victims in violent crises and that sexual and gender-based violence has continued in many places around the world, notably being used in armed conflicts as a weapon of war; calls for more concerted efforts to eliminate the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and fight impunity of the perpetrators of such violence; stresses the need to pursue efforts to fully eradicate the practice of female genital mutilation; stresses that women human rights defenders, activists, journalists and lawyers have been particularly targeted, with online harassment and intimidation increasing rapidly; highlights the increase in domestic violence and setbacks to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in both developing and developed countries and calls for the EU and its Member States to fully support the right of women to bodily integrity, dignity and autonomous decision-making; reiterates the need for robust action to ensure full implementation of GAP III;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25 a. Calls for a world-wide eradication of laws and practices preventing women from exercising their rights, notably right to education, work, participation in political and public decision-making; deplores situations where women and female-headed households, particularly in humanitarian crisis areas, are denied access to humanitarian aid and essential services because national and local authorities insist that these services be provided by female workers, while at the same time limiting women's access to employment;
Amendment 302 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25 b. Recalls States on their obligation to guarantee access to comprehensive SRHR services, including modern contraceptive methods, safe and legal abortion, maternal, prenatal and postnatal healthcare, assisted reproduction, and access to SRHR information and education, including comprehensive sexuality education, without any form of discrimination; strongly condemns roll backs of existing SRHR entitlements in both developing and developed countries, which are contrary to human rights obligations under the principle of non-retrogression; welcomes the publication of the updated World Health Organization guidelines providing key recommendations to health systems for provision of abortion care;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26 a. Deplores the continuous targeting of children as a tool of war through sexual violence, killings, forced recruitment, forced labour and civilian shields, most notably in areas of conflict; reiterates that because of their vulnerability, boys and girls are often the first to suffer violence in war ridden territories, especially with regards to ethnic reprisals by warring tribes, groups and ethnicities; condemns the forced recruitment and the targeting of sexual violence of underage children in areas of war and their instrumentalisation; calls on the Commission to step up its efforts to combat impunity for war crimes against children, to strengthen its cooperation with child-focused humanitarian organizations, NGOs and government facilities and to safeguard the rights of children in their cooperation and partnership with third countries;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Stresses that the right to education has suffered particular setbacks, with unparalleled disruptions to education due to COVID-19 but also to religious extremism and gender discrimination against girls being Afghanistan a dramatic example; calls for the EU to step up its work to provide access to education, including innovative ways to circumvent the obstacles imposed by national authorities; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to step up their support for third countries to help them adapt to the challenges they have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic in the field of education; stresses that support could take the form of an increased funding allocation through NDICI – Global Europe, but could also include providing capacity-building and best practices based on the lessons learned through the EU delegations worldwide;
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27 a. Deplores forced relocation and deportation of Ukrainian children, including those from institutions, to the Russian Federation and the Russian- occupied territories and their forced adoption by Russian families; calls for the EU and Member States support in locating these children and reuniting them with their families or legal guardians;
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Welcomes the adopCalls for systematic implementation of the EU strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021- 2030 as a tool to improve the situation of persons with disabilities, particularly poverty and discrimination, but also problems with access to education, healthcare and employment and participation in political life; underlines that the duty of caring for persons with disabilities is commonly borne by their families and calls for the EU to assist third countries in the development of policies in support of carers for persons with disabilities;
Amendment 335 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Underlines its opposition to and condemnation of intolerance, xenophobia and discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, social class, disability, caste, religion, belief, age, sexual orientation or gender identity, which in many of the world’s regions leads to killings and persecution; stresses that racism, discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance continue to be a major problem worldwide leading to rights violations in all spheres of life, and have been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic; calls for the EU and its Member States to lead the global fight against antisemitism and welcomes the adoption of the EU strategy to this end;
Amendment 336 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Underlines its opposition to and condemnation of intolerance, xenophobia and discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, social class, disability, caste, religion, belief, age, sexual orientation or gender identity, which in many of the world’s regions leads to killings and persecution especially in the case of growing conflict and fighting; stresses that racism, discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance continue to be a major problem worldwide and have been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic; calls for the EU and its Member States to lead the global fight against antisemitism and welcomes the adoption of the EU strategy to this end;
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30 a. Calls on the EEAS to develop, in collaboration with Member States, specific local strategies to help fight caste- based discrimination in the countries most affected by it;
Amendment 357 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Underlines the utmost importance of freedom of expression both online and offline and access to reliable information for democracy and flourishing civic space; expresses deep concern about the growing limitations to freedom of expression in many countries around the world, particularly for journalists, through censorship or the need for self-censorship and the abuse of counter-terrorism laws, anti- money laundering, defamation or anti- corruption laws to silence journalists and civil society organisations; expresses deep concern, moreover, about the physical safety of journalists and their being targeted in conflicts attacks against them and the fact that more than 50 journalists and media workers have been killed in 2022, most of which in Mexico and Ukraine;
Amendment 364 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Underlines the utmost importance of freedom of expression and access to reliable information for democracy and flourishing civic space; expresses deep concern about the growing limitations to freedom of expression in many countries around the world, particularly for journalists, through censorship or the need for self-censorship and the abuse of counter-terrorism laws or anti-corruption laws to silence journalists and civil society organisations; expresses concern, moreover, about the physical safety of journalists and their being targeted in conflicts, extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detention; calls on the Commission to work closely with partner countries in ensuring the physical safety and protection of journalists, especially in its partnership agreements with developing countries;
Amendment 370 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Calls for the EU to support credible media and information sources which contribute to accountability of the authorities and to democratic transitions; expresses concern over the widespread use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) to silence journalists, activists, trade unionists and human rights defenders worldwide; welcomes, in this regard, the Commission’s proposal for a directive aimed at protecting journalists and human rights defenders from abusive court proceedings and SLAPPs; encourages legislators from third countries to draft laws with the same objective, as part of general initiatives aimed at supporting and safeguarding media freedom and pluralism; calls on the Commission to safeguard freedom of expression and to ensure public access to information through the internet as ways to achieve freedom of speech;
Amendment 372 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Welcomes the Commission’s intention to fund projects to assist journalists on legal and practical issues, including outside the EU, through the European democracy action plan; calls for the EU to intensify its efforts to assist targeted journalists worldwide, to ensure their safety, including by providing safe haven and means to continue their work in case they have to leave their place of residency; welcomes the role played by programmes such as Media4Democracy and the EU-funded activities of the European Endowment for Democracy to this end;
Amendment 401 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 25
Subheading 25
Human rights defenders and civil society organisations (CSOs)
Amendment 405 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Strongly supports the work of human rights defenders and highlights the risks they face in their endeavours to protect human rights, including threats against them and their families, harassment and violence; condemns the fact that hundreds of human rights defenders have been killed for their work, the majority of whom were environmental defenders; welcomes the EU’s efforts to support human rights defenders in their work, including the ProtectDefenders.eu mechanism; calls for such efforts to be intensified in order to mitigate the growing risks faced by human rights defenders around the world, including arbitrary detention and imprisonment, verbal and physical attacks, legal harassment and restrictions; calls for the EU and its Member States, in particular the EUSR for Human Rights and EU ambassadors, to be more active in the publication of public statements in support of human rights activists at risk and those imprisoned for long periods, as well as helping to conduct prison visits for the latter and facilitating external visits to their families;
Amendment 407 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
Paragraph 36 a (new)
36 a. Deplores the widespread adoption of so-called “foreign agents” laws, which include provisions contrary to international law that force individuals and entities receiving funding from abroad to register themselves as foreign agents, in many countries; expresses particular concern over the use of these laws to stigmatise and restrict the work of civil society and human rights defenders (HRDs), including through restrictions of the right to access funding;
Amendment 408 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 b (new)
Paragraph 36 b (new)
36 b. Expresses grave concern over the widespread use of counter-terrorism laws and policies to harm civil society and human rights defenders (HRDs), including numerous violations of the rights to privacy, freedom of expression, freedom of information and freedom of association and assembly;
Amendment 412 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 c (new)
Paragraph 36 c (new)
36 c. Calls on the EU and its Member States to develop a strategic high-level vision to counter the mounting global attacks against human rights defenders (HRDs) including through the adoption of strong EU Foreign Affairs Council conclusions that would lay down a collective high-level strategy for EU global action on human rights defenders;
Amendment 415 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 d (new)
Paragraph 36 d (new)
36 d. Urgently calls for an EU-wide scheme for issuing short-term visas for the temporary relocation of human rights defenders at risk as well as a more coordinated EU policy regarding the issuing by Member States of emergency visas for human rights defenders;
Amendment 418 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 e (new)
Paragraph 36 e (new)
36 e. Calls for the EU and its Member States to constantly monitor and raise cases of violations of freedom of assembly and association, including the various forms of bans and limitations on CSOs and their activities, such as laws whose aim is to shrink civil society space or the promotion of NGOs sponsored by authoritarian governments (government- organised non-governmental organisations (GONGOs);
Amendment 419 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 f (new)
Paragraph 36 f (new)
36 f. Calls the EU to work with counterparts in order to obtain the repeal or the revision of legislative provisions which are used to silence and threaten civil society, and to bring them in line with international standards;
Amendment 438 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Recalls its commitment to the rights of refugees, as provided by international human rights and refugee laws, in particular the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol thereto; recalls the obligations of states to protect refugees and respect their rights in accordance with the relevant international law; notes with concern that the number of people forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events seriously disturbing public order reached an unprecedented 89 million by the end of 2021, 36.5 million of whom are children; recalls that refugees and migrants, especially undocumented migrants, face barriers in access to healthcare, including sexual and reproductive healthcare around the world; stresses, in this context, that international action and cooperation is more essential than ever to ensure protection for refugees;
Amendment 445 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Notes that 5.38.8 million Ukrainians have entered the EU since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; underlines the importance of a proper and realistic assessment of the time that Ukrainians who have fled the war will probably need to stay outside their country, as long-term stays require different kinds of responses anenhanced funding from the host countries, including a greater focus on access to education, economic opportunities, housing, healthcare and integration in the host societies; underlines the need to support, among others, those victims of sexual, gender-based and reproductive violence;
Amendment 453 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Stresses the multitude of threats to human rights caused by modern warfare and conflicts around the world today; underlines that in addition to the states parties themselves, such conflicts often involve non-state agentctors including private military and security companies as well as terrorist organisations; stresses the disastrous humanitarian consequences of these conflicts and their devastating impact on civilians, who are directly targeted, have to endure grave human rights violations, and often have no or limited access to justice or legal remedies; calls for the EU to continue developing and implementing tools to enable it to respond swiftly and efficiently to such conflicts, to help put an end to the perpetration of human rights violations, and to provide assistance to the victims;
Amendment 463 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)
Paragraph 40 a (new)
40 a. Condemns the increase in violations of democratic constitutions in the world; reiterates its concern for the threat caused by military takeovers at the cost of civilian lives, security and peace, especially in sub-Sahara Africa; stresses the need to strengthen accountability and combat impunity of human rights violations and war crimes that have been committed as a cause of violent regime- changes;
Amendment 466 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Strongly condemns the war crimes and grave violations of human rights committed by the Russian armed forces; underlines the utmost importance of ensuring accountability for these violations and calls for the EU and its Member States to continue to offer their full support for the actors, measures and mechanisms to this end, including the Ukrainian prosecutors, investigators and judiciary, the ICC, the Commission of Inquiry of the UN Human Rights Council, and national investigations under the principle of universal jurisdiction; stresses the importance of swiftly gathering and preserving evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity and welcomes the efforts of independent civil society to this end; calls on the Commission to provide all the necessary assistance in this process, including additional funding from the NDICI – Global Europe, and urges the Member States to engage in this process themselves whenever they are in a position to do so; welcomes the amended mandate of the EU Advisory Mission to Ukraine and the Commission’s proposal to extend the mandate of Eurojust to support the fight against impunity; calls for an informed decision to be made about the most appropriate solution to hold to account the individuals and entities responsible for enabling Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the war crimes committed on Ukrainian territory, which cshould include the creactivation of a special international court or enabling the ICC to deliberate on these crimescrime of aggression in specially created international court or under jurisdiction of ICC;
Amendment 475 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41 a. Expresses deep concern regarding safety of nuclear installations in Ukraine and Belarus, which are in constant danger of military shelling; calls upon the EU, Member States and the international community to establish safety zones around these nuclear installations;
Amendment 487 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Underlines that human rights, a healthy environment and combating climate change are dependent on one another; calls for progress towards the recognition of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, as laid out in Resolution 48/13 of the UN Human Rights Council, and stresses its appreciation for the peaceful work undertaken by environmental human rights defenders including land defenders and their lawyers, as well as indigenous activists, to preserve and safeguard such an environment despite the threat of violence and the risk to their lives; recognises, moreover, the important role of civil society organisations, including environmental faith-based organisations, as well as indigenous peoples for their invaluable work in the preservation and protection of the environment;
Amendment 495 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. Calls for the EU and its Member States to step up their contribution to the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss globally, in particular by ensuring that goods imported by the EU are produced in accordance with human rights protected under international law, including the rights of indigenous people, and do not contribute to deforestation or damage tothe destruction of natural ecosystems;
Amendment 509 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
46. Calls for the EU to use the full potential of conditionality on human rights to grant preferential access to its market to third countries; calls, in particular, for a closer link between preferential treatment and progress on human rights in the updated Regulation on the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP+) and for greater transparency throughout all steps of the procedure for granting GSP+ status, including following up on any possible violations; calls for a standing invitation for the EU to observe national elections in third countries to be established as a condition for granting those countries GSP+ status; reiterates its calls for the Commission to systematically carry out human rights impact assessments focused on the risks of human rights violations prior to granting any preferential regime to a country and to swiftly respond to any violations, including the revocation of GSP+ status if warranted; underlines the need for adequate resources and clear procedures to properly carry out the human rights impact assessments and the monitoring of the application of the international human rights conventions;
Amendment 515 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
Paragraph 47
47. Welcomes the Commission’s proposal for a directive on corporate sustainability due diligence as a step towards fostering responsible corporate behaviour with regard to human, labour and environmental rights; emphasises that the directive’s requirements as regards reporting on the sustainability and due diligence strategies should apply to all publicly listed undertakings and to small and medium-sized undertakings operating in high-risk economic sectors; calls on the Commission to draw up a strong and coherent strategy on forced labour as an accompaniment to its proposal, notably with a view to implementing a complete ban on EU imports of goods produced through forced labour;
Amendment 519 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 a (new)
Paragraph 47 a (new)
47 a. Highlights that according to the latest Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, forced labour has increased by 2.7 million in the number of people in forced labour between 2016 and 2021, up to 17.3 million in the private sector only; welcomes the European Commission Proposal for a regulation on prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market;
Amendment 524 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 b (new)
Paragraph 47 b (new)
47 b. Encourages the EU and its Member States to constructively and actively participate to the work of the UN Intergovernmental Working Group on Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Respect to Human Rights and adopt a negotiating mandate to this end; considers this to be a necessary step forward in the promotion and protection of human rights;
Amendment 529 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48
Paragraph 48
48. Stresses that human rights must fully encompass the digital sphere and must be protected from the improper use of technology; underlines the risks posed by digital technologies to personal liberty and democracy at large and condemns the role of digital technologies in human rights violations; calls for more intensive efforts to establish a comprehensive legal framework on digital technologies, which should balance the need to protect human rights with taking advantage of the possible gains such technologies can offer for human well-being; insists on the importance of an open, free, stable and secure cyberspace, which upholds the core values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law; strongly supports voluntary, non-binding norms of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, encompassing respect for privacy and the fundamental rights of citizens;
Amendment 532 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48 a (new)
Paragraph 48 a (new)
48 a. Deplores practices by authoritarian regimes to limit citizens’ access to Internet, including Internet black-outs during public assemblies and protests; calls upon the EU and Member States in cooperation with other democracies to invest into research and technology allowing undisturbed and affordable global access to the Internet;