49 Amendments of Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS related to 2022/2057(INI)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
— having regard to the Commission Recommendation C(2021) 6650 of 16 September 2021,
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 19 a (new)
Citation 19 a (new)
— having regard to the Resolution of the EU-ACP Joint Parliamentary Assembly ‘on the impact of social media on governance, development, democracy and stability’ (ACP-EU/102.745/19/fin.) of 28 November 2019,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas every human being has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; whereas this right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any medium and regardless of borders; whereas democracies can only function when citizens have access to independent information; whereas media freedom and pluralism are crucial components of the right to freedom of expression and information; whereas key democratic tasks of the media include strengthening transparency and democratic accountability; whereas journalists play an essential role in promoting democratic values, human rights and fundamental freedoms; whereas journalism is based on and can promote democratic values, human rights and fundamental freedoms;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas a journalist is an individual who, on a professional basis, observes, describes, documents and analyses events, statements, policies and any proposals that could affect society, with the purpose of systematising such information and gathering and analysing facts to inform both online and offline segments of society or society as a whole;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas professional journalists have a mission to provide the public with information on general or specialised topics of interest as responsibly and as objectively as possible; whereas it is important to consider the societal role played by all media workers and support staff, as well as community media workers and so-called citizen journalists;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas political authorities deliberately ban the access to conflict zones for journalists, to monopolise outgoing information, silence whistle blowers, cover-up human rights abuses and control public opinion; whereas in numerous cases journalistic correspondents face multiple difficulties and deliberate obstruction in accessing a country or a specific area in which conflicts or dire human rights abuses take place; whereas the inability to access these areas erodes the quality of reporting of local developments, which enables greater disinformation campaigns and misinformation in the offline as well as in the online media;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
H a. whereas journalists face increasing harassment and endangerment to their safety and their lives on online platforms, such as forums, social media websites, through e-mails and chat websites, by individuals with malign intents and by some governments, most notably the governments of a country or region in which these journalists are active and attempt or succeed in exposing human rights issues, corruption of government or private corporation individuals or highlight attempts to mislead public opinion through disinformation, intimidation and misinformation campaigns; whereas an increased number of journalists is killed outside of armed conflict zones, many of them reporting on topics related to corruption, trafficking or political wrongdoing; whereas local journalists covering local stories constitute by far the greatest number of victims;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, in 2022, 66 journalists were killed and 64 were reported missing; whereas the UNESCO 2021-2022 freedom of expression report released on 17 January 2023 notes the deaths of 86 journalists last year, amounting to one every four days, up from 55 killings in 2021;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas the safety of journalists is crucial to guarantee their ability to do their job properly; whereas robust international measures to protect journalists and address impunity for crimes against journalists are lacking; whereas the OHCHR calls for the establishment of an international taskforce on the prevention, investigation and prosecution of attacks on journalists;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the essential role played by journalists in providing citizens with reliable and verified information; whereas greater effort must therefore be made to ensure safe and suitable working conditions for journalists and media workers; whereas certain governments have unjustly used COVID-19 restrictions as a method to illegitimately restrict the work of journalists, especially with regards to their reporting on human rights violations;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas fact-checking is a specific journalistic activity that involves verifying facts or challenging official narratives, with the goal of tackling disinformation or revealing misinformation both off- and online; whereas fact checkers operate in a world in which the circulation of information is extensive and in which algorithms polarise debates,; which thereforeereas this has the risk of exposesing fact checkers to online attacks, threats, harassment, pressure from public authorities and abusive legal proceedings;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)
Recital M a (new)
M a. whereas disinformation and misinformation can have severe consequences on human rights protection and can present a significant threat to the values of democracy and individual freedoms; whereas fake news often preys on emotions and is created to attract attention, thereby spreading more easily and quickly than non-fake news;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O
Recital O
O. whereas theattacks, intimidations against, killing and imprisonment of journalists, cartoonists, bloggers and media workers continue to be a widespread phenomenon, as does impunity for these actions; whereas online spaces are increasingly becoming a hostile environment and hate speech and violence against, most notably, female journalists has been intensifying; whereas these crimes limit the ability of the public to receive correct information and ideas and therefore impact their right to information and their ability to exercise their right to freedom of speech, freedom of expression and political participation;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Q
Recital Q
Q. whereas media capture, a lack of institutional transparency, hate speech and disinformation are increasingly being exploited for political purposes to intensify social polarisation, most notably by anti- democratic political movements and actors;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital S
Recital S
S. whereas female journalists face gender-specific forms of violence, such as sexual and online harassment; whereas online harassment and abuse are often highly sexualised, based not on the content of victims’ work, but on their physical traits, cultural backgrounds or private lives; whereas these threats may lead female journalists to self-censor and have a chilling effect on press freedom and freedom of expression; whereas experts have consistently found evidence that women are in the minority across media sectors, particularly in creative roles, and are severely underrepresented at senior decision-making levels; whereas several countries discourage or even ban women from pursuing carriers in journalism;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital T a (new)
Recital T a (new)
T a. whereas the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity aims to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, both in conflict and non-conflict situations, with a view to strengthening peace, democracy and development worldwide; whereas dedicated adequate financial and human resources are needed for a proper implementation of the UN Plan of Action;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Underlines and insists that every human being has the right to freedom of opinion and expression and that this right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any medium and regardless of borders as laid out in the UN Declaration on Human Rights; recalls the essential role that journalists can play in promoting democratic values, human rights and fundamental freedoms;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Condemns all crimes against journalists, media workers and associate personnel around the world, including in the EU; expresses its concerns over the high level of impunity worldwide for these crimes and calls for those responsible to be held accountable through the conduct of independent, timely and effective investigations in line with international obligations and the rule of law; underlines the right of victims to have access to appropriate remedies and legal counsel throughout their defence;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Underlines the duty of public authorities to protect freedom of expression and journalists’ safety by providing an appropriate legal environment, taking criminal threats against journalists seriously, vigorously prosecuting the perpetrators of any attack and ensuring appropriate investigation and follow-up, including the application of effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions; calls on the European Commission to engage with public authorities in all countries where it is present, in an effort to exchange best practices on the protection of journalists;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls the fact that democracy cannot function without available and accessible trustworthy information; underlines that protecting journalists and securing democratic culture and values means both online and offline; stresses the importance of protecting journalists’ independence, safeguarding freedom of expression, ensuring media diversity and preserving the fundamental right of any citizen to be informed;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Recalls that the freedom to practice journalism without malign and deliberate restrictions is testament to the values of democracy and that therefore allowing for the unrestricted practice of journalism contributes to democratic values;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recalls the essential role played by political and investigative journalists in fighting againstjournalists that expose human rights violations by performing their role as watchdogs forin democracyies and in the protection of rule of law through the collection of reliable and relevant information, thereby exposrevealing state repression, corruption, criminal networks and all kind of human rights abuses, which ensures the necessary checks and balances to hold those responsible for violations, including persons in power, to account; highlights the fact that these activities put journalists at increased personal risk;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Reiterates its continued deep concern about the state of media freedom in the word in the context of the abuses and attacks still being perpetrated against journalists and media workers in many countries, as well as the growing denigration of them in public, which particularly impacts political, investigative and cross-border journalismhas a negative impact on the practice of journalism, in particular when it comes to political, investigative and cross-border journalism; Underlines the importance of the promotion of training and awareness raising actions on the prevention of violence against journalists in the exercise of their work on all levels of society and within governments;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Reiterates its concern about the lack of specific legal or policy frameworks protecting journalists and media workers from violence, threats and intimidation at global scale; calls on public figures and authority representatives to refrain from denigrating journalists in public, as this undermines trust in the media across society; underlines the important role of journalists in reporting on protests and demonstrations and calls for them to be protected so that they can carry out their jobs without fear, reprisal or harassment;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Supports existing international alert mechanisms for journalists in danger; stresses the need to strengthen preventive mechanisms, measures and policies with a gender-sensitive approach; Is of the opinion that the EU can increase its presence when it comes to protecting journalists abroad through the work of its delegations, both by working directly with journalists and through its communication strategies;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recalls the need to pay particular attention to satire and humour, which are used by press cartoonists to promote democratic values, such as freedom of speech and expression and to defend human rights and fundamental freedoms and to protest against crime, corruption and abuses of power, and which are used in evidencing and combating censorship; Recalls the right to freedom of expression and opinion of cartoonists;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Deplores the increased attempts by religious and state authorities to restrict freedom of expression and criticism under the guise of religious or blasphemy laws, especially in the case of satire, mockery or criticism in the form of journalistic or creative work and expression;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the attempts by public authorities to silence independent media or undermine their freedom and pluralism; warns against practices that indirectly subdue such media by means of financial patronage and condemns, in particular, attempts to control media public service; calls on governments to effectively counter abuse and to not misuse protective measures to prevent freedom of expression and not to enable censorship; recommends that governments allow freedom of social and political dialogue and critique, rather than blocking communication websites and social media without a legal premise;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Calls on the EU and the Member States to enact emergency visa programs to create a pathway specifically for journalists at risk; stresses the importance of facilitating the resettlement process for journalists at risk and supporting their work in exile;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11 b. Calls for special attention to be paid to ensuring the continuity of the work of journalists and media professionals working in conflict zones, as very often they are financially prevented from continuing their important work as a result of conflicts;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Invites the EU institutions to promote the use of media literacy as a tool to support citizens’ and societies’ broader understanding of the societal role of journalism and to promote exchange programmes for journalists; calls, in particular, for the promotion of programmes and policies aimed at fostering media and news literacy for journalists and media actors throughout the EU and abroad; considers that strengthening journalism is essential to prevent disinformation, polarisation and violence and can strengthen democracies by enabling political participation;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Encourages EU Member States to promote the continuous development of competences and skills in all professions relevant for the protection of journalists and other media professionals in partner countries, in particular for law enforcement authorities, judges and prosecutors, as well as for all relevant authorities involved in digital safety;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Reiterates its call for the EU to establish a European Democratic Media Fund to support independent journalism in (potential) enlargement and European neighbourhood countries and in candidate and potential candidate countries;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Insists on enhancing collaboration between online platforms and law enforcement authorities so as to effectively address the spread of messages that incite hatred or instigate violence towards journalists and media workers, taking into account the fact that women are particularly targeted; stresses the importance of promptly removing online comments or reactions that undermine the safety of, by the platform on which these comments are posted, that harass journalists, in order to curb their uncontrolled spreadcite to violence and hatred and that clearly undermine the safety of journalists;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Highlights that in recent years hate speech and discrimination in the media, both online and offline, as well as cyber-violence against journalists, have become increasingly widespread, thus threatening media freedom, freedom of expression, information and pluralism; recalls that online hate speech can incite offline violence and online harassment; emphasizes that especially female journalists also face sexual harassment and sexual violence and are much more likely to experience online harassment than their male colleagues;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14 b. Underlines the need for enhanced multilateral engagement and coordination on the safety and effective protection of journalists, media workers and associated personnel, with a view to set a comprehensive policy approach that encompasses the pillars of prevention, protection and prosecution; Calls on the EU Commission to take a leading role in establishing and protecting freedom of speech and expression, most notably in relation to the practice of journalism world wide;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14 c. Calls on the EU and its Member States to further step up their commitment to combat impunity for crimes against journalists, media workers and associated personnel in partner countries but also in local and EU journalistic organizations and staff, and to launch concrete initiatives in view of appointing a UN Special Representative for the Protection of Journalist Worldwide;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the EU delegations to apply the EU human rights guidelines on freedom of expression online and offline in a robust, uniform and consistent manner as they pertain to protecting journalists and defending press freedom; strongly encourage the EEAS and its delegations to undertake all efforts to promote, harness and share examples of good practices, especially with EU officials prior to assignments in third countries;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Calls on the EU and Member States to exert political and diplomatic pressure to change the policies and practices of third countries to discourage or even ban women from pursuing carriers in journalism;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission and the EEAS to always weigh the option of voiced public action against silent diplomacy; highlights the importance of building civil society’sincreasing the understanding of civil society on the EU delegations’ modus operandi when it comes to the practice of journalism and freedom of speech and expression; encourages, in this regard, the EU delegations to make, to the extent possible, more public statements, both pre- emptively and in response to serious violations of or restrictions on the right to the freedom of opinion and expression; in the world;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the EEAS to establish an urgency response plan to be followed by the EU delegations with a range of protective tools, such as the issuing of statements, reacting to public smear campaigns, coordinating trial monitoring, conducting prison visits, visiting the homes or offices of at-risk journalists, raising cases urgently with the authorities, using bilateral dialogues to raise press freedom concerns, facilitating rest and respite opportunities for at-risk or traumatised journalists, supporting temporary relocation and/or evacuation, providing physical accompaniment in extreme situations, and seeking to advocate and build the capacity of local law enforcement, judicial and governmental authorities to protect journalists, including by pushing for full accountability for abuses of press freedom;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Calls on the EU Representative for Human rights to make it one of theír highest priorities to ensure the safety of journalists, media workers and associated personnel in their interlocutions with third country authorities; Deplores the lack of attention given by the EU High Representative and Vice President of the European Commission to specific cases of illegitemately arresting, prosecuting or restricting the rights of journalists, and their inaction in the protection of journalists whose lives are in immediate danger;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Calls on the EEAS to encourage exchange of views between law enforcement forces and journalist to allow for uninhibited reporting and other media activities covering protests or demonstrations in countries with EU delegations and to establish a common understanding on the rights of journalists;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on EU delegations, EU Member State diplomatic missions and like-minded partners to engage in proactive outreach to and support for journalist communities in third countries with a view to supporting their work and working conditions, to make regular assessments of the press freedom environment in each respective third country, including ongoing or emerging risks to journalists, and to seek ways to put in place either measures that could prevent abuses from occurring or protection measures, including providing demonstrable, effective administrative and visible moral support to journalists at risk of harassment, prosecution or injury; recommends the establishment of a point of contact for journalists to seek protection and support; recommends that this point of contact is free of charge, easily accessible for journalists (and, when needed, their families) and operate in a transparent manner;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Calls on the Council and the EEAS to impose targeted sanctions under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions (the EU Magnitsky Act) against individuals and entities responsible for human rights violations against journalists and media workers;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the Commission and the EEAS to ensure that EU funding programmes are known and accessible to local CSOs active on journalist safety and freedom of expression and, when appropriate, to encourage and support them to apply to such programmes and to play a lead role in shaping and implementing relevant projects; underlines the need to ensure a balance between EU funding for projects to promote journalist safety and to support media development, in line with the NDICI’s thematic programme on human rights and democracy and its multiannual indicative programming and related indicators; reiterates its call to simplify the application process in order to makinge it less bureaucratic;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21 a. Highlights the importance to ensure that EU support for media development is not limited to providing skills to journalist and media workers, but also enables obtaining technical work equipment, which is regularly voiced by independent journalists from third countries;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Strongly encourages increasing support for funding programmes, statements and public events aimed at enhancing protection mechanisms of the UN and the Inter-American Court on Human Rights in consultation with journalists and CSOs supporting journalists; stresses that some crimes against journalists and media workers should be investigated by the International Criminal Court and calls on the EU and the Member States to provide the necessary support for the investigation;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22 a. Pays tribute to all those who lost their lives and suffered attacks in the exercise of their freedom of expression both online and offline and stands by all those who have the courage to speak up against injustice, corruption and unlawfulness;