59 Amendments of Dietmar KÖSTER related to 2019/2176(INI)
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)
Citation 10 a (new)
- having regard to the reports of the European Committee for the prevention of torture, published between 1990 and 2019, the reports from the UN Committee against Torture published between 1993 and 2016 and other reports from international organisations or officials, all clearly condemning the practice of widespread torture in Turkey,
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)
Citation 11 a (new)
- having regard to the report of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances from 30 July 2019, clearly stating that the number of cases of enforced disappearances has been steeply increasing since 2016,
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
- having regard to the report of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) of 9- 10 December 2016 condemning the dismissal of thousands of civil servants, teachers, academics, judges and prosecutors, without a fair procedure protecting their rights,
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Acknowledges the persistent strategy of openness and good will adopted by the EU and lately materialized in the renewed positive agenda offered by the European Council in October 2020; Stresses that no incentive that the EU could offer can ever replace the much- needed political will to build a mature democracy and, in turn, become a reliable ally and ultimately a member of the EU; Notes that ever since the last European Council conclusions, no efforts were attempted by Turkish authorities to advance towards benchmarks laid down in this broad agenda and that Turkey's confrontational attitude and rhetoric has even deteriorated;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Expresses its will to strengthen and deepen mutual knowledge and understanding between Turkish and European societies, combating all manifestations of social, religious or cultural prejudice and intolerance; expresses its full commitment to continue supporting Turkey’s independent civil society in whatever circumstances and framework of relations that the future may bring; believes, nevertheless, that the accession process would still be the most powerful tool to exercise normative pressure on the Turkish government and the best framework to sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; stresses that a purely transactional relationship will hardly contribute to the advancement of Turkey towards a more democratic modelopen model compatible with EU values;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes with deep concern that, despite the formal lifting of the state of emergency in July 2018, its impact on democracy and fundamental rights continues to be strongly felt, including the arbitrary passport cancellations which, despite some incremental improvements, remain a major breach of the freedom of movement, and the undue profiling by the authorities of dismissed public sector workers which undermines the right to presumption of innocence as well as their existence within the Turkish society as equal citizens; is concerned that many extraordinary powers granted during the state of emergency were transposed into ordinary law through law no. 7145, introduced shortly after the end of the state of emergency and remain in the statute today;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Deeply regrets that this repressive form of rule has now become a deliberate, relentless, systematic state policy, which extends to any critical activities, such as Kurdish activismpeaceful political activism on issues of concern to Kurdish and Alevite people, peaceful protests and demonstrations held by former public sector workers and women’s rights activists and by victims of the state of emergency such as Cemal Yıldırım and Melek Çetinkaya, or even to events that took place prior to the attempted coup, such as the Gezi protests;
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Regrets that the current overly broad anti-terrorism provisions and the abuse of the anti-terror measures have become the backbone of this state policy; aimed at clamping down on peaceful dissenting opinion and the exercise of the right to freedom of expression; notes with great concern the continued mass incarceration of people convicted or held in pre-trial detention on terrorism-related charges based on scant or absurd evidence; reiterates its firm condemnation of the violence by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been on the EU list of terrorist organisations since 2002;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Regrets that the current overly broad anti-terrorism provisions and the abuse of the anti-terror measures have become the backbone of this state policy; reiterates its firm condemnation of the violence by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been on the EU list of terrorist organisations since 2002;notes with great concern the continued mass incarceration of people convicted or held in pre-trial detention on terrorism- related charges based on scant evidence; reiterates its firm condemnation of any violence against civilians from all state and non-state actors.
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Deeply regrets the discriminatory Covid-19 early release law which disregarded the right to life of those imprisoned on political grounds and failed to address the situation of those held in pre-trial detention; expresses concern about the unsanitary and overcrowded prison facilities.
Amendment 258 #
12a. Deeply regrets the discriminatory Covid-19 early release law which disregarded the right to life of those imprisoned on political grounds and failed to address the situation of those held in pre-trial detention; expresses concern about the unsanitary and overcrowded prison facilities;
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Considers that the erosion of the rule of law and the systemic lack of independence of the judiciary continues to be one of the most pressing and worrying issues; condemns the increased surveillance by the executive and the sometimes overt political pressure affecting the work of judges, prosecutors, lawyers and bar associations; is appalled by the mass arrest and prosecution of lawyers for representing their clients; is concerned about the legislative amendment allowing for the division of bar associations along political lines in a way to diminish their role as human rights watchdogs;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Considers that the erosion of the rule of law and the systemic lack of independence of the judiciary continues to be one of the most pressing and worrying issues; condemns the increased surveillance by the executive and the political pressure affecting the work of judges, prosecutors, lawyers and bar associations; is appalled by the mass arrest and prosecution of lawyers for representing their clients; is concerned about the legislative amendment allowing for the division of bar associations along political lines in a way to diminish their role as human rights watchdogs.
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Is deeply worried about the disregard by the Turkish judiciary of European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) rulings and the increasing non-compliance of lower courts with the judgments of the Constitutional Court; is concerned about the mass arrest of more than 100 lawyers just for legally representing suspects of PKK or Gülen Movement cases; regrets the failure of the ECHR to deliver a judgment on the individual application of imprisoned journalist and author Ahmet Altan, which has been pending before the ECHR since January 2017; deplores political impediments employed by the incumbent government and its political allies against judicial reform demands;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Expresses serious concern about the disproportionate and arbitrary measures curtailing freedom of expression, media freedom and access to information; condemns the closing down of many media outlets, inter alia Samanyolu TV, Yumurcak TV, Zaman newspaper, Özgür Gündem newspaper, Cihan News Agency, Burç FM; condemns the imprisonment of journalists, media employees as well as social media users; notes with deep concern the increasing restrictions and censorship imposed on social media platforms; urges Turkey to guarantee media freedom as a matter of priority;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Expresses serious concern about the disproportionate and arbitrary measures curtailing freedom of expression, media freedom and access to information; condemns the imprisonment of journalists, media employees as well as social media users; notes with deep concern the increasing restrictions and censorship imposed on social media platforms; urges Turkey to guarantee media freedom as a matter of priority;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Notes with concern the refusal of Turkish authorities to release journalist Hanım Büşra Erdal, who has been denied release from prison although she has been eligible for parole since 30 March 2020;
Amendment 305 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Is deeply concerned about the constant attacks and pressure on the opposition parties, which undermines the proper functioning of a democratic system; notes the political, legislative and administrative measures taken by the government to paralyze municipalities run by mayors of opposition parties in İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir and South Eastern cities; regrets that the incumbent government abuses financial resources and administrative competences of the state to weaken or silence the opposition;
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes with great concern the way that the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) has been specifically and continuously targeted by the Turkish authorities; strongly condemns the continued detention of former HDP co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, the mayor of Kars, Ayhan Bilgen, and other democratically elected HDP officials, members of Parliament, its administration and members; is appalled by the rise in hate crimes against citizens of Kurdish origin;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes with great concern the way that the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) has been specifically and continuously targeted by the Turkish authorities; strongly condemns the continued detention of former HDP co-chairs Selahattin Demirtaş; and Figen Yüksekdağ, members of parliament, elected mayors, administrators and members.
Amendment 323 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on Turkey to release all imprisoned human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, academics, judges, prosecutors and others who have been detained on unsubstantiated charges and to enable them to carry out their work without threat or impediment in all circumstances; strongly condemns the re-arrest and continued detention of Osman Kavala, a prominent civil society figure; condemns the recent decision of the Istanbul Regional Court of Appeal to uphold the convictions of four human rights defenders in the Büyükada case on terrorism related charges, despite the absence of any evidence of criminal activity and the fact that allegations against these defendants had repeatedly been disproven, including by the state’s own evidence;
Amendment 326 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on Turkey to release all imprisoned human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, academics and others who have been detained on unsubstantiated charges and to enable them to carry out their work without threat or impediment in all circumstances; strongly condemns the re-arrest and continued detention of Osman Kavala, a prominent civil society figure; and other prominent Journalists like Ahmet Altan and Hanim Büsra Erdal.
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Is deeply concerned by continued allegations of violent arrests, beating, torture, ill-treatment, and cruel and inhuman or degrading treatment in police and military custody and in prison, as well as by cases of enforced disappearances over the past four years, by the failure of prosecutors to conduct meaningful investigations into such allegations and by the pervasive culture of impunity for members of the security forces and public officials implicated; urges Turkish authorities to investigate persistent and credible reports of torture and ill- treatment in custody and hold those responsible to account;
Amendment 339 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Notes that the latest amendment of the Law on the Execution of Sentences has a discriminatory nature and political prisoners whose already-deplorable conditions have been further compounded by COVID-19 are treated unequally in this regard; is concerned about arbitrary and unequal treatments towards prisoners who have been prosecuted or convicted in cases of Gülen Movement with regard to access to health services, the procedure of probation and imprisonment of pregnant women or women who recently gave birth;
Amendment 342 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Paragraph 18 c (new)
18c. Expresses serious concerns about the functioning of State of Emergency Measures Inquiry Commission (Commission) which lacks independence and impartiality and is working under evident control and pressure of the executive body; notes that the mandates of the Commission are very narrow, rules of procedure of the Commission are not adequate to examine application files thoroughly, that it denies most of the reinstatement applications and the very rare reinstatement decisions rendered by the Commission are not being realized by the public institutions in many cases;
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 d (new)
Paragraph 18 d (new)
18d. Condemns the failed coup and calls the persons responsible of this coup to be judged.
Amendment 347 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 e (new)
Paragraph 18 e (new)
18e. Calls on the Turkish government not to use the coup as an excuse to persecute every kind of opposition against the ruling government;
Amendment 348 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 f (new)
Paragraph 18 f (new)
18f. Calls on the Turkish government to finally clarify the sort of the hundreds of disappeared persons and finally give an answer to the "Saturday Mothers of Turkey" who now for more than 800 times have come together to ask justice;
Amendment 364 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Remains deeply concerned by the situation in the south-east of Turkey, namely the Kurdish issue in Turkey, with regard to the protection of human rights, freedom of expression and political participation; , including the recent mass raids and the remanding in prison of five civil society figures in Diyarbakır including Dr Şeyhmus Gökalp, High Honorary Board a member of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB); condemns the use of violence in the context of the Kurdish issue, and urges the parties to the conflict to resume the negotiations which came to a halt in 2015, towards developing a peaceful and sustainable solution;
Amendment 368 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls on Turkey to effectively investigate allegations of torture and ill- treatment in police custody or in prison, particularly against people with alleged ties to the Gülen movement or Kurdish political networks; and allegations of enforced disappearance, including the disappearance of former public sector worker Yusuf Bilge Tunç who was reported missing in August 2019;
Amendment 374 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Urges Turkey to protect the rights of minorities and vulnerable groups, including women, LGBTI people and ethnic and religious minorities; condemns the pervasive hate-speech against LGBTI people, especially when done by high-level political and religious figures; condemns the lack of proper investigation, prosecution and sanction of hate speech, both online and offline, and of hate crime; calls on authorities and officials to firmly condemn all acts of violence and hate speech against minorities and vulnerable groups and to investigate and prosecute them effectively;
Amendment 380 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Urges Turkey to protect the rights of minorities and vulnerable groups, including women, LGBTI people and ethnic and religious minorities and refugees who have been increasingly targeted by racist attacks;
Amendment 382 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Urges Turkey to protect the rights of minorities and vulnerable groups, including women, refugees, LGBTI people and ethnic and religious minorities; is appalled by the rise in hate crimes.
Amendment 390 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Urges the Turkish authorities to end the protracted bans on Pride marches in several cities; calls on the Turkish authorities to ensure that the right to freedom of assembly and association, as enshrined in Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, can be effectively enjoyed, without discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, in respect of the recommendation of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe;1a _________________ 1a https://search.coe.int/cm/Pages/result_det ails.aspx?ObjectID=09000016805cf40a
Amendment 392 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Reiterate its call on the Council to establish a comprehensive and effective EU-wide human rights sanction regime, which would allow for targeting any individual, state- and non-state actor, responsible for or involved in human rights violations, breaches of fundamental freedoms and the rule of law in Turkey;
Amendment 401 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Expresses concern about the reported deportation of Uighurs by way of third countries to China, where they are likely to face grave persecution.
Amendment 402 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Expresses concern about the reported deportation of Uighurs by way of third countries to China where they are likely to face grave persecution;
Amendment 407 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Is deeply concerned about the reported rise in allegations of torture and ill-treatment in police custody and in prisons; urges Turkey to ensure that a prompt, independent and impartial investigation into these serious allegations of torture and other ill-treatment is carried out including into serious allegations of torture regarding two villagers in Van after being detained by the gendarmerie on 11 September which caused the death of Servet Turgut and severe injuries to Osman Şıban; calls on Turkey to authorize the publication of two pending CPT reports of its ad hoc visits in 2016 and 2018;
Amendment 442 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Is concerned about the ever more frequent use of a hyper-nationalist inflammatory narrative among the ruling elite that increasingly gives rise to antagonistic approaches towards the EU or its Member States; is concerned about the increasing clout of religious conservatism in political life;
Amendment 474 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Recalls the laudable role played by Turkey in responding to the migration crisis resultinghosting refugees from the war in Syria; takes the view that the EU should continue to give the necessary support to Syrian refugees and host communities in Turkey; supports an objective assessment of the EU-Turkey Statement and underlines the importance of both parties’ compliance with their respective commitments; however at the same time criticises the resettlement of Syrian refugees to Turkish-occupied regions in the North of Syria, from which the local Syrian population was previously displaced and is now prevented from returning; refugees must not be brought back to Syria against their will, nor must they be used to carry out demographic engineering against the Kurdish and Christian population in the North of Syria.
Amendment 482 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Recalls the laudable role played by Turkey in responding to the migration crisis resulting from the war in Syria; takes the view that the EU should continue to givfinance the necessary direct support to Syrian refugees and host communities in Turkey; supports an objective assessment of the EU-Turkey StatementCalls for the adoption of an EU- Turkey agreement instead of the current Declaration, with parliamentary scrutiny and underlines the importance of both parties’ compliance wrefraining from using ith their respective commitmentso pressure or blackmail the other party;
Amendment 489 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Recalls the laudable role played by Turkey in responding to the migration"refugee crisis" resulting from the war in Syria; takes the view that the EU should continue to give the necessary support to Syrian refugees and host communities in Turkey; supports an objective assessment of the EU-Turkey Statement and underlines the importance of both parties’ compliance with their respective commitments;
Amendment 520 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Stresses that a modernisation of the Customs Union could be beneficial for both parties and would keep Turkey economically and normatively anchored to the EU; reiterates that this would need to be based on strong conditionality related to human rights and fundamental freedoms; highlights that it seems unrealistic to envisagestresses that given the current circumstances, any modernisation of the Customs Union given the current circumstancescan't be envisaged; recalls that the current Customs Union will not achieve its full potential until Turkey fully implements the Additional Protocol in relation to all Member States;
Amendment 550 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Calls on EU countries to envisage an introduction of arms embargo to Turkey as long as that threatens the peace and stability of other EU Members States.
Amendment 568 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Condemns the partial reopening of Varosha beach, which undermines mutual trust and therefore the prospect of the resumption of direct talks on the comprehensive resolution of the Cyprus issue; calls on Turkey to reverse this action and to refrain from provoking nationalist sentiments; reiterates its support for a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality;
Amendment 570 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Condemns the partial reopening of Varosha beach, which undermines mutual trust and therefore the prospect of the resumption of direct talks on the comprehensive resolution of the Cyprus issue; calls on Turkey to reverse this action and to refrain from provoking nationalist sentiments; reiterates its support for a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality;
Amendment 573 #
28a. Stresses that, in spite of reiterated calls for de-escalations and peaceful conflict resolution through dialogue, Turkey did not refrained itself from further violating international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of EU Member States through unilateral and illegal actions; Calls therefore on the Council to impose restrictive sectoral and targeted measures against Turkey, which should have no adverse impact on the Turkish society;
Amendment 586 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Strongly condemns the Turkish military interventions in Syria, especially in the northeast and Idlib, which constitute grave violations of international law; Strongly condemns its role in the recruitment and transfer of fighters from jihadist groups located in northern Syria to the other territories, a phenomenon first witnessed in Libya and most recently in the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh;
Amendment 591 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Strongly condemns the Turkish military interventions in Syria, especially in the northeast and Idlib, which constitute grave violations of international law; and calls on the Turkish government to end its illegal occupation of Northern Syria and Afrin and withdraw its military and paramilitary proxy forces;
Amendment 595 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Strongly condemns the Turkish military interventions in Syria, especially in the northeast and Idlib, Afrin, Ras al- Ayn/Sere Kaniye and Tal Abyad which constitute grave violations of international law;
Amendment 599 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Amendment 604 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Calls on Turkey to remain committed to the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Libya under the auspices of the UN, and to fully adhere to the arms embargo imposed by the UN Security Council; is extremely concerned by, and strongly condemns the threats of military action against Syria, Libya, and most recently, Nagorno-Karabakh; Calls on Turkey to desist in these actions and to promote peace actively;
Amendment 629 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Regrets that, rather than calling for an end to the violence and for a resumption of peaceful negotiations supporting the efforts of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, Turkey instead decided to unconditionally sustain the military actions of one of the sides in the recent conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and, in violation of international law, sent foreign proxy forces from Syria to support the war effort;
Amendment 631 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Regrets that, rather than calling for an end to the violence and for a resumption of peaceful negotiations supporting the efforts of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, Turkey instead decided to unconditionally sustain the military actions of oAzerbaïdjani forces and to directly and militarily intervene ofn their sides in the recent conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh;
Amendment 633 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Regrets that, rather than calling for an end to the violence and for a resumption of peaceful negotiations supporting the efforts of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, Turkey instead decided to unconditionally sustain the military actions of one of the sides - Azerbaijan - in the recent conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh;
Amendment 642 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31a. Expresses serious concern about the Turkish government’s use of its influence in the Balkans to secure the forcible return of its citizens in violation of international law, in some cases by undermining domestic legal procedures for extradition, including that of one individual who was extradited from Albania despite his asylum request in early 2020;
Amendment 649 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 b (new)
Paragraph 31 b (new)
31b. Condemns Turkey’s expansionist aspirations and its unilateral activities in violation of international law; urges the EU Member States to impose a comprehensive arms embargo on Turkey;
Amendment 669 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. calls on Turkey to stop the attempts to influence European policy through a targeted diaspora policy and to mobilise Turkish- and Islamic communities against the secular understanding of freedom of religion and expression;
Amendment 671 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 b (new)
Paragraph 32 b (new)
32b. Recalls that Turkey has to stop in particular the attempt of the Turkish government to spy and put pressure on opposition members and politicians of Turkish origin in Europe and condemns in the strongest possible terms all attempts to use violence and intimidation against intellectuals, activists or politicians in Europe.