15 Amendments of Urmas PAET related to 2024/2081(INI)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
– having regards to the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War,
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas liberal democratic systems are the most suitable to guarantee that every person has the ability to enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedoms; whereas rules-based multilateralism is the best organisational system to defend democracies;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas the past year has been marked by a further proliferation of so- called “foreign agent” or foreign influence style laws, including in EU candidate countries, targeting civil society organizations and media outlets, and attempts to prevent them from receiving financial support from abroad, including from the EU and its Member States, fostering a climate of fear and self- censorship;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)
Recital I b (new)
Ib. whereas in 2024 more than half the world’s population went to the polls, and many of these elections were marked by manipulation, disinformation and attempts at interference from inside or outside the country; whereas the 2024 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought was awarded to Venezuela’s democratic forces, disqualified opposition’s presidential candidate María Corina Machado and President-elect Edmundo González;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I c (new)
Recital I c (new)
Ic. whereas the 2024 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warns of a decline in the intent of states and other political forces to protect press freedom; whereas, according to RSF, 47 journalists and media workers were killed, most of them in conflict zones, and 573 were imprisoned since 1st of January 2024;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I d (new)
Recital I d (new)
Id. whereas at least one million people are unjustly imprisoned for political reasons in countries such as China, Belarus, Russia, Azerbaijan, Venezuela, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, Cambodia and Vietnam; whereas among them are numerous finalists of the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, in particular, Gubad Ibadoghlu, Ilham Tohti, Mikalai Statkevich, Maryia Kalesnikava, Siarhei Tsikhanouski, and Ales Bialiatski;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I e (new)
Recital I e (new)
Ie. whereas 251 million children and youth are deprived of their fundamental right to education and remain out of school, according to the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report 2024; whereas, in addition to poverty, girls and women are affected by cultural norms, gender bias, child marriage, violence and, in countries such as Afghanistan, by official discriminatory policies that prevent them from accessing education and the labour market and attempt to erase them from public life;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Reiterates its concern regarding the increasing attacks by authoritarian and illiberal regimes on democratic principles and values; stresses that the defence and support of democracy around the world is increasingly becoming of geopolitical and strategic interest; emphasises the importance of Parliament’s efforts in capacity-building for partner parliaments, promoting mediation and encouraging a culture of dialogue and compromise, especially among young political leaders, and empowering women parliamentarians, HRDs and representatives from civil society and independent media; reiterates its call on the Commission to continue and expand its activities in these areas by increasing funding and support for EU bodies, agencies and other grant-based organisations; stresses the critical importance of directly supporting civil society and persons expressing dissenting views, particularly in the current climate of growing global tensions and repression in increasing numbers of countries; reiterates the importance of EU election observation missions and Parliament’s contribution to developing and enhancing their methodology; calls for the development of an EU toolbox to be used in cases of disputed or intransparent election results in order to prevent political and military crises in the post-election environment; calls for enhanced EU action to counter manipulative and false messages against the EU in election campaigns, in particular in countries that receive significant EU humanitarian and development assistance and in countries that are candidates for EU membership; calls for enhanced collaboration between Parliament’s Democracy Support and Election Coordination Group, the relevant Commission directorates-general and the EEAS;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Is extremely concerned by the continuing restriction of civil society space and rising threats to the work of HRDs, as well as their families, communities and lawyers, and finds particularly concerning the increasingly sophisticated means used to persecute them, such as the so-called “foreign agent” laws; supports wholeheartedly the work of HRDs and EU action to ensure their protection worldwide; calls for the complete and consistent application of the EU Guidelines on HRDs by the EU and its Member States; calls for efforts to strengthen the visibility of EU actions and channels for the protection and support of HRDs:
Amendment 374 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Notes with concern the increasing disregard for international humanitarian law and international human rights law, particularly in the form of ongoing conflicts around the world; underlines that it is of the utmost importance for humanitarian aid agencies to be able to provide full, timely and unhindered assistance to all people in vulnerable situations and calls on all parties to armed conflicts to protect civilian populations and, humanitarian and medical workers and journalists and media workers; calls upon all states to unconditionally and fully conform with international humanitarian law; calls upon the international community and the Member States in particular to promote accountability and the fight against impunity for grave breaches of international humanitarian law; calls for the systematic creation of humanitarian corridors in regions at war and in combat situations, whenever necessary, in order to allow civilians at risk to escape conflicts, and strongly condemns any attacks on them; demands unhindered access to humanitarian organizations monitoring and assisting the prisoners of war as provided for in the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War; expresses its concern at the reported abuses and shortcomings of the Russian Red Cross in assisting Ukrainian prisoners of war and informing their families of their place of detention, and expects the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (IFRC) to take prompt action in accordance with its constitution; calls for international cooperation and assistance in the return of forcibly deported and illegally adopted Ukrainian children from the Russian Federation;
Amendment 399 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Recognises the potential for stronger alignment in approaches to human rights protection and promotion between Member States’ embassies and EU delegations in non-EU countries, particularly in encouraging those countries to comply with their international obligations and to refrain from harassment and persecution of critical voices; emphasises the opportunity for Member States’ embassies to take an increasingly active role in advancing and safeguarding human rights, while also supporting civil society in these countries; calls on the EU and its Member States to use all possible means to encourage countries to release political prisoners; highlights the importance of shared responsibility between Member States and EU delegations in these efforts; calls for the EU and its Member States to intensify their collective efforts to promote the respect, protection and fulfilment of human rights and to support democracy worldwide;
Amendment 416 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Condemns any action or attempt to legalise, instigate, authorise, consent or acquiesce to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment methods under any circumstances; condemns the increasing reports of the use of torture by state actors in conflict situations around the world, notably violation of the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War, as well as the killing of prisoners of war amounting to a crime of war, and reiterates the non-derogable nature of the right to be free from torture or other forms of inhuman or degrading treatment;
Amendment 453 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Stresses the importance of closing the financing gap that would enable countries to meet their SDG 4 targets on quality education and ensure access to education for all children and youth; reiterates its calls to address cultural norms and gender bias that prevent girls and women from receiving an education and urges the creation of gender- responsive education systems worldwide;
Amendment 462 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Stresses that women’s rights and gender equality are indispensable and indivisible human rights, as well as a basis for the rule of law and inclusive resilient democracies; deplores the fact that millions of women and girls continue to experience discrimination and violence, especially in the context of conflicts, and are denied their dignity, autonomy and even life; calls for the EU, its Member States and like- minded partners to step up their efforts to ensure the full enjoyment and protection of women’s and girls’ human rights; condemns in the strongest terms the increasing attacks on sexual and reproductive health and rights around the world, as well as gender-based violence; welcomes the accession of the EU to the Istanbul Convention; urges the remaining EU Member States to ratify the Istanbul Convention without further delay; calls for the EU and its international partners to strengthen their efforts to ensure that women fully enjoy human rights and are treated equally to men; stresses the need to pursue efforts to fully eradicate the practice of female genital mutilation; strongly condemns the Taliban's policies towards women and girls, which amount to gender apartheid, and calls for continued and increased EU support to provide Afghan girls and women with the means to access education and the labour market;
Amendment 626 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Emphasises the critical significance of freedom of expression and access to trustworthy information for sustaining democracy and a thriving civic space; is seriously concerned about the increasing restrictions on freedom of expression in numerous countries worldwide, particularly for journalists, through censorship, enforced self-censorship, so- called “foreign agent” laws and the misuse of counter-terrorism or anti- corruption laws to suppress journalists and civil society groups; raises concerns, additionally, about the physical security of journalists and media workers and their being targeted in conflict zones;