123 Amendments of Hilde VAUTMANS related to 2020/2081(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5
Citation 5
— having regard to the agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Belarus on the readmission of persons residing without authorisation, which will entered into force on 1 July 20201 , __________________ 1 OJ L 182, 10.6.2020, p. 1.
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6
Citation 6
— having regard to the agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Belarus on the facilitation of the issuance of visas2 , which will entered into force on 1 July 2020, __________________ 2 OJ L 180, 9.6.2020, p. 3.
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)
Citation 8 a (new)
— having regard to its recommendation to the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the Eastern Partnership, in the run-up to the June 2020 Summit,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 b (new)
Citation 8 b (new)
— having regard to the statement of the President of the European Parliament calling to stop the violence in Belarus of 13 August 2020,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 c (new)
Citation 8 c (new)
— having regard to a common statement on Belarus of political leaders from EPP, S&D, Renew Europe, Greens/EFA and ECR groups in the European Parliament of 17 August 2020,
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 d (new)
Citation 8 d (new)
— having regard to the declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the presidential elections in Belarus of 11 August 2020,
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 e (new)
Citation 8 e (new)
— having regard to the conclusions on Belarus of the European Council on 19 August 2020,
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 f (new)
Citation 8 f (new)
— having regard to the UN Human Rights Council’s Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus of 10 July 2020,
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 g (new)
Citation 8 g (new)
— having regard to the UN statements on situation in Belarus, in particular those of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights of 12 August 2020, the UN Special Rapporteurs on human rights of 13 August 2020, and the Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights of 21 August 2020,
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 h (new)
Citation 8 h (new)
— having regard to the open letter on Diplomatic Watch activities during Presidential Elections 2020 in Belarus, Minsk of 13 August 2020,
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas actions of the Lukashenka’s regime are criminal, against the European values, principles of democracy, and against the will of the Belarusian people; whereas despite the fundamental restrictions on basic freedoms and human rights that remain in Belarus, the EU policy of critical engagement with Belarus has produced some results in the form of signed agreements and increased cooperation; whereas unlawful actions of Belarusian regime jeopardize these results and risk causing negative consequences to the EU - Belarus relations; whereas future relations between the EU and Belarus will be defined in the Partnership Priorities to be agreed by both sides;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas following the Presidential election on 9 August, which did not comply to the international standards of democratic, free and fair elections, massive, peaceful and orderly protests erupted all over Belarus with the Belarusian people demanding for the end of violence and prosecution against protesters, for the release of political prisoners and detained protesters and for a new presidential election in accordance to the international election standards and with observation of the OSCE ODIHR and other independent observers;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas the Belarusian people are in an urgent need of assistance and support from the international community;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. whereas the Belarusian protests are of previously unseen scale, they are nationwide, intergenerational, with a visible leadership of women and include persons of different occupations: workers of the state-owned enterprises and TV stations, public servants, diplomats, teachers, law enforcement officers, artists and employees of the national cultural and social institutions; whereas the Belarusian people are assembling into peaceful protests despite losing or being threatened with losing their jobs, receiving inadequate fines, and worse, facing the health- and life-threatening violence and torture;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
Ad. whereas the former President of the Republic of Belarus Aliaksandr Lukashenka uses brutal methods to crackdown on the peaceful Belarusian people demanding for their basic citizens’ rights and fundamental freedoms, refuses to enter into a national dialogue with the Belarusian people and does not recognize the National Coordination Council of Belarus, which was initiated by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the President-elect according to the Belarusian people, with the sole purpose of facilitating a peaceful and orderly transition of power through dialogue;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A e (new)
Recital A e (new)
Ae. whereas the level of repression by the Belarusian regime significantly increased after the Presidential election leaving at least six Belarusian citizens dead, five due to injuries sustained during the protests and one over refusal to take part in the election fraud, over 7000 Belarusian people, including minors, were unlawfully detained, tortured and ill- treated, hundreds were injured, including children, at least 100 people remain in detention with approximately 60 individuals facing criminal charges, and the fate and whereabouts of at least eight people remain unknown;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A f (new)
Recital A f (new)
Af. whereas testimonies of the Belarusian protesters about the violence, torture and abuse they were subjected to during unlawful detention include reports of endless beatings, acts of rape, degrading treatment, inhumane detention conditions in overcrowded cells with no access to drinking water, meals, sanitary facilities and medical assistance; whereas after the release many people were hospitalized, some taken into the intensive care, with such injuries as broken limbs, cracked skulls, damaged eyesight and hearing, some of which together with incurred psychological traumas will have a life-long effects, including infertility;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A g (new)
Recital A g (new)
Ag. whereas medics were prevented from providing medical assistance to injured protesters and where exposed to brutal behaviour and violence when caring for the wounded;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A h (new)
Recital A h (new)
Ah. whereas the President-elect Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was intimidated and forced to leave Belarus two days after the Presidential election, as well as other civic and political activists and leaders of workers who due to the threats for their or their family members’ safety left Belarus;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A i (new)
Recital A i (new)
Ai. whereas the Belarusian regime seeks to intimidate and to disperse the National Coordination Council of Belarus by targeting its members and launching a criminal case against them; whereas so far two members of the National Coordination Council of Belarus, Siarhei Dyleuski and Volha Kovalkova, received a sentence of 10 days in prison each under charges of ‘staging an unauthorized event’;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A j (new)
Recital A j (new)
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A k (new)
Recital A k (new)
Ak. whereas the leadership of the EU Member States and its institutions condemned the disproportionate and unacceptable violence displayed by the state authorities against peaceful protesters and decided to impose sanctions against individuals responsible for violence, repression and the falsification of election results;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A l (new)
Recital A l (new)
Al. whereas the lifting of the EU sanctions to Belarus in 2016 was done prematurely, not because Belarus fulfilled all conditions, but rather with a hope that it will continue on improving environment for political and civic participation, implementing the human rights and fundamental freedoms, and after the removal of sanctions there was no proper monitoring of expected improvements;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A m (new)
Recital A m (new)
Am. whereas on August 14 the Belarusian regime denied the entrance to Belarus for two Members of European Parliament, Robert Biedroń, chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with Belarus, and Petras Auštrevičius, the European Parliament’s standing rapporteur on Belarus, traveling to Belarus upon invitation of the Belarusian civil society;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the 2020 presidential elections have thus far followed the same pattern as the parliamentary elections; whereby there were many candidates, but a restrictive and arbitrary registration process prevented most of them from participating, including the arrest of the main presidential contender Viktar Babaryka and of Siarhei Tsikhanouski, the husband of another key candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and a denied registration by the Central Election Commission to a key opposition candidate Valery Tsapkala over insufficient number of valid ballot access signatures with no possibility to appeal for reassessment of the rejected signatures;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas no new political party has been registered in Belarus since 2000 despite repeated attempts, due to burdensome registration process and wide discretionary powers of the Ministry of Justice to reject applications on formalistic grounds, thereby limiting the right to freedom of association; whereas participants in the activities of unregistered organizations are still being persecuted, only criminal liability has been replaced by administrative fines since the entry into force of new legislation in July 2019;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas the presidential campaign in Belarus took place against the background of continuous repression, which reached another level of violence after announcement of the official and fraudulent election results; whereas reports suggest of 703 cases of reprisals against civilians in Belarus (out of which 127 are women), including physical violence, kidnapping, and threats of the removal of children, as of 1 July 2020, and a total sum of received fines reached the amount of EUR73,748 and is increasing; whereas criminal proceedings were initiated against 33 people, including against bloggers, presidential candidates and their headquarters; whereas at least 420 people were arrested across Belarus on 14-15 July 2020 during the protests against the decision of the Central Election Commission not to register Viktar Babaryka and Valery Tsapkala as official presidential candidates;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas pre-election arrests were related to the series protest movements, namely weekly protests against a battery factory in Brest, the Youth Bloc rally in Minsk against the decision to hold the annual Victory Day parade on 9 May in the context of COVID-19, numerous gatherings in protest against the arrests of presidential hopefuls Viktar Babaryka and Siarhei Tsikhanouski and against the Central Election Commission’s decision not to register Viktar Babaryka and Valery Tsapkala as official presidential candidates;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C e (new)
Recital C e (new)
Ce. whereas according to Belarusian human rights organizations there are over 40 persons detained for political reasons in Belarus; whereas among imprisoned Belarusian opposition members is Mikola Statkevich, a democratic contender in 2010 Presidential elections, who was a prisoner of conscience from 2011 until 2017; whereas Belarusian human rights organisations declared Siarhei Tsikhanouski a prisoner of conscience, as well as other imprisoned persons in his case: Yauhen Raznichenka, Dzmitry Furmanau, Viarhili Ushak, Aliaksandr Aranovich, Vasil Babrouski, Artsiom Sakau, and Uladzimir Navumik;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C f (new)
Recital C f (new)
Cf. whereas there was almost no representation of the democratic political parties, civil society organizations, and independent civic initiatives on the participation and observation in the electoral commissions;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C g (new)
Recital C g (new)
Cg. whereas due to a lack of timely invitation from Belarusian authorities, the OSCE was not able to send an election observation mission to Belarus to observe 2020 Presidential election;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C h (new)
Recital C h (new)
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C i (new)
Recital C i (new)
Ci. whereas in 2016, the EU lifted the restrictive measures against 170 individuals and four companies in Belarus, which were enacted due to post- 2010 Presidential election crackdowns, and currently applies an embargo on arms and equipment that could be used for internal repression, and an asset freeze and travel ban against four persons suspected of involvement in disappearances of two opposition politicians, one businessman and one journalist in 1999 and in 2000;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the Belarusian authorities denied that COVID-19 had spread in the country, thereby wasting precious time that could have been used to prepare and protect the country’s population and in particular its medical staff, did not cancel mass events, notably the military parade on 9 May with thousands of participants and the annual community work day attended by a quarter of Belarusian population, and instead engaged in the intimidation of journalists and ordinary people who dared to contradict the official government narrative, as a result Belarus has one of Europe's highest per capita COVID-19 infection rates and is a health threat to the region;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas there are no independent Belarusian news agencies registered in Belarus, and press freedom in Belarus has significantly deteriorated since 2015,; whereas the few independent journalists, bloggers, photographers or media outlets that are able to operate in the country and who denounce human rights violations are subject to systematic harassment and punitive measures, such as arrests or initiation of criminal investigations, including on charges of illegal production and distribution of information, extremism, discrediting and insulting the president or hooliganism and the number of prosecutions for statements on the iInternet has increased; whereas in 2000 and in 2016, two human rights journalists were killed following their active reporting on human rights violations and criticism of repressive policies of the authoritarian government of Belarus;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas in the last months, 8 media resources received warnings from the Ministry of Information of the Republic of Belarus, mainly for violating the Media Legislation and “disseminating information that could harm the national interests of Belarus”; whereas the human rights defenders and journalists who observed or covered the demonstrations in relation to the Presidential election, and those who have criticised the state’s environmental policy or commented on COVID-19 have also been targeted and may face criminal charges, at least 6 journalists received administrative arrests of 77 days, others were subjected to paying fines; whereas among arrested journalists are those working for such international news organizations as BBC, DW, Reuters and the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and all of the human rights defenders targeted are from different regions of Belarus, particularly Brest, Mogilev, Rechytsa, Svetlogorsk, Bobruysk, and six of the human rights defenders detained are from the leading human rights organization in Belarus, the Human Rights Centre “Viasna”;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas after the Presidential election the Belarusian regime further tightened its grip on media freedom and people’s right to access and share information by blocking the Internet access, disrupting the printing of newspapers, arresting local and foreign correspondents and exposing them to torture and inhumane treatment, journalists were specifically targeted and several got injured while covering the Belarusian regime authorised crackdown on peaceful protesters; whereas the state- owned TV stations do not cover ongoing protests and atrocities committed by the Lukashenka’s regime and are being used for spreading propaganda, attacking and discrediting Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, political activists and peaceful protesters, after resignation of journalists at the state owned TV stations, they were replaced by propaganda experts from Russia;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
Ec. whereas independent journalists cooperating with and working for foreign media are prosecuted under article 22.9 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, which makes it illegal to receive financial rewards from media that are not dully registered and accredited in Belarus; whereas Belsat TV channel, which is officially registered in Poland, does not receive registration in Belarus and its activities are under constant pressure and attacks, including brutal detentions of its journalists and fines imposed to its contributors totalling USD 101,791 as of 18 June 2020;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E d (new)
Recital E d (new)
Ed. whereas Belarusian regime is repressing art activists, bloggers and other cultural workers, who use their work to criticize the government and to support the political opposition; whereas as of 29 June 2020, 73 cases of repressed people who are somehow involved in art activity were recorded, with 21 person being imprisoned and 20 criminal cases initiated; whereas Belarusian human rights organizations have recognized 9 art activists as political prisoners;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E e (new)
Recital E e (new)
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E f (new)
Recital E f (new)
Ef. whereas the widespread impunity of law enforcement officers contributes to even further human rights violations and retaliations against human rights defenders; whereas human rights organizations along with other civil society organizations are systematically denied registration and legislative amendments passed in 2011 made it illegal for these organizations to hold funds abroad and established criminal liability for receiving foreign grants or donations; whereas these regulations were further tightened in May, 2020 with a new Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus "On foreign aid";
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E g (new)
Recital E g (new)
Eg. whereas human rights lawyers are disbarred for defending detained civil and political activists and denouncing their conditions of detention or the violation of fair trial guarantees, and the human rights community is routinely stigmatized as being politically motivated and accused of receiving foreign funding in order to carry out sedition, criticize the government or destabilize the existing political system;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E h (new)
Recital E h (new)
Eh. whereas since 2014, 18,000 Belarusian minors were sentenced to unproportionally long terms of imprisonment, between 8 and 15 years, for non-violent drug-related offences under the Article 328 of the Criminal Code; during detention and imprisonment Belarusian minors face numerous violations of their rights, including physical violence and torture, and are exposed to dangerous for health working conditions;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E i (new)
Recital E i (new)
Ei. whereas the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus of July 2020 notes no major improvements in the legal and regulatory protection of human rights in Belarus and, in addition to above highlighted problems, brings attention to continuous application of the death penalty, prevalent discrimination of vulnerable groups, including women, persons with disabilities, ethnic and religious minorities and LGBTQI persons, continuous practice of forced labour, torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment of detained persons, and discrimination against speakers of Belarusian language;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E j (new)
Recital E j (new)
Ej. whereas the EU has allocated EUR 60 million to Belarus for mitigation of the immediate and direct effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and, in reaction to post-election situation in Belarus, additional EUR 53 million to support the Belarusian people were added; whereas Belarus is exploring the possibility to seek macro-financial assistance from the EU;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas Belarus has been subject to unprecedented pressure from Russia to deepen their integration in the context of the Union State, to the detriment of the sovereignty of Belarus, resulting in an ongoing standoff over oil and gas imports from Russia;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas after eruption of massive protests Aliaksandr Lukashenka reached out to Russia for assistance to ensure survival of the Belarusian regime;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Recital G b (new)
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G c (new)
Recital G c (new)
Gc. whereas Belarus does not recognize the independence of the breakaway republic of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, de jure annexation of Crimea and invoked the neutrality pledge in its Constitution to refuse siding with Russia in the war in Eastern Ukraine;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G d (new)
Recital G d (new)
Gd. whereas difficult economic situation, which is to worsen due to the nationwide workers’ strikes and refusal by the Belarusian regime to enter into a national dialogue with the Belarusian people, indicate that the economic model of Belarus has reached its limits and the country could be entering into a period of transition in which the EU can play a key balancing role;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G e (new)
Recital G e (new)
Ge. Condemns criminal behaviour of the Lukashenka’s regime and calls for an immediate end of violence and inhumane treatment of the Belarusian people, for an immediate and unconditional release of all detainees and political prisoners, for a thorough investigation of committed atrocities and bringing culpable to justice, more importantly, for recognizing and entering into a dialogue with the National Coordination Council of Belarus;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G f (new)
Recital G f (new)
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G g (new)
Recital G g (new)
Gg. whereas the European Parliament expresses support to the Belarusian people’s claims for free and fair elections and ability to freely make decisions about their country’s future;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G h (new)
Recital G h (new)
Gh. whereas the European Parliament welcomes and encourages to sustain peaceful organisation of the nationwide protests and commends the role and strong leadership of Belarusian women;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G i (new)
Recital G i (new)
Gi. whereas the European Parliament expresses deepest condolences over deaths of Alyaksandr Taraykouski, Alyaksandr Vikhor, Artsyom Parukou, Henadz Shutau and Kanstantsin Shyshmakou to their families and to all Belarusian nation;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G j (new)
Recital G j (new)
Gj. whereas the European Parliament commits itself to enabling the EU assistance to the victims of the Belarusian regime, including provision of health services to recover from incurred injuries and traumas;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G k (new)
Recital G k (new)
Gk. whereas the European Parliament deplores any targeting of human rights defenders, environmental rights defenders, journalists, bloggers, art activists and those criticizing the Belarusian regime and calls for full implementation of the fundamental freedoms and human rights government policies in Belarus;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G l (new)
Recital G l (new)
Gl. whereas the European Parliament deplores decision of the Belarusian regime not to grant entrance to Belarus for two members of the European Parliament traveling upon invitation of the Belarusian civil society;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a
Paragraph 1 – point a
(a) support the sovereignty of Belarus against pressure from the Russian Federation for deeper integration and remind Belarus that the European Union is open to further development of relations with the country both bilaterally and within the Eastern Partnership framework if Belarus meets conditions linked to democracy, the rule of law, free and fair elections, international law, human rights and fundamental freedoms;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point a a (new)
(aa) do not recognize the results of fraudulent August 9 Presidential election;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point a b (new)
(ab) deplore and request an immediate halt of violence used against peaceful protesters by the Belarusian regime;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point a c (new)
(ac) insist on the Belarusian regime to immediately and unconditionally release all detained protesters and political prisoners;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point a d (new)
(ad) call upon the Belarusian authorities to organize a new, free and fair, according to the international election standards Presidential election;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a e (new)
Paragraph 1 – point a e (new)
(ae) assess and accordingly review the European Union’s relations with Belarus;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a f (new)
Paragraph 1 – point a f (new)
(af) suspend negotiations on the EU- Belarus Partnership Priorities until the free and fair Presidential election takes place in Belarus;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a h (new)
Paragraph 1 – point a h (new)
(ah) insist on the Belarusian regime to recognize and enter into a dialogue with the National Coordination Council of Belarus;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a i (new)
Paragraph 1 – point a i (new)
(ai) organise an official meeting between the EU representatives and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and organize a visit of the EU representatives to Belarus to facilitate a national dialogue and an inclusive solution benefiting all people of Belarus;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a k (new)
Paragraph 1 – point a k (new)
(ak) deplore intention of the Russian Federation to send Russian law enforcement services to Belarus and further enable the Lukashenka regime’s crackdown on peaceful protesters;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b
Paragraph 1 – point b
(b) acknowledge that while the critical engagement policy has brought about some developments in bilateral relations, progress in the key areas of democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and civil society remains very limited or almost non- existent, and, as the EU is engaging in a more tailored approach to the Eastern Partnership, consider applying the ‘less for less’ principle in the case of further deteriorationsocial-economic situation includes low household income and high unemployment rates, the economy stagnates and is heavily-troubled by the state-owned enterprises and corruption, and, as the EU is engaging in a more tailored approach to the Eastern Partnership, consider applying the ‘less for less’ principle in the case of further deterioration; application of ‘less for less’ principle should not affect engagement and support for the civil society of Belarus, on the contrary, it needs to be further boosted by advocating for greater involvement of Belarusian civil society in initiatives and projects supported by the EU, other international organizations and individual countries, in Belarus;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c
Paragraph 1 – point c
(c) insist that any EU macro-financial support for mitigating the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic is conditional on strict political criteria, notably those linked to democracy and human rights, particularly, ending political repressions and releasing all political prisoners, nuclear safety concerns voiced by some of the EU Member States and threats posed by Belarus-Russia military cooperation, and that adequate measures are taken to combat the virus and protect the population;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
(ca) insist that support programs implemented through EIB, EBRD, WB, UN and other international organizations would also be conditioned on improving the situation of human rights and democracy, and on meeting the international standards for nuclear safety; note and address the situation that, currently, the programs implemented in cooperation between these international organizations and state structures in Belarus usually do not include independent stakeholders in their governing bodies, which leads not only to dubious achievements of such programs, but also contributes to the displacement of civil society organizations from the structure of cooperation with the EU by the state-owned public organizations (GONGOs);
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point c b (new)
(cb) note that delivery of medical supplies, including personal protection gear, as part of the EU support for Belarus to fight the COVID-19, did not fully comply with the EU visibility rules; address issues related to the lack of visibility and spread of information about the EU efforts to assist Belarusian people; note that the Belarusian regime is using disinformation to portray the EU support as a support for the regime and ensure that the EU support is free of any political affiliations, as it is for the Belarusian people;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point c d (new)
(cd) deplore the creation and spread of propagandist narratives by the Belarusian state media accusing the neighbouring countries, among which are the EU Member States, of interference into the ongoing processes in Belarus and posing assumed security threats for territorial integrity of Belarus;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c e (new)
Paragraph 1 – point c e (new)
(ce) ensure that the EU support of EUR 60 million to Belarus for mitigation of the effects of the COVID-19 would not result into a direct transfer of these funds to the budget of Belarusian state;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c h (new)
Paragraph 1 – point c h (new)
(ch) develop a strategy for distribution of the EU funds in cooperation with the civil society and democratic representatives of the Belarusian people, the EU and international civil society organizations and institutions with experience of working with Belarus;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c i (new)
Paragraph 1 – point c i (new)
(ci) develop a clear procedure and capacities among the EU Member States to fast-track consideration and issuance of the Schengen visas and Humanitarian corridor for Belarusian citizens in cases of the urgent need of medical assistance and refuge;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point d b (new)
(db) express concern that Belarus will not implement the recommendations of the stress tests carried out by the EU nuclear safety authorities before the launch of the first reactor of the Astravyets NPP; moreover, that the Astravyets NPP is being built without ensuring a secondary control reserve necessary for a safe functioning of the NPP;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point d d (new)
(dd) remind the Belarusian authorities that a number of key OSCE/ODIHR and the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission recommendations remain unaddressed and that no significant steps regarding comprehensive electoral reform have been taken ahead of the 9 August Presidential election, which will prevent the EU-Belarus relations from achieving their full potential;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d e (new)
Paragraph 1 – point d e (new)
(de) finalise the EU human rights sanctions mechanism allowing to apply sanctions similar to those of the US Magnitsky Act sanctions against individuals and companies involved into grave human rights violations and apply them against Belarusian officials, including investigators and judges who conduct criminal cases against political prisoners, and other individuals and companies involved in violent suppression of peaceful signature collection rallies and protests in Belarus, including torture and ill-treatment of detainees and political prisoners;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d f (new)
Paragraph 1 – point d f (new)
(df) ensure that the list of sanctions include not only the highest-ranking officials responsible for the violent crackdown on peaceful protesters and the fraudulent election results, but also include the involved middle and entry level public servants and members of the Central Election Commission and consider applying sanctions to their family members;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d g (new)
Paragraph 1 – point d g (new)
(dg) coordinate sanctions against Belarus with the democratic allies of the European Union;
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e
Paragraph 1 – point e
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
(ea) insist on full compliance of election processes in Belarus with international standards, the recommendations of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the opinions of the Venice Commission;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point e b (new)
(eb) note that invitation for the international election observation was issued late by the Belarusian regime and, as a result, the election monitoring was limited and due to restrictions imposed by the Central Election Commission the observers were deprived of fully executing their duties, including observation of the counting of ballots;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point e c (new)
(ec) remain vigilant regarding arrests, disappearances and harassment of candidates, protesters, activists and independent journalists and follow up such cases with Belarusian authorities;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point e d (new)
(ed) initiate an official OSCE fact- finding mission to Belarus to investigate the situation and the human rights violations in relation to the 2020 Presidential election;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point f
Paragraph 1 – point f
(f) insist that the upcoming constitutional reform is a crucial opportunity to introduce genuine changes which would address the weaknesses of the current political system and enable the Belarusian people to participate more actively in political life; note that so far the constitutional amendments have been prepared in a closed way for the public and insist on ensuring the transparency and inclusiveness of this process, and that any changes of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus would comply to the legal procedures listed in the Constitution;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point f a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point f a (new)
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point f b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point f b (new)
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g
Paragraph 1 – point g
(g) call on the authorities to remove the arbitrary barriers under which no new political party has been registered in Belarus since 2000 and enable the registration of political parties and public organisat, civil society organizations and independent trade unions, and to stop the restrictions applied to established organisations;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
(ga) insist on an independent and effective investigation into protests-related deaths of Alyaksandr Taraykouski, Alyaksandr Vikhor, Artsyom Parukou, Henadz Shutau and Kanstantsin Shyshmakouand murders of political opposition figures Yuriy Zakharenko, Anatoliy Krasovskiy and Victor Honchar that took place in 1999 and into the fate and whereabouts of journalist Dmitriy Zavadski in 2000;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h
Paragraph 1 – point h
(h) condemn the ongoing application of the death penalty in Belarus and continue to work with the Belarusian authorities towards a moratorium as a first step towards its permanent abolition; encourage the intensification of public debate regarding the abolition of capital punishment, paving the way for a possible future referendum on the issue;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i
Paragraph 1 – point i
(i) condemn the ongoing intimidation and persecution of opposition figures, including presidential hopefuls, civil society activists and independent journalists; , independent journalists and bloggers, in particular the tactics of their disappearance and heavy financial fines applied by the authorities; deplore silencing and intimidation of doctors, medical personnel and others who openly spoke and warned about the spread of COVID-19 in Belarus; call for ending the political repression and politically motivated arrests, for immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and for bringing the perpetrators of these crimes, including members of the security forces responsible for torture, ill-treatment, physical violence, to accountability;
Amendment 299 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point i b (new)
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point j
Paragraph 1 – point j
(j) encourage the continuation of the EU-Belarus Human Rights Dialogue, but insist that its true usefulness comes from not just institutional contacts but real and tangible progress, which is not taking place according to the participating Belarusian civil society organizations;
Amendment 303 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point j a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point j a (new)
(ja) note interruption with attempts to limit the work activities and silence reporting of the Human Rights Centre "Viasna" members, notably Aliaksandr Burakou, Ales Burakou, Raman Kisliak, Uladzimir Vialichkin, Alena Masliukova, Andrei Miadzvedzeu and Siarhej Lacinski, and cease their detention, prosecution, intimidation of them and their family members, and most importantly enable to monitor human rights situation and Presidential election related events in Belarus;
Amendment 306 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k
Paragraph 1 – point k
(k) insist on the immediate and unconditional release of human rights defenders, activists, journalists, bloggers, and others convicted in retaliation for exercising their civil and political rights; urge the authorities to carry out an immediate thorough and impartial investigation into the arbitrary detention of the human rights defenders, and to drop all charges against them; call on the authorities to cease the harassment of the Human Rights Center "Viasna", Charter’97 and Belsat TV; urge the authorities to guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Belarus are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment;
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k a (new)
(ka) address the issue of unproportional punishment within the legal system of Belarus, notably the Article 328 of the Criminal Code under which minors for non-violent drug-related offences get punished by unproportianally long terms of imprisonment and are being detained in improper prone to torture and physical violence conditions; welcome a recent lowering of the threshold of sentence by two years and improve the conditions of detention and labour of prisoners convicted under the Article 328, including lifting the strict regime, which usually is applicable to the worse offenders, for example, deprivation of visits, food parcels and possibility of parole, clearly define a list of misconduct for which juvenile could be penalized at the time of detention, ban their placement in isolation rooms as a punitive measure, ensure full provision for juvenile during their time of imprisonment, including organization of healthcare and education, safe working conditions and work under conclusion of an official working contract with the deduction of all taxes to the pension fund;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k b (new)
Amendment 317 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k c (new)
(kc) deplore the Belarusian regime’s control over the access and sharing of information, notably blocking the Internet access and disrupting the printing of newspapers, and demand for and immediate and full restoration of the Internet and media services in Belarus;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l
Paragraph 1 – point l
(l) support and create a safe working environment for independent media outlets and journalists, including those who work on a freelance basis with unregistered foreign media as they are an important source of information both for Belarus and about Belarus and provide a much- needed channel for alternative views;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point l a (new)
Amendment 341 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point m b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point m b (new)
(mb) note that Belarusian economy is stagnating, more than one fifth of Belarusian population lives in an absolute poverty with numbers tending to increase due to COVID-19 caused crisis; the minimum salary in Belarus is 375 Belarusian rubles per month or EUR 137; the country is facing a demographic crisis with population of the working-age shrinking and massive labour migration from Belarus;
Amendment 342 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point m c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point m c (new)
(mc) note the damaging effects to Belarusian economy caused by the refusal of Belarusian regime to enter into a dialogue with the Belarusian people, notably the ongoing nationwide workers’ strikes at the state owned enterprises, strikes of teachers, social and cultural workers, as well as the damaging effects to the IT sector, which might not recover to its previous level;
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point m e (new)
Paragraph 1 – point m e (new)
(me) express regret towards unwillingness of Belarusian authorities to follow the recommendations of international finance institutions, such as the WB and IMF, and to implement reforms reducing the vast number of state-owned enterprises, reforming the business sector, encouraging entrepreneurship, supporting SMEs, reducing the public debt, outsourcing the costs of living to the population and improving conditions of labour market;
Amendment 345 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point m f (new)
Paragraph 1 – point m f (new)
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point m g (new)
Paragraph 1 – point m g (new)
(mg) express concern over State regulations of damaging nature for the private sector, particularly a requirement to pay a minimum wage not lower than the average wage of the 10 most successful state-owned enterprises;
Amendment 347 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point m h (new)
Paragraph 1 – point m h (new)
(mh) encourage to improve working environment for vulnerable groups, particularly women, as 90 percent of women face discrimination in the employment sphere, and there are 181 professions that are considered unsuitable for women in Belarus;
Amendment 348 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point m i (new)
Paragraph 1 – point m i (new)
(mi) address the problems faced by the independent trade unions, including denied registration, politically motivated prosecution of leaders of the independent trade unions, and forced membership of newly contracted employees to the state- controlled trade unions;
Amendment 351 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n
Paragraph 1 – point n
(n) welcome and encourage the energy diversification of Belarus, reducing its dependence on Russia through imports of oil and gas from new suppliers, including via the territory of the EU and through the development of alternative energy sources;
Amendment 354 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point n a (new)
(na) express concerns over increasing investments into strategic infrastructure from China and warn about the effect of dependency it might create for Belarus;
Amendment 355 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point o
Paragraph 1 – point o
(o) emphasisze the importance that the EU attaches to the fight against climate change, notably through the implementation of the European Green Deal, and encourage Belarus to enhance its cooperation with the EU on environmental matters with a view to green transformation, energy efficiency, sustainability and climate neutrality and to use the opportunities offered by the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership, while insisting that the harassment of environmental activists must be stopped;
Amendment 359 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point o a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point o a (new)
(oa) welcome the progress in implementing the Mobility partnership and visa facilitation and readmission agreements as part of a safe and well- managed mobility environment between the EU and Belarus;
Amendment 363 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point o b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point o b (new)
Amendment 365 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point o c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point o c (new)
(oc) express concerns over prevalent large-scale systemic corruption in Belarusian public institutions and state- owned companies, encourage and support anti-corruption investigations and informational campaigns, voice concerns over harassment and persecution of journalists reporting the corruption cases and insist on a safe environment for investigative journalists and whistle blowers;
Amendment 366 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point o d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point o d (new)
(od) insists to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the financial flows of the family of Aliaksandr Lukashenka and his associates, including the activities of state enterprises of Belarus in offshore zones, as well as corruption schemes of Belarusian enterprises;
Amendment 367 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point p
Paragraph 1 – point p
(p) maintain that the EU is interested in the broadest possible people-to-people contacts as the best way of bringing the EU and Belarus closer together; promote exchange programmes with a proven track record such as MOST and reiterate that the visa facilitation agreement is a tangible expression of this policy;
Amendment 369 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point p a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point p a (new)
(pa) acknowledge that many voices of ongoing democratic revolution in Belarus are graduates of the EU Member States’ universities, participants of different the EU supported programs aimed to raise their professional qualifications and to enable professional activities;
Amendment 372 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point p c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point p c (new)
(pc) provide scholarships for academicians who lost their teaching and research positions over participation in the protests;
Amendment 375 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point p f (new)
Paragraph 1 – point p f (new)
(pf) support cooperation in the sphere of culture through programmes such as Creative Europe and in particular projects aimed at fostering creativity, involving civil society organizations and initiatives at local level; promote and mobilize European solidarity with Belarusian society through cultural expressions;
Amendment 381 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point r a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point r a (new)
(ra) support cross-border cooperation and movement between Belarus and the neighbouring EU Member States, particularly encourage Belarusian authorities to implement the local border traffic regime with Lithuania, which would benefit those living within a 50- kilometer radius on both sides of the border;
Amendment 385 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point r b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point r b (new)
(rb) acknowledge the role of Belarusian diaspora in democratic awakening in Belarus and engage its members in the EU Member States as the important actors of a national dialogue in Belarus;