Activities of Laima Liucija ANDRIKIENĖ related to 2010/2202(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
Human rights in the world 2009 and EU policy on the matter (A7-0339/2010, Laima Liucija Andrikienė) (vote)
Human rights in the world 2009 and EU policy on the matter (A7-0339/2010, Laima Liucija Andrikienė) (vote)
Reports (1)
REPORT Report on the Annual Report on Human Rights in the World 2009 and the European Union's policy on the matter PDF (546 KB) DOC (520 KB)
Amendments (50)
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas economic, social and cultural rights must receive the same attention and be treated at the same level of importance as civil and political rights; whereas the human rights clauses in the agreements signed by the EU and third countries must be respected and implemented,
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital La (new)
Recital La (new)
La (new). whereas the fight against impunity is crucially important as it is aimed at preventing and punishing the gravest crimes and their perpetrators; whereas impunity is a cross-cutting matter which concerns a wide range of human rights issues, such as inter alia torture, death penalty, violence against women, the persecution of human rights defenders, and the fight against terrorism,
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the HR/VP’s readiness to undertake a fundamental review of the effectiveness of all the EU instruments in this field, from human rights dialogues to EU guidelines, from the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) to the EU’s bilateral assistance and actions in multilateral fora, and to launch a consultation process on the development of a new human rights strategy; stresses the EP’s determination to participate fully in this consultation; stresses the need for civil society organisations to be involved in the consultation;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5a (new)
Paragraph 5a (new)
5a (new). Calls on the HR/VP to consider creating within the EEAS system a post of EU Special Representative for Human Rights, as well as thematic EU Special Representatives in line with the main EU priorities on human rights, such as EU SR for International Humanitarian Law, EU SR for Women's Rights, and EU SR for the Rights of the Child;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. CTakes the view that EU Special Representatives should be further developed rather than gradually faded out, especially to cover countries and regions where the EU does not have a diplomatic mission; considers it essential that, given the importance of human rights issues in conflict and post-conflict situations, all European Union sU Special rRepresentatives should have a mandate which specifically mentions promoting and ensuring respect for human rights; stresses that EU Special Representatives are the focal points for internal guidance, expertise and advocacy and logical interlocutors for third countries and other non-EU actors;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the CouncilReiterates its strong support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its primary objective of fighting impunity for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity; stresses that the Rome Statute of the ICC was ratified by all the EU Member States as an essential component of the democratic principles and values of the Union and calls, therefore, upon the Member States to comply fully with the Statute as part of the EU acquis; underlines the importance of the principle of universality and calls on the EEAS, EU Member States and the Commission to continue their vigorous efforts to promote universal ratification of the Rome Statute and national implementing legislation, in accordance with the Council Common Position 2003/444/CFSP of 16 June 2003 on the International Criminal Court and the 2004 Action Plan to follow up on the Common Position; welcomes the fact that the ratifications of the Rome Statute by the Czech Republic and Chile in the reporting periodrequests that such efforts be extended to the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the ICC (APIC) , an important operational tool for the Court; further calls on EU Member States to revise and update the Common Position and Action Plan on the ICC in light of current developments, challenges and needs of the Court, as well as to start discussions on the possible adoption of EU guidelines on international justice/ ICC; welcomes the fact that the ratifications of the Rome Statute by Bangladesh, the Seychelles and Saint Lucia in March and August 2010 brought the total number of States Parties to 110 by December 20093;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Asks the EU Presidency to raise the importance of cooperation with the ICC in all EU summits and dialogues with non-EU countries; urges all EU Member States to step up cooperation with the Court and to conclude biEncourages the EEAS, the Commission and EU Member States to support universal ratification, adoption of implementing legislation, implementation of ICC decisions and cooperation with the Court during enlargement negotiations and in accession processes as well as in all EU summits and dialogues with non-EU countries, including the United States, China, Russia, the African Union and Israel; calls on the EEAS, and to systematically pursue the inclusion of an ICC clause in relaterald agreements on the enforcement of sentences, as well as on the protection of witnesses and victims; further acknowledges the Cooperation and Assistance Agreement between the EU and the ICC and, on that basis, calls on the European Union and its Member States to provide the Court with all necessary assistance; notes with great concern the failure to execute the ICC warrant for the arrest of the Sudanese President al-Bashirwith third countries; calls on the High Representative to ensure the ICC is mainstreamed across EU foreign policy priorities and is included in the mandate of EU Special Representatives, as appropriate; furthermore, ensure EEAS staff is regularly trained on the ICC, both in headquarters and in EU delegations; calls on the High Representative for the Union on Foreign Policy and Security, Catherine Ashton, to appoint a Special Envoy on International Justice with the mandate to promote, mainstream and represent the EU’s commitment to the fight against impunity and the ICC across EU foreign policies;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17a (new)
Paragraph 17a (new)
17a (new). Notes that the first Review Conference of the Rome Statute which was held in Kampala, Uganda, from 31 May to 11 June 2010 was a momentous event for States Parties, as well as non- State Parties, civil society and other stakeholders, which strongly reaffirmed their commitment to justice and accountability and was a crucial step in the further development of the Court thanks to substantive discussions on the key current challenges it is facing; notes the adoption of important amendments to the Rome Statute, including the inclusion of a definition of and jurisdictional conditions for the crime of aggression; welcomes the fact that the EU and several EU member states made pledges at the Review Conference and encourages them to implement their commitments, highlight practical steps to that end and renew pledges in the future;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17b (new)
Paragraph 17b (new)
17b (new). Notes that cooperation between States Parties, signatory states and the Court, in accordance with Article 86 of the Rome Statute remains essential for the effectiveness and success of the international criminal justice system, in particular in terms of law- enforcement capacity and for the Court’s effective and independent judicial activities; further acknowledges the Agreement between the ICC and the EU on cooperation and assistance and, keeping this agreement in mind, calls on the European Union and its Member States to provide the Court with all necessary assistance, including field support in its ongoing cases and in particular for the implementation of pending arrest warrants; urges all EU Member States to enact national legislation on cooperation, in accordance with Part IX of the Rome Statute, if they have not yet done so, and to conclude ad hoc agreements with the Court for the enforcement of the Court’s sentences and the protection and relocation of victims and witnesses; calls on EU member states to include cooperation as a standing item on the agenda of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the ICC, in order to ensure that best practises are shared and ensure that non-cooperation instances are discussed and appropriate measures taken by the ASP;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17c (new)
Paragraph 17c (new)
17c (new). Welcomes the execution by Belgium of the arrest warrant issued by ICC Pre Trial Chamber III against Jean Pierre Bemba on 3rd July 2008; however notes with great concern that eight arrest warrants issued by the ICC, including those against four senior leaders of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda, Bosco Ntaganda in the DRC, as well as against Ahmad Harun, Ali Kushayb and Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir in Sudan, have not yet been executed; deplores the persistent failure and refusal of Sudan to arrest and transfer the suspects to the ICC in continuous disregard of its obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1593 (2005); notes that on 26 May 2010 ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I informed the United Nations Security Council about the lack of cooperation by the Republic of the Sudan in the case against Harun and Kushayb; expresses great concern that two ICC states parties, Chad and Kenya, recently invited and welcomed President Omar al-Bashir on their territories despite their obligation under the Rome Statute to arrest him and failed to execute the relevant arrest warrant; calls again on EU MS to react to SPs violations of their obligations to cooperate with the Court, as well as to findings of non-cooperation by the ICC; expresses support for the Court’s request to open a liaison office to the African Union in Addis Ababa;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17d (new)
Paragraph 17d (new)
17d (new). Welcomes the opening on 26 January 2009 of the first ever trial at the ICC, against Thomas Lubanga of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and of the second trial against Congolese warlords Germain Katanga and Matthieu Ngudjolo Chui on 24 November 2009; notes that these are the first trials in the history of international criminal law to see the active participation of victims in the proceedings; welcomes the opening of an investigation into crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Kenya in relation to the post-election violence of 2007-2008; in that context, urges the ICC to intensify its outreach efforts with a view to engaging communities in a process of constructive interaction with the ICC, as to promote understanding and support for its mandate, to manage expectations and to enable those communities to follow and understand the international criminal justice process; welcomes the fact that the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC publicly announced that it is analyzing information and looking into alleged crimes committed in several countries in the world to determine whether to open new investigations, including Afghanistan, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Georgia, Guinea and Palestine;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17e (new)
Paragraph 17e (new)
17e (new). Welcomes the Report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Conflict in Georgia (IIFFMCG – CEIIG) (so called “Tagliavini Report”) issued on 30 September 2009 and supports its main observations and conclusions under International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law, in particular the need to ensure accountability and reparation for all violations committed in August 2008 and expects that the extensive background information provided by the Report can be used for legal proceedings at the national and international level to finally ensure accountability for the crimes committed during the conflict between Russia and Georgia of August 2008;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17f (new)
Paragraph 17f (new)
17f (new). Underlines that the effectiveness of the principle of complementarity of the Court lays in the primary duty of States Parties to investigate and prosecute war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity; urges EU Member States to reaffirm their commitment to this principle by incorporating the provisions of the Rome Statute in their national legislation and endowing their national judiciaries with the necessary tools to investigate and prosecute serious international crimes; further calls on the EU and EU member states to support the capacity and the political willingness of third states - in particular ICC situation countries and countries under preliminary analysis by the ICC - to take up national proceedings on genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity; in that framework calls on the European Union and its Member States to support reform processes and national capacity-building efforts aimed at strengthening the independent judiciary, the law-enforcement sector and the penitentiary system in all countries directly affected by the alleged commission of serious international crimes;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17g (new)
Paragraph 17g (new)
17g (new). Welcomes the US engagement with and renewed commitment to the ICC, illustrated not least by participating as an observer to the eighth session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) in The Hague in November 2009 as well as at the first Review Conference of the Rome Statute in June 2010; notes with satisfaction the first promising statements on the ICC by the US administration and pledges of cooperation with the Court made during the Review conference; calls on the USA to reinstate its signature and further engage with the ICC, especially by fully cooperating in situations which are the subject of an ICC investigation or preliminary analysis and by completing a comprehensive ICC policy toward the ICC;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17h (new)
Paragraph 17h (new)
17h (new). Encourages the next ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly to discuss the fight against impunity in international development cooperation and relevant political dialogue as adopted in several resolutions and in article 11.6 of the revised Cotonou Agreement, with the view of mainstreaming the fight against impunity and the strengthening of the Rule of Law within existing development cooperation programmes and actions; Regrets the decision adopted by the African Union Summit of Kampala in July 2010 calling on AU member states not to cooperate with the ICC on the arrest and surrender of Sudanese President al-Bashir and notes that this is contrary to African ICC states parties’ obligations to cooperate with the Court; calls on the EU and its member states to continue the dialogue with the African Union on these matters and to support African states parties to continue to abide by their obligations under the Rome Statute;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20a (new)
Paragraph 20a (new)
20a (new). Notes with regret the slow process of examining cases at the European Court of Human Rights which has extended up to seven years; notes that there are about 100 000 cases pending at the Court; stresses that the Court must be an exemplary institution for the protection of the right to justice and a fair trial; urges the EU Institutions and the EU Member States to make every effort to assist the Court; welcomes Russia, which was the last country out of 47 participating states at the Council of Europe to refuse to ratify the Protocol 14, for having ratified the Protocol 14 to the European Convention of Human Rights, on the efficiency of the Court, which provides for simplification of the Court’s procedures and is intended to help it tackle the backlog of cases and which can only enter into force when ratified by all Council of Europe members;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Welcomes the special sessions of the HRC on the human rights situation in the east of the DRC, on the impact of the global economic and financial crises on the universal realisation and effective enjoyment of human rights, on the situation of human rights in Sri Lanka, and on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and East Jerusalem; regrets that during the context of the special session on the OPT the majority of members applied a one-sided interpretation of the Goldstone report12th session of the HRC on 16 October 2009 the EU Member States failed to come up with a single position with regard to the vote on the Goldstone report with 4 Member States voting against, 2 abstaining and 2 being absent during the vote; call on the Member States and all relevant EU institutions to achieve closer policy coordination in the HRC and other UN bodies;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Urges the Iranian leaders to enact a law unequivocally banning stoning as a legal punishment which is the most barbaric form of the death penalty; strongly condemns the sentencing to death by stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani and considers that a sentence to death by stoning cannot be justified or accepted; condemns the fact that the Iranian regime still sentences to death and executes juvenile offenders; condemns the Iranian regime’s use of the death penalty, which places Iran in second position, just after China, in the league table of countries with the highest number of executions; strongly condemns the increased number of executions following the peaceful demonstrations after presidential elections in Iran in June 2009; is concerned that China still carries out the greatest number of executions worldwide; welcomes the positive action of the Belarusian authorities in setting up a Working Group to draft proposals on imposing a moratorium on the death penalty; remains concerned that executions are still carried out in Belarus, which is the only country in Europe that continues to use the death penalty;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Notes that the programme of the Trio Presidency of France, the Czech Republic and Sweden (July 2008 - December 2009) gave priority to the question of violence against women and girls, including female genital mutilation; and asks for coherence on principles and policies both outside and inside the EU; notes the recent adoption of a new set of guidelines on the matter and expects the Commission to present the results of its implementation to Parliament;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39a (new)
Paragraph 39a (new)
39a (new). Takes account of the new European Commission's gender equality strategy referring specifically to the issue of female genital mutilation; reiterates the need for coherence on EU internal and external policies regarding this particular issue; urges the European commission and the EU Member States to address the issue of female genital mutilation in the framework of political and policy dialogues with partner countries and stakeholders relevant to this sensitive issue in the national context, using a participatory approach and involving affected communities;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Underlines the importance of the comprehensive implementation of the twofold agenda set out in UN Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security and calls on the Council to reinforce its actions in this area as well as to disseminate, implement and follow- up progress made;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Is deeply concerned about the situation of women and girls in AfghanistanIran, DRC, Afghanistan; condemns brutal violations of women rights in DRC, urges international community to significantly increase funds aimed at efforts to protect women from rape and stresses that urgent and important international attention must be given to the situation of women and girls in the DRC; condemns the Shia Personal Status Law adopted in March 2009, which strongly violates the rights of Afghan women and contradicts the Afghan Constitution and international human rights standards; welcomes amendments made to the law on ‘Personal Affairs of the Followers of Shia Jurisprudence’ but remains deeply concerned about certain articles of the law, which contradict the obligations of Afghanistan under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child; urges the Afghan authorities to take action without delay to improve the situation of women’s rights in the country;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Calls for recognition of health abuses against patients and individuals, in particular those unable to defend themselves, be they political prisonersrisoners of conscience or mentally disabled people, as cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment, while recognising the difficulty of proving certain acts;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. Calls on all states which have not yet done so to become parties to the Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and to its Optional Protocol (OPCAT); urges states to lift any reservations they have made to these instruments; encourages states which have signed the OPCAT to better and faster implement the National Prevention Mechanism (NPM);
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44a (new)
Paragraph 44a (new)
44a (new). Encourages states around the world to adopt and effectively implement the Manual on Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, commonly known as the Istanbul Protocol (IP); considers the IP to be a vital instrument to gather evidence and prevent impunity; is convinced that impunity of torturers remains an significant obstacle for the effective prevention of torture as it implicitly encourages the perpetrators to continue their abhorrent practices;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52
Paragraph 52
52. Welcomes actions undertaken to implement the review and upgrade of the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders as reviewed in 2008 such as; notes the development of more than 60 local implementation strategies and the appointment of relevant liaison officers; calls for EU diplomats working in third countries to be fully informed about the provison the EEAS to develop an implementation plan with clear indicators and deadlines in order to continue progress towards effective implementation of the Guidelines; calls on the EEAS, the Council, the Commission and the Member States to take necessary measures to increase awareness of the Guidelines amongst human rights defenders and EU diplomats working in third countries; calls on the EU missions to maintain regular contacts with human rights defenders before taking actions ofn the guidelinesir behalf and provide them with feedback;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52a (new)
Paragraph 52a (new)
52a (new). Emphasizes that during the process of drafting local implementation strategies, which should always be adapted to the political context of the country, a large scope of human rights defenders working in both urban and rural environments on economic, social and cultural rights as well as on civic and political rights should be consulted; notes that local implementation strategies should include a concrete agenda of measures to be taken to improve the protection of human rights defenders and that the impact of these strategies should be evaluated after a reasonable period of time; calls on the Council and the Commission to modify their position on the publicity of the local implementation strategies which should be the general rule and confidentiality the exception, especially when the security of human rights defenders might be affected; urges the EU delegations to make all relevant information regarding the guidelines and its provisions available in the languages of the countries concerned;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52b (new)
Paragraph 52b (new)
52b (new). Urges the HR/VP to institutionalize a policy of always meeting with human rights organisations and human rights defenders when travelling and make sure to include the information obtained at these meetings in the HR/VP's reports back to the Foreign Affairs Council and European Parliament; stresses that the same rule should apply to all EU Special Representatives and other high level EU foreign policy officials working in the EEAS;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53
Paragraph 53
53. Urges the Council, the Commission and the Member States to implement the measures proposed by Parliament in its resolution on EU policies in favour of human rights defenders, adopted in June 2010; with emphasis on measures aimed at providing swift assistance to human rights defenders at risk, such as emergency visas and shelter, and those implying public support and visible recognition of the work of human rights defenders, e.g. public statements, systematic meetings with human rights defenders when visiting a third country;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 54
Paragraph 54
54. Calls, in the context of the implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon, for the EU institutions to establish an interinstitutional cooperation mechanism on human rights defenders; understands that the creation of such a mechanism could be eased by the setting up of focal points for human rights defenders in all the EU institutions and organs, with such focal points working in close cooperation with, with the appointed liaison officers for human rights defenders and those responsible for human rights and democracy in EU missions and delegations; calls on the Commission to establish a mechanismEEAS to set up a statistical database on cases where the EU delegations provided assistance to human rights defenders, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the guidelines;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 57
Paragraph 57
57. Expresses its deep regret at the assassinations of, among others, Stanislav Markelov, Anastasia Baburova and Natalya Estemirova in Russia, the arbitrary detention of Roxana Saberi and Abdolfattah Soltani in Iran, and the trial of Liu Xiaobo in China, all of which took place during the reporting period; urges Chinese authorities to clarify without delay the situation of the prominent human rights lawyer Mr Gao Zhisheng, who disappeared on the 4th February 2009, and to open a fully independent and transparent investigation into his disappearance;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58a (new)
Paragraph 58a (new)
58a (new). Is greatly concerned that Iran has continued in 2008 and 2009 to suppress independent human rights defenders and members of civil society, and that serious violations of human rights have persisted, even increased; condemns the arbitrary arrest, torture and imprisonment of human rights defenders for their work, on the charge of "activities contrary to national security"; regrets the current government policy directed against teachers and academics, barring students from access to higher education, and condemns the persecution and imprisonment of student activists; regrets the turmoil in the aftermath of the 12 June 2009 Presidential elections and violence used by the Iranian authorities, resulting in the arbitrary detention of at least 400 people, reported killing of at least 40, mass trials of people accused of crimes against national security, the ill treatment and torture that took place, and the death sentences issued;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59
Paragraph 59
59. Emphasises the importance of human rights clauses in trade policies, partnerships and trade agreements between the EU and third countries; proposes a ‘highlights the importance to closely monitor the human rights assessment’record of non-EU countries that engage in trade relations with the EU; stresses that such monitoring and assessment should include formal consultations with civil society regarding the impact of these agreements;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 60
Paragraph 60
60. Notes with satisfaction that the functioning of the GSP+ (Generalised System of Preferences) regime is closely monitored and that trade preferences are granted to countries that have ratified and effectively implemented key international conventions on sustainable development, socialhuman rights and good governance; stresses the importance of close monitoring of the ICCPR implementation by Pakistan, which is invited to participate in the GSP+ system;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading before Paragraph 62
Subheading before Paragraph 62
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 63a (new)
Paragraph 63a (new)
63a (new). Takes note of the Amnesty International Report 2010 which highlights the ongoing second trial against former YUKOS oil company chief Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his business associate Platon Lebedev as representative of unfair trials in Russia, and calls upon the Russian Federation to ensure that fundamental norms of due process, rule of law and human rights are respected in the prosecution of these and all other defendants in the country’s justice system;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66a (new)
Paragraph 66a (new)
66a (new). Deeply regrets that during the armed conflict between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia and Abkhazia in August 2008 the violations of international humanitarian law resulted in hundreds of casualties and tens of thousands of displaced individuals; deplores the deliberate destruction of ethnic Georgian villages in South Ossetia and Abkhazia during and after the conflict; stresses that impunity for these violations persists to this day;
Amendment 302 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66a (subheading)
Paragraph 66a (subheading)
Freedom of religion andor belief
Amendment 305 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 67
Paragraph 67
67. Welcomes the Council conclusions on freedom of religion or belief adopted in November 2009; calls on the Council and the Commission to adopt and implement practical measures to fight religious intolerance and discrimination and promote freedom of religion or belief worldwide as it considered in the earlier mentioned conclusions; calls on the Council and the Commission to involve the EP and civil society organisations in the process;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68
Paragraph 68
68. Remains deeply concerned that discrimination based on religion or belief still exists in all regions of the world, and that persons belonging to particular religious communities, including religious minorities, continue to be denied their human rights in many countries, such as North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Maldives, Afghanistan, Yemen, Mauritania, Laos, Uzbekistan, Eritrea, and Egypt; condemns the Chinese authorities for the persecution of individuals who practisce their religion outside officially sanctioned channels, including Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and Falun Gong practitioners; urges China to ratify the ICCPR as it promised; urges the Chinese authorities to refrain from their oppressive policy in Tibet, which might eventually lead to the annihilation of the Tibetan religion and culture; condemns the Iranian authorities for the persecution of individuals belonging to religious minorities, including Christians, Bahá’í, and Muslims who converted to another or no religion; urges the Iranian authorities to protect religious minorities in conformity with its obligations under the ICCPR; urges the authorities of the Russian Federation to impose a moratorium of the implementation of the 2002 Law on Fighting Extremist Activity that is extensively misused to persecute peaceful religious minority groups;
Amendment 316 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68a (new)
Paragraph 68a (new)
68a (new). Urges the EU to develop a toolkit on the advancement of the right to freedom of religion or belief in its external policy; to approach religious freedom as fundamental; to include a checklist on the necessary freedoms pertaining to the right of freedom of religion or belief in order to assess whether they are being respected and to include mechanisms to identify infringements to religious freedom, in order to enhance the promotion of freedom of religion or belief in the work of civil servants, especially in the European External Action Service; involve civil society organisations in the preparation of the toolkit;
Amendment 317 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68b (new)
Paragraph 68b (new)
68b (new). Welcomes the EU’s continuous principle stance in relation to the UNGA (and UNHRC) resolutions on combating defamation of religions; welcomes the resolution on elimination of all forms of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief, tabled by the EU; encourages the EU to continue its striving for a balanced approach between freedom of expression and a prohibition of incitement to religious hatred; encourages the EU to engage in a constructive dialogue with the Organization for Islamic Conference and other supporters of the principle of defamation of religions;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72a (new)
Paragraph 72a (new)
72a (new). Condemns terrorism in all its forms; reminds that terrorism worldwide has resulted in thousands of deaths of innocent civilians and has shattered the lives of many families; takes the view that in the case of terrorist attacks it is imperative to talk first and foremost about the rights of the victims and not the perpetrators; stresses the need to make sure that terrorists are brought to justice;
Amendment 345 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73
Paragraph 73
73. Notes that measures to fight terrorism have resulted in violations of basic human rights in a number of countries around the world, in the form of the application of excessive surveillance measures, illegal detentions and the use of torture as a means of extracting information from suspected terrorists; condemns these violations of human rights and is convinced that civil liberties should not be compromised in the fight against terrorism, as the disruption of normal democratic life in Western societies is precisely what the terrorists are seeking; expresses concern that certain countries are using the fight against terrorism as a cloak to crack down on ethnic minorities and local human rights defenders;
Amendment 369 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 76
Paragraph 76
76. Expresses its disappointment at the lack of progress achieved by the human rights dialogues and consultations; regrets that the involvement of civil society in these dialogues and consultations is not systematically guaranteed and sometimes subject to constraints imposed by the non- EU part; is concerned that even when cases are raised, governments are not fulfilling their commitment to report back to the EU on the individual and structural issues raised within the framework of the dialogue;
Amendment 375 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 79a (new)
Paragraph 79a (new)
79a (new). Calls on the Commission and the Council in their human rights consultations and dialogues with third countries to pay strong attention to the situation of ethnic and religious minorities and the frequent violations of their rights;
Amendment 378 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 80
Paragraph 80
80. Welcomes the establishment of human rights dialogues with each of the Central Asian states – Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan – in 2008; welcomes the first EU-Uzbek civil society seminar on human rights dialogue in October 2008; regrets that the EU-China human rights dialogues have consistently failed to deliver any improvements as regards specific human rights abuses in China; points out that despite some steps taken by the Chinese authorities in the right direction (labour reform, Supreme People’s Court review of death sentences), the human rights situation continues to deteriorate and is marked by widening social unrest and tightening of the control and repression of human rights defenders, lawyers, bloggers, and social activists, as well as by targeted policies aimed at marginalizing Tibetans and their cultural identity; is deeply concerned about the lack of progress of the Sino- Tibetan dialogue; condemns the longstanding oppression of the Uyghur population in East Turkestan and deplores the non-adherence of the Chinese authorities to the safeguards of freedoms including those of expression, demonstration, assembly, religion and person contained within the constitution of the People’s Republic of China, also deplores the population transfer policies of the People’s Republic of China which is intended to dilute the culture of the Uyghur population and fragment their unity; expresses its disappointment that EU-Russia human rights consultations have not yielded any substantial results; welcomes the launch in 2009 of human rights dialogues with Indonesia, and the holding of the first dialogue meetings with Georgia and Armenia;
Amendment 384 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 81
Paragraph 81
81. Welcomes the first EU-Belarus human rights dialogue, which took place in June 2009, while regretting that the dialogue has not led sohuman rights situation in that country remains dire with continuing restrictions faor to any substantial changes in the human rights situation in that countryfreedom of associations, assembly and expression, repressions against human rights defenders, journalists;
Amendment 388 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 82
Paragraph 82
82. Notes that in April 2009 the parliament of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) revised the country’s constitution to include, among other things, a provision that North Korea ‘respects and protects human rights’, calls on the North Korean authorities to make clear positive steps towards improving human rights conditions, stresses that not only constitutional provisions, but also constructive measures, should be taken into account when evaluating the human rights situation in the country; expresses the hopeurges the leadership of thate North Korea will show an interest into engaginge constructively in human rights dialogues with the EU;
Amendment 390 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 82a (new)
Paragraph 82a (new)
85a (new). Remains concerned that the human rights dialogue with Iran has been frozen since 2006 due to the absence of any positive progress in improving the human rights situation and a lack of cooperation from Iran; calls on the Iranian authorities to resume this dialogue with a view to supporting all civil society stakeholders who are committed to democracy, and to strengthen – through peaceful and non-violent means – existing processes that can foster democratic, institutional and constitutional reforms, ensure the sustainability of those reforms and consolidate the involvement of all Iranian human rights defenders and civil society representatives in policy-making processes, reinforcing the role played by them in the general political discourse; is deeply concerned that, in 2008 and 2009, the human rights situation in Iran has worsened and the restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly have persisted; in this context, is deeply concerned by the suppression of the journalists, writers, scholars and women's rights and human rights activists; remains concerned about the repression of ethnic and religious minorities in Iran;