38 Amendments of Ana GOMES related to 2018/2150(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1
Citation 1
— having regard to its previous resolutions on Turkey, in particular those of 24 November 2016 on EU-Turkey relations1 , of 27 October 2016 on the situation of journalists in Turkey2 , and of 8 February 2018 on the human rights situation in Turkey3 , _________________ 1 2 3[3] and of 13 November 2014 on Turkish actions creating tensions in the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus, _________________ 1 Texts adopted, P8_TA(2016)0450. Texts adopted, P8_TA(2016)0450. 2 Texts adopted, P8_TA(2016)0423. Texts adopted, P8_TA(2016)0423. Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0040.
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3
Citation 3
— having regard to the Presidency conclusions of 13 December 2016 and the Council Conclusions of 26 June 2018, and to the previous relevant Council and European Council conclusions,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7
Citation 7
— having regard to the declaration issued by the European Community and its Member States on 21 September 2005, including the provision that the recognition of all Member States is a necessary component of the negotiations, and to the need for Turkey to proceed to the normalization of its relations with all Member States and to fully implement the Additional Protocol to the Ankara Agreement towards all MS, by removing all obstacles to the free movement of goods, withoutincluding restrictions orn means of transport, without prejudice and discrimination,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
- having regard to the Fact-finding Visit by the Committee on Petitions to Famagusta, Cyprus (07-08.05.2018),
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9
Citation 9
— having regard to Article 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which states that the contracting parties undertake to abide by the final judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in any case to which they are parties, and to the obligation of Turkey to implement all judgements of the European Courts,
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
- having regard to the EU Guidelines to promote and protect the enjoyment of all human rights by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons, adopted by the Council in 2013,
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16
Citation 16
— having regard to the Commission recommendation of 21 December 2016 for a Council dDecision authorising the opening of negotiations with Turkey on an aAgreement on the extension of the scope of the bilateral preferential trade relationship and on the modernisation of the Customs Union, as well as the Council Conclusions of 26 June 2018 stating that no further work towards the modernisation of the EU-Turkey Customs Union is foreseen,
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the decision of 19 July 2018 to lift the state of emergency, which was introduced after the 2016 coup attempt and extended 7 times; notes that the prolonged state of emergency has led to an erosion of the rule of law and deterioration of human rights in Turkeyhowever regrets that the new legislation introduced in July basically enables the State of Emergency to continue for three more years with all the applications to limit freedoms and basic human rights and that invalidates the lifting of State of Emergency; notes that the prolonged state of emergency has led to an erosion of the rule of law and deterioration of human rights in Turkey; is concerned that many of the procedures envisaged during the State of Emergency are still being applied by police forces and local administrators; regrets that the adoption of new legislative proposals preserves many of the abusive powers granted to the President and the executive under the state of emergency and thereby dampens any positive effect of its termination;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Is deeply concerned by the fact that more than 300 000 passports have been cancelled since the start of the State of Emergency in 2016 and that in addition to those of detainees, the passports of the relatives of the detainees and suspects have been cancelled; regrets that no progress has been made after the presidential statement that promised the enabling of the passports of the relatives of detainees;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. RecallsIs deeply concerned that over 150 200.000 people were taken into custody in the post-coup crackdown and 78 000 have been arrested on terrorism charges, while more than 50 000 people remain in jail; notes that many of these detainees have been arrested without any evidence of violence but just evidence showing their links to the Gülen Movement such as their newspaper subscription, the banks they use for their deposits and financial transactions, the schools their kids attended or the companies they worked for; notes that these individuals have never been charged with any links to violence but still charged with terrorism; expresses concern at the excessively lengthy pre-trial detention and judicial proceedings, the fact that in several cases no -indictment has been issued yet, and the harshness of detention conditions for all the detained people, in particular to women who are arrested just after giving birth to their babies and regrets that there are currently more than 700 children in Turkish prisons; is particularly concerned at the fact that such arrests seem to also target legitimate voices of dissenta wide range of people including voices of dissent, human rights defenders, or members of the opposition; is very worried at the allegations of ill-treatment and torture of those in prison, as reported by several human rights organisations; is deeply concerned about the reports indicating that long term solitary confinement is applied very wide spread and turns into a second punishment for the detainees;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Deeply regrets the ongoing Mafioso abduction of Turkish citizens elsewhere, notably in Moldova and Kosovo by the Turkish intelligence; calls on the European Commission, the European External Action Service and the Member States to provide support to EU Neighbourhood countries not to let illegal abductions to take place in those countries;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that since the introduction of the state of emergency more than 152 000 civil servants - including teachers, doctors, (peace) academics, judges and prosecutors - have been dismissed; notes that 125 000 people applied to the Inquiry Commission on the State of Emergency Measures (CoSEM), which is tasked with reviewing and deciding within two years on complaints against measures taken under the state of emergency and related decrees, and 89 000 of them are still awaiting a decision, notes that from the ones who received a response, only 7 percent of the applications have received a favourable outcome and the rest were all dismissed by the commission; is concerned about the narrow scope of the mandate of the Inquiry Commission, its lack of independence, and the fact that examinations are made on the sole basis of documents in the case-file, without participation of the person concerned; notes that the dismissals have had an extremely harsh impact on the individuals concerned and on their families, including financially, and come with a lasting social and professional stigma; calls on the Turkish government to ensure that all individuals have the right to have their cases reviewed by an independent court that can award compensation for the material and moral damage caused by their arbitrary dismissal; calls on the Turkish authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all detained academics, drop all charges and end all judicial harassment against them; calls on the Council of Europe and European Court of Human Rights to review the decision to accept Inquiry Commission on the State of Emergency Mesasures (CoSEM) as a valid internal remedy due to its lack of independence and impartiality;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Condemns the increased executive control over and political interference with the work of judges and prosecutors; stresses that a serious reform of the legislative and judicial branches of power is needed for Turkey to comply with its obligations under international human rights law; is worried that the dismissal of more than 4500 judges and prosecutors from their profession and the fact of keeping most of them in prison and many in solitary confinement since the start of State of Emergency has turned into a direct threat to independence and impartiality of judiciary; also considers that the arrest of more than 600 lawyers and starting investigations for more than 1500 of them is an obstacle to the right to defend and a violation of the right to fair trial; is awaiting, in this regard, the Reform Action Group’s action plan on judicial reforms;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Expresses concern at the shrinking space for civil society and the promotion of fundamental rights and freedoms; notes that a large number of activists, including human rights defenders, were arrested and demonstrations were recurrently banned during the state of emergency; calls on Turkey to protect the fundamental rights of minorities, such as LGBTI people, the Kurdish minority and other faith minorities, such as the Alevi minority;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Expresses concern about violations against the human rights of LGBTI people, in particular the repeated bans of Pride marches and LGBTI-related events across the country which are still being imposed, despite the lift of the state of emergency, an attack against LGBTI organisation SPoD, distribution of openly homophobic and transphobic flyers in Izmir and elsewhere; calls for the discriminatory bans on LGBTI-related events across Turkey - including the indefinite discriminatory ban on LGBTI events still in effect in Ankara - to be overturned;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Urges Turkish authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all detained human rights defenders, drop charges and quash sentences against them; highlights that Turkish authorities must end all judicial harassment, threats, and intimidation against human rights defenders, their families and colleagues, and enable them in all circumstances to carry out their work free of threat and impediment;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Condemns the detention and judicial harassment of human rights lawyers in Turkey, including those from the People’s Law Office, and calls for their immediate and unconditional release; deeply concerned about the situation of refugee rights defenders including Ayşe Lerzan Caner Conde;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6 c. Calls on the EU and the Member States to increase their protection and support for human rights defenders at risk in Turkey, including through emergency grants, and ensure full implementationof the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders by the EU Delegation and the Member States through their embassies and consulates in Turkey;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Condemns the arbitrary detention of Osman Kavala, a prominent and respected leading civil society figure in Turkey, who, to date, has been detained without indictment for more than a year; pledges to continue to follow his case very closely and calls for his immediate and unconditional release; equally condemns the dubious arrest on November 16, 2018 of 13 prominent figures from academia and a nongovernmental group, a sign that deepens Turkey’s repressive climate and cycle of injustice;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Is deeply concerned at the situation in Turkey’s South-East and the serious allegations of human rights abuses, especially since the collapse of the Kurdish settlement process in 2015; reiterates its firm condemnation of the return to violence by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been on the EU list of terrorist organisations since 2002; recalls, on this regard, the recent ruling of the European Court of Justice to keep the PKK on EU's terror list; stresses the urgency of resuming a credible political process leading to a peaceful settlement of the Kurdish issue; calls on Turkey to promptly investigate serious allegations of human rights abuses and killings and to allow international observers to carry out an independent verification;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Regrets that Turkey-backed armed groups in the Free Syrian Army (FSA) have seized, looted, and destroyed property of Kurdish civilians in the Afrin district of northern Syria; recalls that Turkey and the FSA groups in Afrin should compensate displaced residents whose property they have seized, destroyed, or looted, and should not permanently deprive residents of their property;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Condemns the continued arrest of Selahattin Demirtas, opposition leader and presidential candidate; pledges to continue to follow his case very closely and calls for his immediate and unconditional release; expects the European Court of Human Rights to deliver without delay its final judgement in the case; recalls that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) urged Turkey in November 2018 to swiftly process the legal case of Selahattin Demirtas saying his pre-trial detention had gone on longer than could be justified; recalls also that the ECHR found that the judicial authorities had extended Mr Demirtas’ detention on grounds that could not be regarded as ‘sufficient’ to justify its duration and that Turkey has to take all necessary measures to put an end to the applicant’s pre-trial detention, also according to the ruling;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission and the Member States, taking all of the above into account andTaking all of the above into account, calls on the Commission and the Council of the European Union, in accordance with the Negotiating Framework, to formally suspend the accession negotiations with Turkey till Turkey complies with the Copenhagen criteria and fully implement its contractual obligations towards all MSs, including the Additional Protocol to the EC-Turkey Association Agreement vis-à- vis the Republic of Cyprus; remains, however, committed to democratic dialogue with Turkey; asks the Commission to use, during the formal suspension of negotiations, all funds available under IPA II and the future IPA III to support, through a dedicated envelope directly managed by the EU, Turkey’s civil society, and to increase opportunities for people-to-people contacts, academic dialogue, access for Turkish students to European universities and media platforms for journalists;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Calls on the European Council for a EU embargo on arms sales to Turkey as a response to its expansionary and repressive policy outside of Turkey;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Believes that a door should be left open for the modernisation and upgrading of the 1995 Customs Union between the EU and Turkey, to include relevant areas such as agriculture, services and public procurement, which currently are not covered; recalls that two thirds of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Turkey comes from EU Member States and that Turkey is an important growth market for the EU; believes that the upgrade would provide a valuable opportunity for democratic conditionality, positive leverage and the possibility of a roadmap where upgrading the Customs Union would go hand in hand with concrete commitments by Turkey on democratic reforms, upholding human rights standards, open civil society space, and an enabling environment for human rights defenders; believes further that the upgrading of the Customs Union would provide an important opportunity for policy dialogue on climate change as well as on labour rights in Turkey; calls on the Commission to start preparatory work for the upgrading of the Customs Union as soon as the Turkish Government indicates its readiness for serious reforms;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Is worried about the fluctuation of the Turkish currency since the summer, bringing instability to its citizens; is concerned that the confiscation of thousands of companies and individual wealth, adding up to tens of billions of dollars, in accordance with the accusations related to being a member of Gülen Movement is violation of free market economy and is threatening the general efficiency of the economy in addition to the burden it creates on risk management of the companies that are willing to invest in Turkey;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Points out that trade union freedom and social dialogue are vital to the development of a pluralistic society; regrets the legislative shortcomings on labour and trade union rights and stresses that the right to organise, the right to collective bargaining and the right to strike are fundamental rights of workers; is deeply concerned about the forced closure of trade unions after the Coup Attempt in 2016; strongly criticizes the decisions accepting membership to a trade union as a criminal evidence in judicial cases, believes that such decisions would further endanger the status of trade unions in the country; is seriously concerned about the working conditions for workers during the construction of the new Istanbul airport, given that reportedly 38 workers have died in work-related accidents since the start of construction in May 2015 and 31 people, including a union leader, are currently held in prison for protesting against poor working conditions; calls on the Turkish authorities to consult closely with the relevant trade unions on the issue of necessary safeguards for workers on-site, to carry out a thorough investigation into the deaths and injuries, and to allow trade unions full access to the workers;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes that visa liberalisation is of great importance for Turkish citizens, particularly for students, academics, business representatives, and people with family ties in EU Mmember Sstates; encouragescalls on the Turkish Government to fullywithdraw unilateral declarations and to fully and in a non-discriminatory manner comply with the 72 criteria identified in the visa liberalisation roadmap, towards all MSs; stresses that the revision of Turkey’s anti- terrorism legislation is a key condition forto ensuring fundamental rights and freedoms, and that visa liberalisation willcould be possible once all the criteria have been met; fully and effectively met, in a non- discriminatory manner, towards all MS, including cooperation on JHA issues and non-discriminatory access to the Turkish territory for the citizens of all EU Member States;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Recalls the important role played by Turkey in responding to the migration crisis resulting from the war in Syria; takes the view that Turkey’s population has shown great hospitality by offering shelter to more than 3 million Syrian refugees; calls on the EU and its Member States to keep their promise regarding a large-scale resettlement, and to ensure adequate financial resources for the long-term support of Syrian refugees in Turkey; is concerned that the European Court of Auditors on its last report on 13 November 2018 noted that Turkey refused to share information with the EU auditors regarding the details of the expenditures about the spending of €1.1 billion granted by the EU to Turkey to help Syrian refugees and calls on the Commission to put pressure on Turkish government to make the data on the beneficiaries available before granting the next tranche of the assistance, as per Court’s recommendation;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Recalls the important role played by Turkey in responding to the migration crisis resulting from the war in Syria; takes the view that Turkey’s population has shown great hospitality by offering shelter to more than 3 million Syrian refugees; calls on the EU and its Member States to keep their promise regarding a large-scale resettlement, and to ensure adequate financial resources for the long-term support of Syrian refugees in Turkey; is concerned by reports that the border with Syria has been effectively closed to new asylum seekers, that several provinces suspended registration of newcomers, as well as by reports of abuses, excessive use of force, expulsions, returns and deportations of Syrian nationals, in contradiction of the non-refoulement principle, and calls on the European Commission to seek information and publicly report about abuses reportedly committed;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Paragraph 18 c (new)
18 c. Calls on Turkey to cooperate with relevant international organizations, especially the Council of Europe, in preventing and combatting illicit trafficking and the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage within Turkey and the occupied part of Cyprus;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 d (new)
Paragraph 18 d (new)
18 d. Reiterates its call on Turkey to comply with the EU declaration issued on September 21, 2005 and to fulfil its obligation of full, non-discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the EC-Turkey Association Agreement vis-à-vis all Member States, including the Republic of Cyprus, regrets that Turkey has still not made progress towards the normalization of its relations with the Republic of Cyprus; reiterates that recognition of all Member States is a necessary component of the accession process, of Customs Union and of every agreement between the EU and Turkey and calls for progress without any further delay;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 e (new)
Paragraph 18 e (new)
18 e. Recalls its position adopted in the report on the implementation of the Common Foreign and Security Policy in 2017 about the importance of ensuring the coherence of EU policy as regards situations involving the occupation or annexation of territory; recalls, in this regard, that the immediate withdrawal of Turkish occupation forces and the full restoration of the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus, in line with the UNSC resolutions, should be the first step for achieving a long-term political solution, guaranteeing the well-being, security and democratic rights of all Cypriots;
Amendment 308 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Praises the important work of the Committee on Missing Persons and calls on Turkey to allow unconditional and full access to military zones and all relevant sites and to provide relevant information from its military and other archives, thus maximising the effectiveness of the excavations conducted by the CMP;
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19 b. Underlines the lawful right of the Republic of Cyprus to enter into bilateral agreements concerning its exclusive economic zone, explore and exploit its natural resources and reiterates its calls on Turkey to show restraint, to refrain from any further threat or action and to respect Cyprus’ sovereignty over its territorial sea and Cyprus’ sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone; expresses serious concern over Turkey's renewed threats and provocations; urges Turkey to engage in the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with the United Nations Charter, and to refrain from any threat or action which might have negative effects on good neighbourly relations;
Amendment 317 #
19 c. Calls on Turkey to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which has been signed and ratified by the EU and its 28 Member States, without further delay; reiterates its call on Turkey to respect the sovereignty and sovereign rights of Member States over their territorial sea and airspace and their lawful right to enter into bilateral agreements and to explore and exploit natural resources in accordance with the EU acquis and international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea;
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 d (new)
Paragraph 19 d (new)
19 d. Reiterates relevant ECtHR decisions and calls on the Turkish Government to immediately stop the violation of the human rights of the Cypriot citizens and stop depriving them of the enjoyment and exercise of their property, religious and other human rights stemming from the constitutional order of the Republic of Cyprus and the acquis communautaire, as well as the fundamental principles and values of the EU;