Activities of Anna FOTYGA related to 2022/2195(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on Uzbekistan
Amendments (26)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
– having regard to Uzbekistan's 2021 - 2026 National Strategy to counter extremism and terrorism,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)
Citation 18 a (new)
– having regard to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment of 1984,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 b (new)
Citation 18 b (new)
– having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989,
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas protests erupted in the Republic of Karakalpakstan on 1 July 2022 following the publication of the proposed amendments to Uzbekistan’s constitution, which would have abolished its status as a sovereign republic within Uzbekistan and its right to secede; whereas at least 21 people were killed, in the ensuing crackdown by the authoritiecluding 4 law enforcement officers and at least 243 people were injured; whereas 516 people were detained, including journalists, and some were held incommunicado for weeks following the protests; whereas 22 people were sentenced on 13 January 2023 for their participation in the unrest and Dauletmurat Tajimuratov, a lawyer accused of leading the unrest, was sentenced to 16 years in prison; whereas on 7 February 2023 the trial started against another 39 people charged with participating in the protests; whereas human rights groups and activists reported that security forces used unjustifiable lethal force and other excessive responses to disperse mainly peaceful protesters;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas on 19 April 2023 early voting started in Uzbekistan for a referendum on a new constitution, which amongst others, would enable President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to seek a third or even potentially a fourth term as President;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
Ec. whereas child marriages are still prevalent in some rural areas of Uzbekistan and hinder women's rights in the country by limiting their educational and job opportunities; whereas domestic violence against women remains a problem that should be dealt with greater attention; whereas there is a lack of investigation and accountability for gender-based violence in Uzbekistan; whereas on 6 April 2023, the Parliament of Uzbekistan adopted the landmark legislation that aims to provide women and children with greater legal protections against gender-based violence; whereas the new law must still be approved by the President before it can come into effect; whereas the long- anticipated bill was approved unanimously by the upper house of the Parliament and is the first legislation of its kind in Uzbekistan to specifically target domestic abuse;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E d (new)
Recital E d (new)
Ed. whereas in light of growing Chinese influence in the region, Uzbekistan and China have been expanding their economic cooperation in recent years; whereas the China- Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway project would open up Uzbekistan's gateway to South Asia and connect the two regions while avoiding Taliban- controlled Afghanistan but also will serve as a core part of the Belt and Road Initiative;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E e (new)
Recital E e (new)
Ee. whereas while Uzbekistan's government expresses its neutrality on Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, Uzbekistan serves as a transship point to Russia and Belarus of goods and technologies under sanctions; whereas Uzbekistan has stated that it recognises Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and does not recognise Russia's annexation of Crimea and any other regions of Ukraine occupied by Russia;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E f (new)
Recital E f (new)
Ef. whereas great potential exists to increase trade relations between the EU and Uzbekistan, including metals, textile and apparels; whereas Uzbekistan's cotton industry can act as an important alternative to China's textile industry, in Member States' efforts to divest away from China and taking into account the gross violations of human rights in China, in particular in Xinjiang, where Uyghur detainees work as forced labourers to produce textiles;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E g (new)
Recital E g (new)
Eg. whereas Uzbekistan adopted the National Strategy to counter extremism and terrorism for 2021-2026 in July 2021; whereas the stated aim of the Strategy is to pursue an effective and coordinated state policy to counter extremism and terrorism, to ensure national security and the rights and freedoms of citizens; whereas the Taliban takover of Afghanistan heightened Uzbekistan's concerns about the potential spillover of terrorism from Afghanistan to its Central Asian neighbours, particularly by ISIS- Khorasan Province, as well as the Islamic Jihad Union, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Katibat al-Imam al-Bukhari and Jamaat Ansarullah; whereas Uzbekistan continues to remain an active participant in the C5+1 diplomatic platform and related counter-terrorism / counter violent extremism (CT/CVE) cooperation;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E h (new)
Recital E h (new)
Eh. whereas the government of Uzbekistan has been making efforts to balance economic growth with environmental protection; whereas reported environmental concerns include land degradation, soil salinization, reduced water quality and water erosion;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Expresses concern about the referendum on a new constitution that would allow President Mirziyoyev to run for two more consecutive terms; reminds the government of Uzbekistan that the EPCA includes even stronger emphasis on the rule of law than the previous PCA;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Encourages the EU and Member States to explore strengthening economic relations with Uzbekistan and to cooperate closer in international organisations;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Welcomes Uzbekistan's 2021 - 2026 National Strategy to counter extremism and terrorism and calls on the EU and Member States to explore closer counter-terrorism cooperation, especially in ensuring no spillover of terrorism from Afghanistan to the wider region;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that Uzbekistan is uniquely positioned to be the driving force for regional cooperation that would help Central Asia become a more resilient, prosperous and more closely interconnected economic and political space; welcomes Uzbekistan's engagement in C5+1 format; encourages the EU to intensify its political engagement with Central Asia in line with its geostrategic importance; underlines the great potential of mutually beneficial cooperation on sustainable connectivity, in particular through its Global Gateway on initiative, energy and security but also through a multi-faceted approach to diversify trade routes, foster greater private investment, cooperation in science and technology, health care, industrial production, capacity building and providing job training, education and fostering people to people contacts;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recognises that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its implications present both challenges and opportunities for Uzbekistan and other Central Asian states, which have traditionally maintained close relations with Russia; notes that Uzbekistan abstained in the votes on the United Nations General Assembly resolutions on Ukraine, in particular those of 2 March 2022, 24 March 2022 and 23 February 2023 demanding an end to the Russian offensive and immediate withdrawal from Ukraine; notes that Uzbekistan opposed the expulsion of Russia from the UN Human Rights Council on 7 April 2022; notes the commitment ofcalls on the political leadership of Uzbekistan not to allow the circumvention of sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus; welcomes that the government and the people of Uzbekistan have stepped up to provide food and medical assistance to Ukraine; invites the Uzbek government and people to continue providing assistance to Ukraine in the face of Russia's war of aggression;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes Uzbekistan’s long-standing and close relations with Afghanistan, which have continued after the takeover by Taliban; commends its efforts to mitigate the severe humanitarian crisis in the country through the provision of humanitarian aid and electricity; invites Uzbekistan to use its contacts with the Taliban to call for respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Afghans, in particular women, girls and minorities, which are essential conditions for greater international engagement with Afghanistan; reiterates its strong condemnation of the Taliban’s decisions to ban women and girls from attending secondary and university education and to prohibit the employment of women with non-governmental organisations and welcomes Uzbekistan's humanitarian assistance to Afghan women and girls;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Welcomes the statement of Uzbekistan's Embassy in Moscow in response to calls of some Uzbek citizens residing in Russia to join Russia's ongoing unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, in which the Embassy stated that any form of participation in military activities on the territory of foreign countries is considered to be a mercenary activity and will be punished by up to 10 years in prison;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Invites the government of Uzbekistan to step up efforts to balance economic growth with environmental protection, including land degradation, soil salinization, reduced water quality and water erosion;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Invites the authorities of Uzbekistan to engage more intensively in the efforts by Kazakhstan and the international community to revert the disastrous agricultural policy by the Soviet Union, which led to the collapse of an entire ecosystem of the Aral Sea, one of the planet's worst environmental disasters; is of the opinion that to successfully address the adverse effects of the Aral Sea disaster, much stronger efforts of the Uzbek government are needed, with support of the international community to share innovative technologies and to financially assist in achieving this goal;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Regrets the loss of life during protests in the Republic of Karakalpakstan on 1 and 2 July 2022; calls on the authorities of Uzbekistan to refrain from using disproportionate force against peaceful protesters and calls on the authorities to investigate the actions and harsh repression of the security services that led to deaths and injuries among the protesters and calls on the authorities to bring those responsible to justice; calls for the independence and transparency of the judicial process to be ensured in the cases linked to the protests; welcomes the Uzbek authorities’ commitment to maintaining the current constitutional status of Karakalpakstan;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses the need to ensure respect for the rights of journalists, independent bloggers and human rights defenders and their protection against harassment, pressure and threats and to investigate any attacks against them; reminds the authorities of the importance of upholding the freedom of expression, both online and offline, the freedom of assembly, the freedom of association and the independence of the media;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Strongly condemns the reports of torture, cruel and inhuman treatment in detention and prisons in Uzbekistan and calls on the authorities to investigate the reported incidents in a transparent manner;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. NWelcomes the adoption on 6 April 2023 of the landmark legislation that aims to provide women and children with greater legal protections against gender- based violence; calls on President Mirziyoyev to approve the legislation in order for it to come into effect; notes that despite the adoption of a number of laws, including the Law on Protection of Women from Harassment and Violence of 2019, gender-based violence against women remains widespread; regrets that domestic violence is not defined or specifically criminalised in Uzbekistan’s legislation; calls on the authorities to take measures to bring Uzbekistan into line with its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, as indicated in the concluding observations on the sixth periodic report of Uzbekistan by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women; calls on Uzbek authorities to work with civil society organisations and international partners to address these issues; encourages the authorities to step up efforts to stop child marriage in Uzbekistan and calls on the government of Uzbekistan to do more to end its practice in the country and protect the rights of girls and boys, including the right to education for girls and women;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Welcomes Uzbekistan's progress in labour rights, such as the Labour Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan that comes into force on 30 April 2023 and introduces innovations in the regulation of individual labour relations as well as the first-ever annual report on enforcement of labour standards of 2021; in particular welcomes the eradication of the pervasive practice of child and forced labour in the cotton sector, which has been confirmed and reported by the International Labor Organization last year; is convinced that this is a historic achievement and that it may serve as a model for neighbouring countries facing similar challenges; encourages the government to promote similar efforts in other sectors and invites the Uzbek authorities to continue to implement labour rights protection and invites the Uzbek authorities to continue to implement labour rights protection in other sectors and improved compliance with the international labour standards and ILO recommendations;