Activities of László TŐKÉS related to 2012/2145(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Annual report on human rights and democracy in the world 2011 and the European Union's policy on the matter - EU's human rights strategy (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the annual report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2011 and the European Union’s policy on the matter PDF (546 KB) DOC (695 KB)
Amendments (25)
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)
Citation 13 a (new)
- having regard to the Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions on the European Neighbourhood Policy adopted on June 20th, 2011 at its 3101st meeting
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 b (new)
Citation 13 b (new)
- having regard to the Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions on the European Endowment for Democracy adopted on December 1st 2011, at its 3130th meeting and the Declaration on the establishment of a European Endowment for Democracy agreed in COREPER on 15th of December 2011
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 28 a (new)
Citation 28 a (new)
- having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 20 January 2011 on the situation of Christians in the context of freedom of religion1; __________________ 1 Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0021
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 29 a (new)
Citation 29 a (new)
- having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions from 25 October 2011 entitled "A renewed EU strategy 2011-14 for Corporate Social Responsibility";
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 29 b (new)
Citation 29 b (new)
- having regard to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Regrets that selective justice frequently manifests itself in new and transitional democracies under the guise of the rule of law and war on corruption; regrets that selective justice has become little more than a means to seek political revenge and to settle accounts with political dissenters by intimidating and marginalising opposition, especially in the run-up to elections; remains concerned about the crime allegations and politically motivated charges against members of the opposition in Ukraine, and urges the Ukrainian authorities to put an end to the ongoing harassment of the opposition which is a serious obstacle in the country's efforts to guarantee rule of law and democratic values;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Reiterates its strong support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the fight against impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern; calls on the EU and its Member States to continue their political, diplomatic, logistical and financial backing of the ICC and other international criminal tribunals, including the ad hoc international tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the Special Court for Sierra Leone, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon; regrets that without UN Security Council agreement, a referral of Syria to ICC is impossible
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Emphasises the mutually reinforcing nature of human rights and democracy, as it is through respect for human rights that societies create the free political space needed for peaceful democratic contestation; welcomes the decision to create European Endowment for Democracy expressed in: 2011 in Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions on the European Neighbourhood Policy adopted on June 20th, 2011, the Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions on the European Endowment for Democracy adopted on December 1st 2011 and the Declaration on the establishment of a European Endowment for Democracy agreed in COREPER on 15th of December 2011, which with the support and input expressed in European Parliament recommendation of 29 March 2012 to the Council on the modalities for the possible establishment of a European Endowment for Democracy (EED) (2011/2245(INI)), led to the establishment of European Endowment for Democracy in following year 2012, to support pro-democratic agents of change in pre-transition and in democratic transition countries
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38a. welcomes measures undertaken and plans developed in 2011 by UE institutions and Member States aimed at creation of a more coherent and coordinated policy supporting Corporate Social Responsibility among others for human rights in the world and implementation of 2011 UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Reiterates its concern, however, with the persistently disappointing lack of progress in a number of human rights dialogues, and the lack of transparent benchmarks to genuinely assess improvements or deterioration in human rights; notes the continued EU difficulties to negotiate improved modalities for the dialogueits human rights dialogues in particular with China and Russia; calls on the newly appointed EUSR on Human Rights to inject new momentum into these and other dialogues;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Remains disappointed that there has been no systematic involvement of Parliament in the assessments of the human rights dialogue, including for Russia and China; calls for Parliament's access to these assessments to be formalised, and recalls that the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Dialogues state that ‘civil society will be involved in this assessment exercise’;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
46. Recommends, in order to enhance the credibility of the human rights clause and the predictability of EU action, that the clause be further developed to include political and legal procedural mechanisms to be used in the event of a request for the suspension of bilateral cooperation on the grounds of repeated and/or systematic human rights violations in breach of international law;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
Paragraph 47
47. Notes that the EU is developing a human rights monitoring mechanism to be included as part of new partnership and cooperation agreements, and other trade agreements, with a number of countries; is concerned that these monitoring mechanisms are not ambitious enough and not clearly defined, compromising the EU's treaty commitment to the promotion of human rights and democracy in the world;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48
Paragraph 48
48. Reiterates its recommendation that the EU adopt a more systematic policy on EU sanctionconsistent and efficient policy on EU sanctions and restrictive measures, providing clear criteria for when restrictive measuresthese are to be applied and what type of sanctions should be applied, and including transparent benchmarks for their lifting of sanction; calls on the Council to ensure that there are no double standards when deciding on restrictive measures or sanctions and that these are applied regardless of political, economic and security interests;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 57
Paragraph 57
57. Regrets that persecution and marginalisation of human rights defenders remain a widespread tendency in China, Russparticular China, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia and all other countries that still mistake high human rights standards for an imposition of the EU, the UN and global human rights organisations; regrets that disbarred lawyers in China and politically persecuted journalists and media workers are regarded as an internal affair;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 64
Paragraph 64
64. Welcomes the assessment by human rights organisations that the use of the death penalty in 2011 broadly confirms the global trend towards abolition; regrets, however, that there was a significant increase in executions in Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia; expresses serious disappointment at the refusal of China to disclose credible information about its use of death penalty and executions that, according to Amnesty International, number in the thousands; welcomes the abolition of the death penalty in the US state of Illinois but regrets that the United States continues to execute people despite being the only G8 country to do so in 2011; recalls with concern that Belarus is the only European country to continue use the death penalty; urges the EU and its Member States consistently to bring this issue up in their dialogues with these countrieswelcomes the abolition of the death penalty in the US state of Illinois but regrets that the United States continues to execute people despite being the only G8 country to do so in 2011;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 64 a (new)
Paragraph 64 a (new)
Amendment 305 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72 a (new)
Paragraph 72 a (new)
72a. Emphasises that traditional national minority communities have specific needs different from other minority groups and there is a need to safeguard equal treatment of these minorities with regard to education, healthcare, social services and other public services, furthermore to promote in all areas of economic, social, political and cultural life full and effective equality between persons belonging to a national minority and those belonging to the majority;
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 81
Paragraph 81
81. Remains deeply concerned that discrimination based on religion or belief continues and has increased in many regions of the world, and that persons belonging to particular religious communities, including religious minorities, continue to be denied their human rights; is particularly concerned by the situation in China where individuals who practise their religion outside officially sanctioned channels, including Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and Falun Gong practitioners, often face persecution; urges China to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) as it has promised; urges the Chinese authorities to suspend and subsequently amend, through genuinely consultative processes with Tibetans, the policies that most negatively impact Tibetan Buddhism, culture and tradition;
Amendment 364 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 81 a (new)
Paragraph 81 a (new)
Amendment 368 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 81 b (new)
Paragraph 81 b (new)
81b. Is particularly concerned by the situation in China where individuals who practise their religion outside officially sanctioned channels, including Christians, Muslims, Buddhists systematically face persecution, despite the constitutional guarantee for freedom of religion in China; further calls on the Chinese governments to put an end to its campaign of ill-treatment and harassment directed at Falun Gong practitioners who face long prison terms and re-education through labour facilities for exercising their right to freedom of religion and belief, aimed at forcing them to renounce their spiritual beliefs, despite China's ratification of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment;
Amendment 369 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 81 c (new)
Paragraph 81 c (new)
81c. Urges China to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) as it has promised, as well as to respect all its human rights related international obligations and constitutional provisions for religious freedom for all its citizens;
Amendment 370 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 81 d (new)
Paragraph 81 d (new)
81d. Urges the Chinese authorities to suspend and subsequently amend, through genuinely consultative processes with Tibetans, the policies that are destructive to Tibetan Buddhism, culture and tradition and instead allow Tibetans to preserve, practice and develop their religious traditions; it further urges the authorities to stop imposing restrictions on religious education, training of clergy, day-to-day management of monasteries and nunneries, and on the conduct of religious practice and festivals, as methods part of official systematic efforts to eradicate religious belief;
Amendment 392 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 83
Paragraph 83
83. Stresses that international human rights law recognises freedom of religion or belief regardless of registration status, so registration should not be a mandatory precondition for practising one's religion; points out with concern, furthermore, that in China monks and nunsall individuals wishing to practice a religion, including the five official religions - Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim, Roman Catholic and Protestant - are required to register with the Government, and must operate under Government-controlled management boards, and that this interferes with their religious autonomy and restricts their activity; further notes with concern that unregistered religious groups, including house churches and Falun Gong practitioners, face different degrees of ill- treatment, restricting their activities and gatherings, confiscating their property and even facing detention and imprisonment;
Amendment 396 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 83 a (new)
Paragraph 83 a (new)
83a. Notes with concern the low level of respect for religious freedom in many countries, and in some cases increasing restrictions of religious freedom leading to societal intolerance in countries such as Nigeria, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, North Korea; further urges governments to stop using blasphemy laws to restrict the rights of religious minorities, as in the case of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and to stop the use of extremism charges to target minority religions as in Russia