76 Amendments of Marietje SCHAAKE related to 2010/2202(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7a (new)
Citation 7a (new)
- having regard to Council Common Position 2003/444/CFSP of 16 June 2003 on the International Criminal Court and to the Council's Action Plan following up on Common Position; recalling the essential role of the International Criminal Court in preventing the serious crimes within its jurisdiction;
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7b (new)
Citation 7b (new)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7c (new)
Citation 7c (new)
- having regard that it is the duty of every State to exercise its criminal jurisdiction over those responsible for international crimes;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5a (new)
Citation 5a (new)
- having regard to the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, the activities of the Special Representatives of the UN Secretary General on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders as well as the EU guidelines on Human Rights Defenders,
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the Treaty of Lisbon reinforced the EU’s powers on foreign policy in a way that will strengthen its values and objectives; whereas the main innovations related to the EU’s external action, such as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice- President of the Commission (HR/VP) and the European External Action Service (EEAS), wishall further consolidate the EU’s external action in the area of human rights and wishall provide better opportunities in terms of mainstreaming human rights in all relevant policy areas,
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Ha (new)
Recital Ha (new)
Ha (new). whereas EU is a strong supporter of the ICC and promotes the universality, and defends the integrity, of the Rome Statute with a view to protecting and enhancing the independence of the Cour,
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Hb (new)
Recital Hb (new)
Hb (new). whereas universal ratification of the Rome Statute is an important objective for the EU in its relations with third countries, in particular the United States, China, Russia and Israel; Whereas Czech Republic and Chile ratified the Rome Statute in the reporting period bringing the total number of States Parties to 110 by December 2009,
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Hc (new)
Recital Hc (new)
Hc (new). whereas the Rome Statute Article 86 instructs that States Parties shall, in accordance with the provisions of this Statute, cooperate fully with the Court in its investigation and prosecution of crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court; Whereas the EU-ICC an agreement on cooperation and assistance of 10 April 2006 places an obligation of cooperation and assistance between the EU and the ICC,
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Hd (new)
Recital Hd (new)
Hd (new). whereas the Council Common Position of 16th June 2003 and the Action Plan of 2004 are in need of update in light of developments in the international criminal law after 2004; Whereas the effective assistance and cooperation by the EU must be intensified and improved as the warrants for arrest and trials at the International Criminal Court increase in number,
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Reiterates the European Parliament’s strong determination and recalls its long- term effortsrequest to defend human rights and democracy in the world through bilateral relations with third countriesthe development of a strong and aeffective participation in international fora, as well as by supporting international and local civil society organisationEU's human rights policy which guarantees greater coherence and consistency across all policy areas;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1a (new)
Paragraph 1a (new)
1a (new). Takes the view that the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty represents a historic opportunity to address the remaining gaps in the EU's human rights and democracy policy; calls in this respect for full compliance of the EEAS with the purpose and spirit of the Lisbon Treaty which aims at ensuring that the respect for, and the promotion of, human rights are at the core of the different areas of the Union's external policy as enshrined in Articles 2, 3 and 21 of the TEU;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1b (new)
Paragraph 1b (new)
1b (new). Considers therefore that the decision of where to place human rights in the structure of the EEAS is of great importance; requests therefore the setting up of a human rights and democracy Directorate with the tasks of developing a robust EU human rights and democracy strategy and making the overall coordination with multilateral fora; while insisting on the necessity to consider that expertise in human rights and democracy needs to be anchored as a key responsibility for every geographic or policy desk in the EEAS; is firmly convinced that this approach prevents human rights from being isolated and is the only way to ensure full compliance with the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. WelcomAcknowledges the HR/VP’s commitment to building up an active role for the EU on the world stage with a view to improving human rights and democracy globally; urges in this respect the HR/VP to ensure the establishment of a Brussels- based COHOM with the view of effectively mainstream and guarantee timely input into other areas of EU institutions and policy; calls in the same spirit on the HR/VP to consider the importance of obligatory human rights training for EU staff, including Heads of Delegations and EEAS Directors; is of the opinion that performance reviews with regard to human rights has to be an integral part of annual evaluations of all EU representatives and diplomats;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2a (new)
Paragraph 2a (new)
2a (new). Stresses that the appointment of EU Special representatives on human rights, notably for Human Rights defenders, for International Humanitarian Law and international justice as well as for women's rights and children's rights, could help to bring a greater coherence and visibility of the EU external action in this field; underlines that these EU Special Representatives should be of expert level appointees with proven expertise on human rights;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. TConsiders that there is a crucial need for a more coherent framework to make EU support for democracy-building throughout the world more effective; takes the view that a consistent EU foreign policy must give absolutalso give priority to promoting democracy, given that democratic societythe promotion and protection of human rights is thea basis for upholding human rightsc prerequisite for the existence of a democratic society as reaffirmed in the UN General Assembly resolution 59/201; believes that the new institutional structure of the EU, and particularly the EEAS, offers an opportunity to enhance the EU’s coherence and effectiveness in this area;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4a (new)
Paragraph 4a (new)
4a (new). Welcomes the designation of at least one individual in each EU representation under the EEAS that is the contact person leading human rights policy coordination, mainstreaming and monitoring;
Amendment 59 #
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 Country Strategy on human rights strategy; stresses the EP’s determination to participate fully in this consultation;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5a (new)
Paragraph 5a (new)
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5b (new)
Paragraph 5b (new)
5b (new). Expects that this review will be the occasion to have an in-dept discussion with the Commission and the COHOM representatives on the major recommendations adopted by the Parliament on the human rights clause in international agreements, including the adoption of an enforcement mechanism of that clause, on the functioning of the human rights dialogues and consultations with third countries, on the evaluation of the EU sanctions as part of the EU's actions and policies in the area of human rights and on the EU policies in favour of Human Rights Defenders;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5c (new)
Paragraph 5c (new)
5c (new). Insists in particular, in the context of the review, on the importance to conduct a thorough assessment of the human rights aspects of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) which should notably address the coherence and efficiency of the existing mechanisms such as the Action Plans, Progress Reports, Human Rights dialogues and the decision-making process of the upgrading of relations with third countries;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5d (new)
Paragraph 5d (new)
5d (new). Underlines that all EU-third country dialogues on human rights should include key human rights priorities that the EU would like to pursue together with partners and stresses in this respect the importance to address at the same time human rights issues at the highest political level so as to prevent that human rights priorities be isolated in these dialogues; considers it essential that a strong coordination between EU Member States, the Commission, Fundamental Rights Agency and UN bodies and experts be ahead of these dialogues;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that greater priority needs to be given to improving the ability of the European Union to respond rapidly to breaches of human rights by non-EU countries, notably when it comes to bring its support to human rights defenders in danger;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7a (new)
Paragraph 7a (new)
7a (new). Recognises that non- governmental organisations are essential to the development and success of democratic societies, the promotion of mutual understanding and tolerance as well as initiating and sustaining actionable policy priorities and shared solutions to the challenges to democratic development;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14a (new)
Paragraph 14a (new)
14a (new). Invites the Foreign Affairs Council to make conclusions ahead of UN HRC and UN General Assembly session where the EU set out its priorities;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14b (new)
Paragraph 14b (new)
14b (new). Urges the High Representative to ensure that the EEAS be well integrated and coordinated with other international bodies, regional organizations and their work promoting human rights; calls for the High Representative to ensure that recommendations, concerns, priorities expressed within and by the UN system, Council of Europe, OSCE and other international institutions be fully and systematically integrated into all EU policy fields, and human rights field in particular;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the EU Member States to sign up to, and ratify, all core UN and Council of Europe human rights conventions and the optional protocols thereto, in particular to ratify the 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the Council of Europe's framework convention for the protection of national minorities, the European Charter for Regional or Minority languages, the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; insists that the Optional Protocol to the Convention should be regarded as an integral part thereof, and calls for simultaneous accession to the latter (Convention and Protocol);
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15a (new)
Paragraph 15a (new)
15a (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; calls upon the Russian Federation to ensure that fundamental norms of due process and human rights are respected in the prosecution of these and all other defendants in the country’s justice system;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15b (new)
Paragraph 15b (new)
15b (new). Urges the Russian judicial authorities to press ahead with the investigation about the death of Sergey Magnitsky; calls for the EU entry ban for the 60 Russian officials involved in this case and request the EU law enforcement agencies to cooperate in order to freeze bank accounts and other assets of these Russian officials in all EU Member Countries;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15a (new)
Paragraph 15a (new)
15a (new). Underlines the fact that the definitions of human rights adopted by the international community from the end the Second World War have proven sufficiently flexible to include new developments of human progress, but stresses the need to codify new rights to respond to new threats to freedom, such as those relating to freedom of science, conscience and knowledge, gender identity or sexual orientation and all the rights relating to the digital domain, starting from universal access to the Internet;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15b (new)
Paragraph 15b (new)
15b (new). Stresses the importance of strengthening the rationalization and if possible coordination of international bodies with jurisdiction over human rights and of their procedures, with the goal of always better granting an effective promotion and defense of the fundamental rights as contained in the related international instruments;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Council and the Commission to continue their efforts to promote universal ratification of the Rome Statute and national implementing legislation, in accordance withreview 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 period brought the total number of States Parties to 110 by December 2009;
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 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16a (new)
Paragraph 16a (new)
16a (new). Urges the Council and the Commission in the above proposed review of the Council Common Position 2003/444/CFSP of 16 June 2003 and the 2004 Action Plan, to reinforce effective assistance the European Union to the International Criminal Court, as the warrants for arrest and trials at the International Criminal Court continue to increase in number;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16b (new)
Paragraph 16b (new)
16b (new). Urges the Council and the Commission to ensure that thorough training on international criminal jurisdiction and institutions is provided to all personnel in the Council and the Commission;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16c (new)
Paragraph 16c (new)
16c (new). Urges the Council and the Commission to ensure that justice shall be integral element in all peace negotiations; urges the Council and the Commission to establish the EU Focal Point for the Court;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16d (new)
Paragraph 16d (new)
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 121 #
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; and the arrest of Rwandan rebel leader Callixte Mbarushimana by the French authorities on October 11, 2010 on the basis of an ICC arrest warrant issued by the ICC Pre Trial Chamber I for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; 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;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17d (new)
Paragraph 17d (new)
17d (new). 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 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the Council and the Commission to bring pressure to bear on the governments of the countries concerneddefine a strategy towards countries which refuse to cooperate fully with the UN mechanisms and allow access to UN independent experts and Special Rapporteurs, to grant them full access to their territory and to refrain from restricting their work;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls for enhanced cooperation between the Council of Europe and the European Union in the field of promoting minority rights and, protecting regional and minority languages and promoting the rights of LGBTI individuals and defenders of LGBTI rights, and ensuring that victims of discrimination are aware of and have access to effective legal remedies before a national authority to combat discrimination, using the legal tools of non-discrimination to advocate diversity and tolerance;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20a (new)
Paragraph 20a (new)
20a (new).Regrets the weakening of the EU's policy and conduct towards the Burmese junta, underlines that the current attitude is not helpful in fighting against the tragic political, social and human situation in which the Burmese people are forced to live since the beginning of the military rule and risks to appear a sort of appeasement with the dictatorship;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20a (new)
Paragraph 20a (new)
20a (new). Welcomes the European Union’s support to initiatives encouraging the decriminalisation of homosexuality at the United Nations and in other international fora; calls for the European Union’s continued support in favour of initiatives condemning human rights breaches in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity in all international fora, in coordination with like-minded states;
Amendment 167 #
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 in the context of the special session on the OPT the majority of members applied a one-sided interpretdedicated to the follow-up of the Goldstone report, EU Member Sates have taken different positions despite Sweden, on behalf of the EU group, pointed out that an overarching human rights priority for the EU is to combat impunity; deplores that, in spite of the extended deadlines given by UN to Israel and the Palestinian part, no independent investigation that meets international standards have been conducted so far by all parties; calls on the HR/VP to ensure that those who have committed violations of the Goldstone reportinternational law be held accountable in accordance with the EU obligation under the Geneva Convention and the EU priority to combat against impunity;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Reiterates that the EU is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances; recalls that the EU is the lead donor to civil society organisations which fight against the death penalty; asks the Commission to continue to give priority to the fight against this cruel and inhuman punishment and to keep it as a thematic priority under the EIDHR and geographical instruments; does not consider life imprisonment without parole to be an acceptable alternative to the death penalty;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38a (new)
Paragraph 38a (new)
38a (new). Expresses grave concern about the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009 currently under consideration by Uganda’s parliament, which punishes support to lesbian, gay or bisexual people with fines and imprisonment, and punishes consensual homosexual acts with fines, imprisonment and the death penalty; calls on the Ugandan parliament to reject this and any similar legislation; condemns the criminalisation of homosexuality worldwide;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40a (new)
Paragraph 40a (new)
40a (new). calls on the Commission, the Council, the Member States to activate all political and institutional means in order to support initiatives aiming at the adoption as soon as possible of a resolution by the UNGA calling on a worldwide moratorium on female genital mutilation;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52
Paragraph 52
52. Welcomes the review and upgrade of the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders; 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 provisions of the guidelines; calls in this respect for an evaluation of the implementation of the assistance and measures undertaken by civil society organisations to support human rights defenders under the IEDHR;
Amendment 239 #
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, paying special attention to human rights defenders particularly at risk as listed in recital K of the aforementioned resolution;
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53a (new)
Paragraph 53a (new)
53a (new). Calls on the HR/VP to prioritize a more effective implementation of the existing tools and mechanisms for a coherent and systematic protection of human rights defenders within the European Union; calls in particular on the EU High Representative to institutionalize a policy of always meeting with human rights organizations and human rights defenders when travelling abroad and to make sure to include the information obtained at these meetings in the High Representatives reports back to the Foreign Affairs Council and the European Parliament; further insists that this rule should also apply to all EU Special Representatives and other high level EU foreign policy officials working in the EEAS; expects these meetings to be organized by EU delegations sur place which should also be tasked with follow- up and protection; calls on EU Ministers to make similar pledges with regards to their own conduct;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53b (new)
Paragraph 53b (new)
53b (new). Underlines that implementation by the EU Delegations of the guidelines on human rights Defenders have so far been unsatisfactory; notes, in this regard, that as a consequence of the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, EU Delegations in third countries are now required to make full use of the new opportunities, but are also given further responsibilities to better address this issue as they become Union delegations, with an increasingly important role in terms of representation of the EU and the implementation of the human rights policy; reiterates therefore its call to systematically appoint to each country a highly qualified political official with a specific responsibility on human rights and democracy, and to integrate guidelines and develop best practices on human rights and their implementation in EU mission staff training programmes, job descriptions and appraisal processes;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53c (new)
Paragraph 53c (new)
53c (new). Urges the EU and its Member States to express their political will to support the action of human rights defenders, and thus to make better use of all existing tools and develop new complementary mechanisms to support and promote their work through a genuinely participative strategy, which should contribute to an enabling environment for defenders in which they can perform their duties and enjoy protection; underlines that this must be combined with a policy aimed at prevention and protection from attacks and threats against human rights defenders, through both urgent and long- term measures; requests the delivery of visas for human rights defenders at risk and emergency situations and stresses that these urgency visas should be accompanied by the launching of a programme of shelter cities;
Amendment 259 #
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 and of André Rwisereka and Jean Leonard Rugambage in Rwanda, 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;
Amendment 270 #
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 ‘human rights assessment’ of non-EU countries that engage in trade relations with the EUrequests however once again that this clause be accompanied by an enforcement mechanism so to ensure its implementation in practice;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59 a (new)
Paragraph 59 a (new)
59a. Welcomes the use of impact assessments on sustainable development, but considers that they should also be carried out once the agreement is in place, and not only ex-ante, to ensure continuing evaluation;
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59 b (new)
Paragraph 59 b (new)
59b. Strongly encourages the Commission to carry out impact assessments on human rights in addition to those on sustainable development, with comprehensible trade indicators based on human rights and on environmental and social standards;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 60a (new)
Paragraph 60a (new)
60a (new). Urges the Commission to table a proposal for a regulation banning the import into the EU of goods produced using forced labour and in particular child labour, in violation of basic human rights standards; emphasises that such a regulation would have to enable the EU to investigate specific claims;
Amendment 320 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68a (new)
Paragraph 68a (new)
68a (new). Highlights the interdependence of freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and stresses in particular that, owing to the interaction between them, freedom of opinion and expression constitutes the extension of freedom of thought, conscience and religion;
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68b (new)
Paragraph 68b (new)
68b (new). Condemns any attempt to subordinate the exercise of one of these freedoms to the other; points out that guarantees of freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of thought, conscience and religion reflect shared values and principles of case law, and consequently insists on the need to exercise these freedoms in a responsible, complementary and harmonious way;
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 70
Paragraph 70
70. Recognises that new technologies provide unprecedented opportunities to participate in public life, express opinions, gain access to information about human rights and make violations of human rights known to the rest of the world; is concerned that states are using increasingly sophisticated techniques to, such as dual use technologies, to censor information, monitor activities on the internet and that harassment, persecution and even detention and imprisonment of people using the internet to exercise the right to freedom of opinion and expression have occurred in a number of countries;
Amendment 336 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72
Paragraph 72
72. Supports the right of expression and peaceful assembly in Russia as guaranteed by Article 31 of the Russian Constitution; expresses solidarity with the organisers and participants of Strategy-31, the series of civic protests in support of this right which started on 31 July 2009 and take place on Triumfalnaya Square in Moscow on the 31st of every month with 31 days; regrets that so far all of Strategy-31 demonstrations have been refused permission by the authorities on the grounds that other activities had been scheduled to take place in Triumfalnaya Square at the same time; is deeply concerned that on 31 December 2009, among dozens of other peaceful protesters, Russian police detained the Chairperson of the Moscow Helsinki Group, Lyudmila Alexeyeva, who had been awarded Parliament’s Sakharov Prize only a few weeks before her detention; expresses concern about attempts to intimidate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender human rights defenders by Russian authorities, including through state- sponsored abductions, illegal arrests and intimidation;
Amendment 337 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72a (new)
Paragraph 72a (new)
72a (new). Supports the call of the Human Rights Commissioner of Russia Vladimir Lukin to start an investigation into the heavy police actions in connection to the 31 May protests;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72a (new)
Paragraph 72a (new)
72a (new). Encourages the HR/VP to lead in taking a position and to develop concrete policies for the EU to act as a global player when it comes to internet freedom covering both ways to address threats to human rights through the use of new technologies, as well as an enhancement of the opportunities to protect and support human rights through new technologies;
Amendment 348 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73a (new)
Paragraph 73a (new)
73a (new). Calls on the Commission and the Council to use the opportunity of bilateral political and human rights dialogues with third countries to recall that human rights have to be respected when combating terrorism, and that, under no circumstance, counter-terrorism policy can be instrumentalised and used against Human rights Defenders or political opponents; calls in particular on the HR/VP to publicly denounce human rights violations in counter-terrorism policies and operations, especially in those countries where the EU is directly supporting counter-terrorism efforts;
Amendment 349 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73b (new)
Paragraph 73b (new)
73b (new). Calls for a greater coordination and interaction between COTER and COHOM on this issue in order to condemn cases of abusive use of counter-terrorism policy against human rights defenders by systematically initiating demarches under the EU guidelines on Human Rights Defenders and to adopt the same approach in cases of torture and ill-treatment linked to the fight against terrorism under the EU guidelines on torture;
Amendment 376 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 79a (new)
Paragraph 79a (new)
79a (new). Welcomes closer coordination and cooperation between the United States and the European Union regarding human rights;
Amendment 391 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 82a (new)
Paragraph 82a (new)
82a (new). Continues to be concerned that the human rights dialogue with Iran has been interrupted since 2004 due to a lack of cooperation from Iran and considers that time has come for the international community to act in support of Iranian civil society at this crucial juncture in the history of the country’s democratic movement; calls on the Council, the Commission as well the Member States to support and strengthen – through peaceful and non-violent means – those processes that can provide support to democratic reforms, ensure their sustainability and consolidate the involvement of Iranian human rights defenders and civil society representatives within policy-making processes, reinforcing the role of civil society within the general political discourse;
Amendment 412 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 91
Paragraph 91
91. Stresses the importance of using the EIDHR as a way of reacting to human rights threats and a way of providing increasing support to human rights defenders and victims of human rights abuses; supports a network of 11 EIDHR- funded organisations focusing on protecting human rights defenders and responding rapidly in emergency situations; encourages the development of specific strategies to respond to the needs of different categories of human rights defenders, including those defending LGBTI rights and those associated with investigations of human rights and humanitarian law violations;
Amendment 416 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 94a (new)
Paragraph 94a (new)
97a (new). Calls on the HR/VP to push for the implementation of the Shelter Cities program, which provides shelter for human rights defenders in European cities;