Activities of Marietje SCHAAKE related to 2016/2219(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Annual Report on human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter 2015 (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the Annual Report on human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter 2015 PDF (1 MB) DOC (175 KB)
Amendments (64)
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 30 e (new)
Citation 30 e (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 11 December 2012 on a Digital Freedom Strategy in EU Foreign Policy1a, __________________ 1a Texts adopted, P7_TA(2012)0470.
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K d (new)
Recital K d (new)
Kd. whereas the Russian Federation passed, three years after its "Foreign Agent Law", a law on "undesirable organisations", granting the General Prosecutor authority to declare foreign organisations undesirable when deemed a threat to Russia's constitutional order, defence or security;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K e (new)
Recital K e (new)
Ke. whereas human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists faced increased intimidation, harassment, arbitrary arrest and violence in China, and authorities stepped up their controls over the internet, media and academia;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K g (new)
Recital K g (new)
Kg. whereas travel bans to prevent human rights defenders from attending international events are being used by a growing number of countries, particularly in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and also in Azerbaijan;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M c (new)
Recital M c (new)
Mc. whereas evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity is difficult to preserve - especially at a time of unprecedented flows of refugees fleeing violence; whereas the preservation of evidence is essential to bringing perpetrators to justice;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M d (new)
Recital M d (new)
Md. whereas in Syria, government forces and non-state armed groups committed war crimes and gross human rights abuses with impunity, carrying out indiscriminate attacks and attacks that directly targeted civilians, including bombardments of civilian residential areas and medical facilities with artillery, mortars, barrel bombs and chemical agents, unlawfully killing civilians;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M e (new)
Recital M e (new)
Me. whereas the situation in Ukraine remained unstable in 2015, with parts of the Donetsk and Lugansk region under de facto control of Russia-backed fighters and all sides in the conflict violating international humanitarian law;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M f (new)
Recital M f (new)
Mf. whereas attempts to shut down the Guantánamo Bay prison failed and only 20 detainees were released or relocated in 2015;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M g (new)
Recital M g (new)
Mg. whereas EU Member States continue to sell arms and military material to Gulf States and other countries which violate human rights, both internally and in other places;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M h (new)
Recital M h (new)
Mh. whereas the European Parliament, in its resolution of 25 February 2016 on the humanitarian situation in Yemen, called for an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia on the basis of the serious allegations of ongoing breaches of international humanitarian law by Saudi Arabia in Yemen;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M m (new)
Recital M m (new)
Mm. whereas EU and Turkish leaders reached a "deal" or "statement" announced on 29 November 2015 and aimed at stemming the flow of refugees via Turkey to Europe and the EU promising Turkey €3 billion in aid as well as other measures in return;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M n (new)
Recital M n (new)
Mn. whereas the human rights situation in Turkey deteriorated exorbitantly following the parliamentary elections in June 2015;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas justice is essential to advance respect for human rights, and the EU and its Member States have been unconditional supporters of the International Criminal Court (ICC) since its inception, while promoting the universality of the Rome Statute and defending its integrity with the purpose of strengthening the Court’s independence;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O a (new)
Recital O a (new)
Oa. whereas 2015, however, saw a dramatic rise in the number of people executed - at least 1,634 according to Amnesty International, which is the highest recorded by the organisation since 1989 - with 90% of the executions carried out in Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O b (new)
Recital O b (new)
Ob. whereas authorities in Egypt handed down hundreds of death sentences and long prison sentences to journalists, human rights defenders, political opposition leaders and activists after grossly unfair mass trials, and subjecting some to enforced disappearances; whereas Egypt enacted a draconian new antiterrorism law and NGO law;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital R
Recital R
R. whereas violence against and unlawful prosecution of LGBTI people continues in many places around the world, and discrimination in health care, education, employment and other sectors is widespread;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital S
Recital S
S. whereas reports of violations of civil and political, economic, social and cultural rights resulting from corporate behaviouras well as environmental damage resulting from malpractices by some private sector actors continue to be heard from around the world;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital T a (new)
Recital T a (new)
Ta. whereas in October 2015, the European Commission released its new trade strategy 'Trade for All', in which the Commission sets out its aim to use trade as a means to strengthen human rights in third countries;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital T b (new)
Recital T b (new)
Tb. whereas in 2015, the European Union started working on legislation to tackle the trade in minerals which fuels conflict;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital T c (new)
Recital T c (new)
Tc. whereas the hacking of Italian spyware firm Hacking Team in July 2015 demonstrated that there is an urgent need to reform European dual-use export legislation to make sure that technologies, which can be used against the EU's strategic interests and for human rights violations, do not fall into the wrong hands;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Expresses its serious concern at the numerous, ever-increasing attempts made to shrink the space of civil society and human rights defenders, and the growing number of repressive laws adopted throughout the world, under the pretext of combating terrorism (through the introduction of counter-terrorism laws), emergency situations and security measures), whereas there is often a negative impact on human rights as well as frequent abuse of these laws for repression; calls on clear condemnation of these abuses and violations;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Draws attention to its long-term commitment to promote human rights and advance democratic values, as reflected, inter alia, in the annual award of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, in the work of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, and in the monthly plenary debates and resolutions on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law; and the many parliamentary delegations;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 d (new)
Paragraph 16 d (new)
16d. Regrets that the work and the impact of the EUSR can only be partially assessed through the a review of the Annual Report on Human Rights, his Twitter account and available speeches; calls for a more systematic exchange of information on his activities, visits and plans;
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Recalls the EU’s commitment to mainstream human rights and gender aspects in common security and defence policy missions, in line with the landmark UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820 on women, peace and security, and the recently adopted UN Security Council resolution 2242 making women a central component in all efforts to address global challenges; reiterates, in this context, its call on the EU and its Member States to support, in the process of building sustainable reconciliation, the systematic participation of women as a vital component of peace processes; calls, in this regard, on the EU to support, at the international level, the recognition of the added value of women’s participation in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, as well as in peacekeeping operations, humanitarian assistance and post-conflict reconstruction;
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Stresses that the CSDP is an instrument that not only ensures European security, but is part of the EU's foreign policy instruments and must therefore be used towards the strengthening of furthering human rights and democracy in third countries;
Amendment 302 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Paragraph 26 b (new)
26b. Calls for further European military integration to improve European armed forces' readiness and flexibility, to respond to threats and in cases of grave violations of human rights, genocide or ethnic cleansing; stresses, in this regard, that the concept of 'Responsibility to Protect' should be consolidated into international law and that the EU, as a community of values, should lead initiatives and meaningful actions to protect civilians also when they are threatened by their own state;
Amendment 324 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Underlines the need for EU leadership to push for reforms of the UN with the goal of strengthening the impact and the strength of the rules-based multilateral system, and of ensuring more efficient human rights protection and the advancing of international law;
Amendment 325 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 b (new)
Paragraph 30 b (new)
30b. Condemns that seats on the UNHRC are often occupied by countries with proven track record of grave human rights violations; calls on the EU to intensify its efforts to improve the credibility and effectiveness of the UNHRC;
Amendment 331 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Condemns the dramatic number of deaths at sea in the Mediterranean; is extremely concerned about the growing numbers of human rights abuses against migrants and asylum seekers on their route to Europe; highlightdeplores the weaknesses and systematic incoherence of the policies of the EU and the Member States in this area and stresses the need for a holistic approach to find long-term solutions;
Amendment 352 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 f (new)
Paragraph 31 f (new)
31f. Calls on the EU to increase efforts to support Lebanon and Jordan, which shelter unprecedented numbers of refugees, who often face multiple threats to the respect for their human rights;
Amendment 381 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Calls on the Member States to respect and fully implement the adopted EU common asylum package and the common migration legislation, particularly to safeguard vulnerable asylum seekers, such as LGBTI people, against violence and discrimination during the asylum process; calls on the Member States to participate in resettlement programmes, giving access to family reunification and granting humanitarian visas;
Amendment 410 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 j (new)
Paragraph 35 j (new)
35j. Recognises that LGBTI asylum seekers are often at risk of additional danger during their journey and upon arrival in the country where they seek asylum, which can take the form of harassment, exclusion, sexual violence, or other forms of violence; recalls that a number of countries deemed 'safe' for asylum seekers discriminate against LGBTI people or even criminalise homosexuality, and are therefore not 'safe' for this group; emphasises that vulnerable groups require additional safeguards and calls on states to ensure that LGBTI refugees are protected as required by international humanitarian law;
Amendment 433 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 l (new)
Paragraph 36 l (new)
36l. Condemns the human rights abuses faced by refugees and asylum- seekers when being sheltered 'in the region'; calls for more scrutiny of the situation of refugees in Turkey as the government negotiated a migration deal with the EU, while individuals face arbitrary detention, documented refugees are denied entry into Turkey at the Syrian border, violence and forced returns to the country of origin take place, which are illegal practices under Turkish and international law;
Amendment 434 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 m (new)
Paragraph 36 m (new)
36m. Is concerned about the negative impact of the migration deal with Turkey on sheltering refugees, warns against managing migration through deals with third countries; calls on the EU to take its responsibility to protect its borders and to shelter asylum seekers, in accordance with our commitment to international law;
Amendment 457 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Notes the persistent financing gap with regard to humanitarian aid and the shortcomings in the World Food programme resulting in cutting food; calls on the member states of the United Nations, and on the European Union and its Member States to, at a minimum, to the very least, honour their financial pledges;
Amendment 467 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Reaffirms the urgent need to act in a continuous, effective and coherent manner at all levels, including national, European and international, in order to effectively to address human rights abuses by international corporations when they appeaoccur, and to address the legal problems resulting from the extra-territorial dimension of companies and their conduct;
Amendment 479 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 a (new)
Paragraph 46 a (new)
Amendment 482 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 d (new)
Paragraph 46 d (new)
46d. Notes the Commission's plans to strengthen European economic diplomacy; warns, in this regard, that economic diplomacy must not substitute the Union's long-standing policy to link market access and trade promotion and facilitation with other foreign policy goals such as respect for human rights and democratisation; stresses that the goal of trade policy must not only be economic opportunity for European businesses, but also sustainable growth in third countries;
Amendment 491 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48 a (new)
Paragraph 48 a (new)
48a. Further recommends that, whenever a gross breach of human rights occurs by a partner country with which an agreement has been concluded, the EU takes more effective steps in carrying out the appropriate sanctions as stipulated in the human rights clauses of the agreement, including (temporary) suspension of the agreement;
Amendment 503 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50 a (new)
Paragraph 50 a (new)
Amendment 504 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50 b (new)
Paragraph 50 b (new)
50b. Calls on the Member States to exercise stricter and more human rights- based arms export controls, especially when it comes to countries with proven track records of violent internal repression and human rights violations;
Amendment 533 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 56
Paragraph 56
56. Stresses the importance of not undermining the acquis of the Beijing Platform for Action regarding access to education and health as a basic human right, and the protection of sexual and reproductive rights, and to ensure that all necessary safe medical assistance is provided to female war rape victims - including abortion, as foreseen under international humanitarian law; points out that family planning, maternal health, easy access to contraception and safe abortion are important elements in saving women’s lives, and highlights the need to place these policies at the core of development cooperation with third countries;
Amendment 574 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 63
Paragraph 63
63. Firmly condemns the recent increase in discriminatory laws and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, including in Egypt where LGBTI people were prosecuted on charges of "debauchery";
Amendment 576 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 63 a (new)
Paragraph 63 a (new)
63a. Strongly condemns increasing restrictions on freedom of assembly and association of LGBTI groups, events and protests, such as Pride marches, in some cases with violent responses from authorities against protesters; calls on EU delegations and relevant institutions to actively promote these rights and fundamental freedoms in line with human rights standards;
Amendment 585 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 64
Paragraph 64
64. Requests that the EEAS prioritise its actions in situations where the death penalty is in forceIs deeply concerned by the increase in violence and discrimination against LGBTI people; requests that the EEAS prioritise its actions in countries with prevalent violence and discrimination against LGBTI people, including 76 countries which still criminalise homosexuality and 20 countries which still criminalise transgender identities, and/or where LGBTI people are subjected to torture and ill- treatment, by condemning these practices in accordance with the EU Guidelines on the Death Penalty and the EU Guidelines on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and by continuing to work with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in this field;
Amendment 624 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68 b (new)
Paragraph 68 b (new)
68b. Welcomes the declaration issued by Ukraine accepting the jurisdiction of the ICC for crimes committed in the country since 20 February 2014, as this declaration paves the way for the ICC prosecutor to consider whether the court could investigate abuses committed during the armed conflict, even though Ukraine is not yet an ICC member country;
Amendment 637 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 71 b (new)
Paragraph 71 b (new)
71b. Reiterates its condemnation, in the harshest terms, of the crimes perpetrated by the Syrian regime against its population, including the use of chemical and incendiary weapons against civilians, mass arbitrary detention and its siege strategy to starve the population into submission; calls for more EU leadership towards a negotiated end to violence, and in ensuring perpetrators are brought to justice;
Amendment 640 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72 b (new)
Paragraph 72 b (new)
72b. Calls for the establishment of a dedicated fund which can help finance initiatives that preserve evidence, digital and otherwise, of suspected crimes against humanity in war crimes with the aim of bringing perpetrators to justice;
Amendment 654 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72 p (new)
Paragraph 72 p (new)
72p. Reiterates its call on the VP/HR to launch an initiative aimed at imposing an EU arms embargo against Saudi Arabia, given the serious allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law by Saudi Arabia in Yemen and the fact that the continued licensing of weapons sales to Saudi Arabia would therefore be in breach of Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP of 8 December 2008;
Amendment 655 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72 q (new)
Paragraph 72 q (new)
72q. Calls on the Member States to be prepared to accept Guantanamo inmates in the EU in case the US requests this; emphasizes the need to close the Guantanamo Bay prison as soon as possible;
Amendment 689 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 75 c (new)
Paragraph 75 c (new)
75c. Requests concrete actions to protect religious minorities, non-believers and atheists that are victims of blasphemy laws and calls on the EU and Member States to engage in political discussions to repeal such laws;
Amendment 716 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 79 b (new)
Paragraph 79 b (new)
79b. Strongly condemns the issuing of travel bans by authorities as a tool to intimidate and silence independent voices of human rights defenders and activists, as well as lawyers and journalists, and emphasises that these measures are often taken arbitrarily and without judicial grounds;
Amendment 718 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 79 d (new)
Paragraph 79 d (new)
79d. Strongly condemns the "Foreign Agent Law" and law on "undesirable organisations" adopted by the Russian Federation, which cripple civil society and lead to arbitrary application with punishments including imprisonment, asset freezes and access bans for non- Russian staff members;
Amendment 722 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 80 a (new)
Paragraph 80 a (new)
80a. Calls on the VP/HR, the EEAS and/or the EUSR to adopt a policy to systematically condemn the killings of human rights defenders, and issue guidelines on this to all Delegations; emphasizes that this adds consistency to the EU's current priorities as set out in the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders, on Freedom of Expression and on the Death Penalty;
Amendment 730 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 81 a (new)
Paragraph 81 a (new)
81a. Calls on the VP/HR, the EEAS and/or the EUSR to step up its public response to assaults by the Egyptian regime against human rights defenders and other voices of dissent;
Amendment 743 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 86
Paragraph 86
86. Highlights the importance of promoting unrestricted access to the internet in all forms of contact with third countries, including in accession negotiations, trade negotiations, human rights dialogues and diplomatic contacts, to make information about human rights and democracy as accessible as possible to people all around the world;
Amendment 744 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 86 a (new)
Paragraph 86 a (new)
86a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to raise the issue of freedom of expression online, digital freedoms and the importance of a free and open internet in all international fora, including the UN Internet Governance Forum, the G8, the G20, the OSCE and the Council of Europe;
Amendment 750 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 87 a (new)
Paragraph 87 a (new)
87a. Strongly condemns the increasing number of human rights defenders facing digital threats, including compromised data through confiscation of equipment, remote surveillance and data leakages; condemns the practice of online surveillance and hacking to gather information which can be used in legal cases or defamation campaigns, as with the defamation trial in Azerbaijan against investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova;
Amendment 751 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 87 b (new)
Paragraph 87 b (new)
87b. Expresses its serious concern at the proliferation and spread of monitoring, surveillance, censoring and filtering technologies, which represent a growing threat to human rights and democracy activists in autocratic countries;
Amendment 753 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 87 d (new)
Paragraph 87 d (new)
87d. Strongly condemns the unprecedented pressure by the Turkish government on the media, causing freedom of expression online and offline to suffer immensely;
Amendment 754 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 87 e (new)
Paragraph 87 e (new)
87e. Strongly condemns the Chinese authorities' control over the internet, media and academia, and the increased intimidation, harassment and arbitrary arrests that human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists face;
Amendment 801 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 101 a (new)
Paragraph 101 a (new)
101a. Notes the conclusion of an agreement to update the EU's export controls with regard to goods that could be used for torture or capital punishment; calls on the European Commission and Member States, in this regard, to move towards full implementation as soon as possible and to promote this unilateral policy in international fora and to look for possibilities to cooperate further with third countries to stop trade in these products;
Amendment 805 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 103 a (new)
Paragraph 103 a (new)
103a. Strongly condemns the human rights situation in Turkey, where cases of excessive use of force by police and ill- treatment of detainees increased, impunity for human rights abuses persisted, and the independence of the judiciary further eroded;
Amendment 830 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 106
Paragraph 106
106. Calls on the VP/HR, the Member States and the Council to include armed drones and fully autonomous weapons in relevant European and international disarmament and arms control mechanisms;