BETA


2020/2782(RSP) The situation in the Philippines, including the case of Maria Ressa

Progress: Procedure completed

Legal Basis:
RoP 144

Events

2020/09/17
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2020/09/17
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2020/09/17
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2020/09/17
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2020/09/17
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2020/09/17
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2020/09/17
   Joint motion for resolution
Documents
2020/09/17
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2020/09/17
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 626 votes to 7, with 52 abstentions, a resolution on the situation in the Philippines, including the case of Maria Ressa.

The text adopted in plenary had been tabled as a joint resolution by the EPP, S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA, ECR and GUE/NGL groups.

Members expressed their deep concern about the rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in the Philippines under President Duterte. They strongly condemned the thousands of extrajudicial executions and other serious human rights violations linked to the ‘war on drugs’, stressing that the fight against drug trafficking must be pursued in full compliance with due process of law, in conformity with national and international law and with an emphasis on public health.

Concerned about the deteriorating level of press freedom in the Philippines, Parliament condemned all cases of threats, harassment, intimidation, unfair prosecution and violence against journalists, including in the case of Maria Ressa, co-founder and director of the news website Rappler, which has long been targeted for its criticism of the government's ‘war on drugs’ and Rappler's critical reporting of extrajudicial killings.

Parliament called for all politically motivated charges against Maria Ressa and her colleagues to be dropped. It called on the EU delegation and the representations of the EU Member States in Manila to follow closely the proceedings against Maria Ressa and Reynaldo Santos Jr. and to provide all necessary assistance.

Concerned about the recent adoption of the anti-terrorism law, Members recalled that under no circumstances could advocacy, protests, strikes and other similar forms of exercising civil and political rights be considered as terrorist acts.

The Philippine government is invited to:

- recognise that human rights defenders play a legitimate role in ensuring peace, justice and democracy;

- reconsider its decision to withdraw from the Rome Statute;

- immediately halt the ongoing proceedings to reinstate the death penalty;

- respect its obligations under international law to protect the human rights of indigenous peoples, including in the context of armed conflict;

- fight corruption effectively;

- put an end to the practice of trafficking in human beings, military recruitment and involvement of children in conflicts in the country;

- ensure effective human rights due diligence processes for investment, development and corporate projects, in particular with regard to large-scale agribusiness acquisitions, extractive industries, infrastructure projects and cooperation involving the security sector.

Given the seriousness of the human rights violations in the country, Parliament called on the European Commission, in the absence of any substantial improvement and willingness to cooperate on the part of the Philippine authorities, to immediately initiate the procedure which could lead to the temporary withdrawal of GSP+ preferences.

Documents
2020/09/17
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament

Documents

Activities

Votes

RC-B9-0290/2020 - Résolution #

2020/09/17 Outcome: +: 626, 0: 52, -: 7
DE IT ES FR PL RO NL SE PT HU BE EL CZ AT IE DK BG SK LT HR FI LV SI MT LU CY EE
Total
89
72
58
79
50
31
27
21
21
21
21
21
20
19
13
14
17
14
11
12
14
8
8
6
6
5
7
icon: PPE PPE
183

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Latvia PPE

2

Malta PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

2
2

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1
icon: S&D S&D
142

Greece S&D

2

Lithuania S&D

2

Latvia S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

2

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

1

Estonia S&D

2
icon: Renew Renew
97

Italy Renew

For (1)

1

Hungary Renew

2

Austria Renew

For (1)

1

Ireland Renew

2

Slovakia Renew

2

Lithuania Renew

Abstain (1)

2

Croatia Renew

For (1)

1

Finland Renew

3

Latvia Renew

For (1)

1

Slovenia Renew

2

Luxembourg Renew

2

Estonia Renew

3
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
64

Spain Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

3

Czechia Verts/ALE

2

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Ireland Verts/ALE

2

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Lithuania Verts/ALE

2

Finland Verts/ALE

3

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
60

Germany ECR

For (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

4

Greece ECR

1

Bulgaria ECR

2

Lithuania ECR

1

Croatia ECR

For (1)

1

Latvia ECR

2
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
39

Netherlands GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Sweden GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Belgium GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Czechia GUE/NGL

1

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Finland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

2
icon: ID ID
72

Czechia ID

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Austria ID

3

Denmark ID

Abstain (1)

1

Finland ID

2

Estonia ID

Against (1)

1
icon: NI NI
28

Germany NI

2

Netherlands NI

1

Hungary NI

1

Slovakia NI

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Croatia NI

2

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

docs/6
date
2020-09-17T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2020-0233_EN.html title: T9-0233/2020
type
Text adopted by Parliament, single reading
body
EP
events/0/docs
  • url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/CRE-9-2020-09-17-TOC_EN.html title: Debate in Parliament
events/1
date
2020-09-17T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2020-0233_EN.html title: T9-0233/2020
summary
events/1
date
2020-09-17T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2020-0233_EN.html title: T9-0233/2020
docs
  • date: 2020-09-17T00:00:00 docs: url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-9-2020-0290_EN.html title: B9-0290/2020 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
  • date: 2020-09-17T00:00:00 docs: url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-9-2020-0291_EN.html title: B9-0291/2020 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
  • date: 2020-09-17T00:00:00 docs: url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-9-2020-0292_EN.html title: B9-0292/2020 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
  • date: 2020-09-17T00:00:00 docs: url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-9-2020-0294_EN.html title: B9-0294/2020 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
  • date: 2020-09-17T00:00:00 docs: url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-9-2020-0295_EN.html title: B9-0295/2020 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
  • date: 2020-09-17T00:00:00 docs: url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-9-2020-0297_EN.html title: B9-0297/2020 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
  • date: 2020-09-17T00:00:00 docs: url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2020-0233_EN.html title: T9-0233/2020 type: Text adopted by Parliament, single reading body: EP
  • date: 2020-09-17T00:00:00 docs: url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/RC-9-2020-0290_EN.html title: RC-B9-0290/2020 type: Joint motion for resolution
events
  • date: 2020-09-17T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP
  • date: 2020-09-17T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2020-0233_EN.html title: T9-0233/2020
  • date: 2020-09-17T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
forecasts
  • date: 2020-09-17T00:00:00 title: Debate in plenary scheduled
  • date: 2020-09-17T00:00:00 title: Vote in plenary scheduled
procedure/stage_reached
Old
Awaiting plenary debate/vote
New
Procedure completed
forecasts/0/title
Old
Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single reading
New
Debate in plenary scheduled
forecasts/1
date
2020-09-17T00:00:00
title
Vote in plenary scheduled