17 Amendments of Laura FERRARA related to 2015/2274(INI)
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
– having regard to the March 2016 Report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran,
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Believes that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), otherwise known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, was a notable achievement for European diplomacy in particular, and that Europe is now responsible for not simply ensuring its strict and full implementation, but for maintaining the spirit of negotiations in a way that benefits the peoples of both Iran and the EU; notes, however, that on the Iranian side the conclusion of the agreement did not represent a turning point from the point of view of the country's external and internal policies, particularly in the context of human rights and the rule of law;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes that EU-Iran relations should be developed through multi-layered dialogue involving political, technical and people-to-people contacts as well as civil society actors and human rights defenders; supports the opening of EU-Iran relations for the mutual benefit of both parties, based on a realistic assessment of common interests and differences, including and especially in the field of human rights and the rule of law, with a view to encouraging step-by-step expansion of cooperation in a climate of confidence-building, foremost for the benefit of the peoples of Iran and the EU; supports, in this regard, the Commission’'s commitment to a renewed engagement with Iran based on ‘'a dialogue of the four Cs’': a dialogue that is comprehensive in scope; cooperative in the fields where Iran and the EU have mutual interests; critical, open and frank in areas where Iran and the EU disagree but are looking for common ground; and that is overall constructive in tone and practice; stresses that this engagement should also be consistent with commitments made in the EU's Strategic Framework on Human Rights and Democracy to 'place human rights at the centre of its relations with all third countries';
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Insists on the importance of developing the parliamentary dimension of EU-Iran relations as part of the strategy for re-establishing mutual trust; reiterates its support, in this regard, for the proposal discussed between Parliament and the Majlis for an inter-parliamentary dialogue on counter-terrorism; welcomes the renewed political dialogue between the EU and Iran, including on human rights; recognises that while there is suspicion and mistrust on both sides, there is also a long history between many Member States and Iran and that Iran has a strong ambition to have good relations with Europe, which provides the potential for a relationship based on mutual trust and respect; reiterates that the EU does not seek to interfere in internal political choices in this country or in any other, but seeks cooperation based on mutual respect for international standards and principles, universal principles and the International Human Rights Law; believes that the full normalisation of relations can only occur by means of regular and sustained dialogue and that while the immediate priority should be to broaden the scope of EU-Iran relations in areas where there is common agreement to do so, the parties should not renounce to pursue a more ambitious agenda on touchy subjects, including on human rights; believes, in this regard, that the preparation and formalisation of a common agenda highlighting the key human rights tangible steps expected to be attained through the development of the relation could be an important first step ; believes, however, that the ultimate aim must be one of partnership between Iran and the EU;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recognises that differences exist between the EU and Iran on the use of the death penalty; nevertheless believes cooperation on anti-narcotics programmes and on the question of iterates the European Union strong and principled position against the death penalty and that its abolition is a key objective for the Union's human rights and foreign policy and recognizes that this item, being Iran the country with the highest rate of executions per capita in the world, has to be on the agenda; believes that sustained attention given to ending the death penalty for drug-related offences and juvenile executionoffenders, in line with Iran’'s own human rights commitments, could provide a common agenda for addressing this questionprogressively restricting the use of the death penalty and ensuring that it be carried out according to minimum international standards;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Takes note of the fact that eliminating the death penalty for drug- related offences would drastically reduce the number of executions (up to 80 % according to Iranian estimates); calls for EU-Iran cooperation in the fight against drugs as a way of addressing the issue of executions in the country; calls on the Commission to provide technical assistance and administrative capacity- building for Iran to enable it to secure its borders with Afghanistan and Iraqensure that any technical or other assistance offered to Iran to counter the flow of illegal drugs is not used to commit human rights violations and is conditioned on the abolition of the death penalty for drug crimes;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Takes note of Iran’s stated objective of achieving a yearly growth rate of 8 %; believes that European investments are key for Iran to achieve this goal; stresses that for Iran to realise its economic potential, it will have to take steps to create a transparent economic environment conducive to international investment and take anti-corruption measures, particularly regarding compliance with the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force; calls on the EU to fully support Iran’s efforts in this process via, in particular, support for work towards forging a bilateral investment treaty between the EU and Iran; calls for the EU to develop economic cooperation with Iran and to use these negotiations as an opportunity to push for key labour rights reforms based on ILO's core conventions; takes note that Iran is the world’s largest economy outside the WTO; supports, in this regard, Iran’s bid to join the WTO;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the EU to engage EU- based business companies to ensure full transparency of their activities in Iran and to require that EU-based investors carry out human rights due diligence, including human rights impact assessments, of their operations in Iran, publicly reporting on their human rights policies, environmental and social risks, the impacts of their activities, and measures taken to mitigate negative impacts with regards to Iran;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Takes note of the fact that Iran hosts an estimated 3 million Afghan refugees, of which only an estimated 950 000 are United Nations-registered, as Iranian authorities have not provided all of them with an opportunity to legally claim asylum; is extremely worried by the reports of Afghan refugees being trained in Iran and sent to fight in Syria and calls on Iran to clarify on these allegations; welcomes the additional EUR 6.5 million of EU funding to support Iran in the education and health care of the Afghan population in the country; believes that EU-Iran cooperation on refugee management can enhance mutual understanding, promote improved respect for international law and the lives of refugees themselves, as well as contributing to conflict resolution in order to reduce the causes of current and future refugee movements;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Believes that the nuclear deal opens the possibility for cooperation in resolving the region’s security crisis; believes that Iran can and should play a stabilisation role in the region; believes that the whole region can benefit from a normalisation of relations with Iran; is worried that Iran military interference in Iraq and Syria through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps may contribute to increase sectarian violence in the region;
Amendment 306 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Welcomes Iran’s readiness to support the current efforts to bring stability to Iraq, and calls for additional efforts to bring all the militias operating in the country under the authority of the Iraqi army; is worried by the recent attack against Iranian opposition refugees in Camp Liberty in Iraq and by the recent tensions between Kurdistan Iraq and Iran after clashes erupted between Iranian Kurdish armed groups and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; welcomes Iran’s contribution to the fight against ISIS/Da’esh; notes the agreement between Iran and Australia to share intelligence on the fight against ISIS/Da’esh;
Amendment 387 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Notes withExpresses serious concern that Iran has the highest level of death-penalty executions per capita in the world; stresses that eliminatingongly urges Iran to abolish the death penalty for drug- related offences would dramatically decrease the number of executions; welcomes, in this regard, the possibility that the newly-elected Majlis is considering legislation to exclude; notes, in this regard, the introduction of a draft bill that excludes, in a welcome move, some drug- related offences from the list of crimes punishable with the death penalty but remains concerns that the bill proposes to replace the death penalty with life imprisonment for drug-related offences that do not involve armed activities;
Amendment 395 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Welcomes the fact that the adoption of the 2013 Islamic Penal Code and Iran’s ratification ofExpresses serious concern at the 2013 Islamic Penal Code which retains death penalty for juveniles in qesas (retribution in kind) or hudud crimes, like homicide, adultery or sodomy; expresses serious concern that scores of juvenile offenders still languish on death row; calls on Iran to fully meet their obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and prohibits child executions and allows all juvenile offenders sentenced to death prior to 2013 to seek retrial; calls on Iran to ensure this prohibition is fully implemented and that all relevant the use of the death penalty for juvenile offenders, and that all juvenile offenders currently on death row have their sentences commuted; pending the full abolition of the death penalty against juvenile offenders, calls on Iran to declare a moratorium on the execution of juvenile offenders and to restrict the number of offenderces care made aware of this right; calls on Iranrying the death sentence, with a view to declareing a moratorium on the death penalty, at least for juvenile offendersall executions and the eventual full abolition of the death penalty;
Amendment 422 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Calls on Iran to live up fully toend widespread and serious restrictions on the right to freedom of expression (both online and offline), opinion, association and peaceful assembly, of thought, conscience, religion or belief and to comply with its commitments under the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the International Covenant on Political and Civil Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights by ensuring the enjoyment by its citizens of individual rights without discrimination as to sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, or other status, as provided for in these instruments; points out that this includes a basic right to equality before the law, as well as the right of equal access to education, health care and professional opportunities;
Amendment 435 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Deplores the continuing and systematic discrimination and harassment against ethnic and religious minorities, including the Baha'i, Ahwazi Arabs, Baloch, Christians, Jews, Sunni Muslims, Sufi Muslims, Kurds and Zoroastrian; calls on the Iranian authorities to eliminate, in law and in practice, all forms of discrimination and human rights violations against persons belonging to minorities;
Amendment 445 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 b (new)
Paragraph 29 b (new)
29b. Calls on the EEAS and Member States to regularly raise the issue of combating violence against women and girls and the types of discrimination from which such violence originates in its relations with Iran, and calls upon Iran to eliminate, in law and in practice, all forms of discrimination against women and girls; to adopt comprehensive legislation to ensure protection for women and girls against gender-based violence, including domestic violence; to address the alarming incidence of child, early and forced marriages; to promote women's participation in decision-making processes and, while recognizing the high enrolment of women in all levels of education in the Islamic Republic of Iran, to lift restrictions on women's equal access to all aspects of education and women's equal participation in the labour market and in all aspects of economic, cultural, social and political life;
Amendment 461 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Welcomes President Rohani’s campaign promise to present a charter for citizens’ rights but notes the lack of progress in this regard; underlines the importance of respecting the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary in providing the necessary legal certainty required for foreign direct investments to take place; calls on the EEAS and the Commission to work together with the Iranian authorities in areas such as judicial reform, reform of the prison system, government accountability, respect for the rule of law, citizens’ rights and the fight against corruption; believes that these measures will increase legal certainty in Iran and the country’s attractiveness to foreign investors while also benefiting Iranian citizens.;