17 Amendments of Edward MCMILLAN-SCOTT related to 2011/2185(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (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 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
- having regard to the EU Guidelines on the protection of the rights of the child and the guidelines on children and armed conflict, as well as many previous European Parliament resolutions touching on these issues,
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas democracy is, justice and accountability are the best safeguard of human rights, tolerance and equality;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas non-governmental organisations are essential to the development and success of democratic societies and the promotion of mutual understanding and tolerance;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses that the mainstreaming of international justice must include systematically taking account of the fight against impunity in the broader context of trade, development and rule-of-law assistance; stresses that victims and affected communities must be the central concern, with a special focus on vulnerable groups, including women, children, young people and people with disabilities; recommends that the Rome Statute of the ICC be added to the package of international treaties on good governance and the rule of law to be ratified by third countries admitted to the System of Generalised Preferences Plus (GSP+); recommends the consistent inclusion of ICC clauses in EU agreements with third countries;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21 a. Recognises the critical role of the Rome Statute system in the fight against impunity through its promotion of the principle of complementarity, whereby States retain the primary responsibility to investigate and, where appropriate, prosecute those accused of committing crimes under international law; welcomes the efforts of the European Commission to establish an "EU Complementarity Toolkit"; welcomes the efforts of EU Member States' civil society to support complementarity efforts in countries where crimes under international law and massive human rights violations have occurred, and encourages such efforts to continue;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38 a. Considers that since the "Arab Spring" began, in-country NGOs and organised citizens are playing a critical role in mobilising people and promoting their participation in public life both conducting education and awareness- raising campaigns aimed at informing people of their rights and empowering them to understand and embrace democracy; stresses that, in order to reinforce these processes, priorities on the political agenda for future reforms will need to stem from participatory consultations with in-country NGOs and civil rights advocates;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 51 a (new)
Paragraph 51 a (new)
51 a. Calls on all Member States to actively intervene on the issue of the human rights of detainees and the overpopulation of prisons in and outside the European Union;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52 a (new)
Paragraph 52 a (new)
52 a. Restore section on children's rights;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61
Paragraph 61
61. Strongly condemns female genital mutilation (FGM) as a barbarian breach of the bodily integrity of women and girls; firmly rejects any reference to cultural, traditional or religious practice as a mitigating factor; urges the Commission to pay specific attention to such traditional harmful practices in its strategy to combat violence against womenflagrant violation of the fundamental human right to physical integrity, which must be combated with legislation banning the practice; congratulates African Heads of State for their adoption, at the African Union Summit of July 2011, of a Decision in support of a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution banning FGM worldwide, as a demonstration of the highest degree of political will and commitment to extend all efforts to bring an end to the practice; urges the 66th Session of the UNGA to adopt a Resolution that fulfils these aspirations; emphasizes the need for the Commission to provide the means necessary to support the adoption and effective implementation both within and outside the EU of an international ban and of national laws aimed at the elimination of FGM, including outreach to ensure knowledge of the law, mechanisms to facilitate reporting and prevention, prosecution of presumed offenders, assistance to victims, and sufficient allocation of resources; and requests the EEAS to include this issue in the development and implementation of the human rights country strategies;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 67
Paragraph 67
67. Draws attention to the serious problem that exists in several countries in sub- Saharan Africa of children being accused of witchcraft, resulting in grave consequences ranging from social exclusion to infanticide, and to the ritual murder of children as sacrifices; notes that the State has a responsibility to protect children from abuse and, consequently, urges the EEAS to pay particular attention to the fate of these children in the human rights dialogues with the governments of the countries concerned and in the programming of the external financial instruments;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68
Paragraph 68
68. Stresses that freedom of expression and media, both offline and online, independence and pluralism are essential elements of a sustainable democracy, maximising the involvement of civil society and empowering citizens; calls and are therefore indispensable for ensuring transparency and accountability in public life; calls for increased support in the areas of promoting the freedom of media, protecting independent journalists and bloggers, reducing the digital divide and facilitating Internet access; unrestricted access to information and communication and uncensored access to the internet (digital freedom);
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 69
Paragraph 69
69. Notes that the Iinternet has become one of the most important vehicles through which individuals exercise their right to freedom of opinion and expression, and that it has played a crucial role in promoting human rights, democratic participation, accountability, transparency and economic development; notes however that ICTs can also be misused to violate human rights and fundamental freedoms;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 70
Paragraph 70
70. Welcomes the Commission initiative on the ‘No Disconnection Strategy’; invites the Commission to submit a proposal for regulating the export of products and services aimed at blocking websitessmart regulatory proposals, including increased transparency and accountability for EU (based) companies, in order to improve the monitoring of the export of products and services aimed at, but also custom- made for, blocking websites, mass surveillance, monitoring all internet traffic and (mobile) communications, breaking into private conversations and transcribing them, filtering search results, and intimidating internet users including human rights defenders; believes telecommunications and internet service providers and software developers must learn the lessons of past mistakes, such as Vodafone's decision to give in to demands from the Egyptian authorities in the last weeks of the Mubarak regime to suspend services and to disseminate pro- government propagandaand should engage with policymakers, NGOs and activists in an open dialogue in order to set common minimum standards for human rights impact assessments and increased transparency;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 71
Paragraph 71
Amendment 294 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 71 a (new)
Paragraph 71 a (new)
71 a. Welcomes the inclusion of a ban on the export of technologies and services in the EU's restrictive measures against the governing authorities in Syria; notes that this ban should become a precedent for future restrictive measures against other repressive regimes, in particular towards Iran; notes however that EU policies should be precise to be effective and not to hurt human rights defenders;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72
Paragraph 72
72. Notes that new technologies also allow witnesses and human rights defenders to collect information and share documentation of human rights abuses which may later be used to secure justice for victims; calls on the EU to work with the Global Network Initiativewelcomes multi-stakeholder initiatives and codes of conduct such as the Global Network Initiative; notes however that democratic oversight and the defence and promotion of fundamental rights are core tasks of government; calls on the Commission to support the development and dissemination of digital security technologies to empower human rights defenders through secure collection, encryption and storage mechanisms for such sensitive records and the use of ‘'cloud’' technology to ensure such material cannot be discovered and deleted; calls in particular on the Commission to examine and support the development of open- source technologies such as that developed by the Martus Project supported by the US State Department;