Activities of Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL related to 2023/2041(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Relations with Belarus (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on relations with Belarus
Amendments (44)
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)
Citation 10 a (new)
– having regard to ILO Decision GB.347/INS/14(Rev.1) of 20 March 2023,
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 b (new)
Citation 10 b (new)
– having regard to report A/HRC/52/68: Belarus in the rune-up to the 2020 presidential election and in its aftermath by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human rights of 17 March 2023,
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas almost three years after the so-calledfraudulent elections on 9 August 2020, the Belarusian authorities are continuing their repression against the Belarusian people, including vulnerable and marginalised individuals; whereas more than 50 000 Belarusians have been illegally arrested and many of them tortured, more than 1 500 persons remain imprisoned on political grounds and around 300 000 have fleftd the country for fear of a similar fate; whereas in 2022 Lukashenka’s regime made at least 1,200 political convictions on criminal charges, 215 printed media outlets were shut, and since 2020 more than 1,000 NGOs have been liquidated1a; _________________ 1a Political prisoners in Belarus: UK statement to the OSCE - 27 January 2023
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the Belarusian authorities failed to conduct effective investigations into the widespread allegations of torture and other ill-treatment of peaceful protesters by law enforcement officers in August 2020 following the manipulated presidential vote;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the Lukashenka regime is dangerously undermining the sovereignty of Belarus by deepening Belarus’ integration into the Union State with Russia; whereas Lukashenka has suggested a Union State pact between Belarus, Russia, and Kazakhstan to share nuclear weapons;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas scores of Belarusian citizens have been prosecuted for expressing support to Ukraine, criticising the government for supporting Russia’s aggression or reporting on the movements of Russian troops and military equipment within Belarus;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the Lukashenka regime poses a direct threat to the EU and its citizens by continuing to instrumentalise migration, accepting the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on its territory and refusing to implement nuclear safety requirements at the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Astravyets;
Amendment 68 #
Ea. whereas the Lukashenka regime continues to force migrants from third countries across its borders with Poland and Lithuania; whereas 43 people have died on the Polish side of the Belarus- Poland border2a, whereas the European Court of Justice ruled in June 2022 that Lithuanian legislation allowing mass detention and preventing asylum requests for irregular arrivals is a violation of EU law; _________________ 2a European Council of Refugees and Exiles - Eastern Borders: Lithuania Legalised Pushbacks Despite Critique, Polish Authorities Blamed for Ongoing Deaths Along its Borders (...) - 28 April 2023
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the Belarusian democratic forces led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya have a well-established andstructure garnering internationally recognised structuretion, including the recent formation of the United Transitional Cabinet and the opening of the Mission of Democratic Belarus in Brussels;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas in January 2022 amendments to the Belarusian criminal code entered into force, reintroducing criminal liability for participation in activities of unregistered organisations; whereas currently no human rights organisations are legally operating in the country; whereas in May 2022, after new amendments to the criminal code entered into force, the authorities expanded the application of capital punishment to attempted acts of terrorism, a charge previously used in trials of political activists; whereas in July 2022, Lukashenka signed into law the legislation which allows investigations and trials in absentia under 48 articles of the Criminal Code;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Recital G b (new)
Gb. whereas in October 2022, Belarus withdrew from the First Optional Protocol of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as of 8 February 2023, thereby blocking the United Nations Human Rights Committee’s mandate to receive and review human rights complaints from individuals in Belarus, one of the last avenues of redress for persecuted Belarusians; whereas this decision entered into force on 8 February 2023;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G c (new)
Recital G c (new)
Gc. whereas in January 2023, the Belarusian regime enacted a law that will strip citizenship from those in exile it accuses of so-called “extremist-related” crimes – a list that now includes more than 2,000 individuals;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G d (new)
Recital G d (new)
Gd. whereas attacks on some ethnic minorities, including Poles and Lithuanians, have escalated; whereas the Belarusian authorities also targets schools and publishing houses teaching or publishing in Belarusian, despite its status as an official language, regarding it as a language of the political opposition;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G e (new)
Recital G e (new)
Ge. whereas LGBTI individuals in Belarus face further systemic discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression and sex characteristics; whereas on 29 December, the Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of Belarus announced that Belarus might introduce an LGBTI ‘propaganda’ legislation similar to that in Russia;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G f (new)
Recital G f (new)
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G g (new)
Recital G g (new)
Gg. whereas Belarus has failed to abide by key findings of a 2004 ILO Commission of Inquiry, and the Lukashenka regime has continued the persecution of trade unionists;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G h (new)
Recital G h (new)
Gh. whereas the Belarusian authorities often resort to surveillance, online censorship, and disinformation, deploying technologies to control the population; whereas such a repressive practice represents another step towards digital authoritarianism and suppression of digital rights of persons in Belarus, resulting in escalating intimidation of citizens and shrinking of civic space;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G i (new)
Recital G i (new)
Gi. whereas Belarus remains the only country in Europe and Central Asia to impose and carry out the death penalty;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Condemns in the strongest terms the unabated repression and the systematic and widespread human rights violations committed by the Lukashenka regime, including manifold cases of mistreatment and torture of political prisoners, journalists and human rights defenders; continues to stand in solidarity with the brave people of Belarus who stand up for a sovereign, free and democratic Belarus, risking their freedom and lives;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Urges the Belarusian regime to end this spiral of violence, torture and repression against dissenting voices and perceived critics, to release immediately and unconditionally all political prisoners and all persons arbitrarily detained, and to engage in a genuine dialogue with representatives of the democratic forces and civil society in order to find a way out of the current political crisis through the organisation of free and fair elections to be organised under international observation led by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and underpinned by independent and free media and a strong civil society;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Condemns the practice of “chain arrests”, or unjustified extensions of pre- trial detention for minor offences or trumped-up “extremism” charges, especially used against human rights defenders; deplores the conditions of pre- trial detention, including denial of medical treatment and basic hygiene products, in addition to widespread and well-documented instances of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment like fake executions;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Denounces politically motivated ‘show trials’ aimed at instilling fear in representatives and supporters of the democratic forces, civil society, independent media, free trade unions and human rights defenders, and in particular the recent sentencing to long prison terms of Nobel Peace Prize and Sakharov Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, Valiantsin Stefanovich, Zmitser Salauyou, Uladzimir Labkovich, Raman Pratasevich, Henadz Fiadynich, Vasil Berasneu and Vatslau Areshka,, Viktar Babaryka, Vatslau Areshka and Maryna Zolatava, Ludmila Chekina, Stsiapan Putsila and Yan Rudzik, the latter two on spurious charges of ‘conspiracy to seize power’ or ‘forming extremist organisations’; as well as the sentencing in absentia of leading figures of the democratic forces such as Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Pavel Latushka, Maryia Maroz, Volha Kavalkova, Siarhei Dyleuski, Valery Tsapkala, Stsiapan Putsila and Yan Rudzik on spurious charges of ‘conspiracy to seize power’ or ‘forming extremist organisations’;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Reiterates its condemnation of the politically-motivated imprisonment of opposition politicians Viktar Babaryka, Maryia Kalesnikava, Maksim Znak, Siarhei Tsikhanouski, and Mikalay Statkevich, as well as journalists Ihar Losik and Katsiaryna Andreyeva, and others; calls for an independent investigation into the death of activist Raman Bandarenka in November 2020 caused by a vicious beating, allegedly by plain clothed police officers or their proxies;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Urges Belarusian authorities to immediately commute all death sentences and establish an immediate moratorium on the use of death penalty as the first step towards full and permanent abolition;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Calls on the Commission, Member States and the EEAS to cooperate with international partners, such as the OSCE Moscow Mechanism and the UN Human Rights Council, as well as human rights defenders and civil society on the ground to ensure monitoring, documentation and reporting of human rights violations and subsequent accountability and justice for victims; reiterates its support for the International Accountability Platform for Belarus;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Reiterates its call for the EU Member States to prepare the ground for the criminal prosecution of Belarusian officials who are responsible for or complicit in electoral fraud and grave human rights violations, under the accepted principles of universal justice; extraterritorial and universal justice; echoes the call from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for all UN Member States to consider working towards accountability in this way; supports further discussions about a possible international tribunal for human rights violations in Belarus to be set up in The Hague; calls on the ICC to initiate pre-trial proceedings against the Belarusian regime in cases of crimes against humanity and war complicity;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Condemns in the strongest possible terms the Belarusian regime’s involvement in Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, including the massive provision of ammunition and military hardware to the Russian aggressors and the use of Belarusian territory as a staging ground to launch missile attacks on military and civilian targets in Ukraine; notes that the vast majority of Belarusians disapprove of this multifaceted involvement in Russia’s war of aggression; expresses its full support for the Belarusian activists disturbing railways and other supply lines used by Russian military as well as support for Belarusian volunteers, in particular the ‘Kalinouski’ and ‘Pahonia’ regiments, who are bravely fighting alongside the Ukrainian army to repel the aggressors;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for the EU institutions and the Member States to take all the actions necessary to enable the criminal prosecution of Belarusian officials who are complicit in the war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes of genocide and the crime of aggression committed in Ukraine; welcomes in this regard the steps taken towards the establishment of an ICC country office in Ukraine;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Call for the EU and its Member States to broaden and strengthen the scope of sanctions (‘restrictive measures’) against individuals and legal entities responsible for or complicit in grave human rights violations in Belarus under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Mechanisms (EU Magnitsky Act), including judges, prosecutors, law enforcement, prison and penal colony officials, and agents of the infamous KGB and GUBOPiK; insists that Belarusian potash, which is the main source of the regime’s income, should remain on the list of sanctions; urges the EU and its Member States to increase their capacity to assess the real effect of sanctions in order to ensure their full implementation and to thwart any circumvention schemes, as well as provide adequate support for the work of the International Special Envoy for the Implementation of EU Sanctions to address all loopholes and improve the effective implementation of all sanctions;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the Council and the HR/VP to also explore further measures, beyond sanctions, and to develop a coherent and comprehensive long-term approach towards Belarus, closely coordinated with like-minded countries and international organisations;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes with great concern the rampant economic, political and military integration moving towards an eventual annexation of Belarus intothrough the Union State withby Russia; condemns the announced deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons under Russian command on Belarusian territory; calls for the EU and the Member States to maintain unity in addressing the multifaceted threats posed by the Lukashenka regime to the EU, in particular the continued state-engineered illegal migration crisis at the borders of Belarus with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, and to work in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure nuclear safety at the Belarusian NPP;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Strongly condemns the use of migration for political ends by the Belarusian authorities; is concerned about the humanitarian situation along Belarus’ borders with EU Member States; condemns the use of pushbacks by Poland and Lithuania; is deeply concerned that new legislation in Lithuania and legislation in preparation in Latvia legalises pushbacks and does not specify the concrete procedures to be put in place at the borders; calls on these EU Member States to abide by EU law, as upholding basic European norms, international law and respect for the dignity of every human life, especially in the face of challenges, are at the core of the democratic European project we also wish for Belarus;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Urges the Belarusian regime to immediately end the persecution, discrimination, and violence against LGBTI individuals and to ensure their full protection and inclusion in society; supports the efforts of LGBTI organisations in Belarus in advocating for legal reforms that ensure equal rights and protection for all individuals;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10c. Reiterates its condemnation of the decision by the Lukashenka regime to withdraw Belarus from the Aarhus Convention, an international agreement that implements the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 d (new)
Paragraph 10 d (new)
10d. Deplores the lack anti discrimination legislation regarding persons with disabilities in Belarus, as well as the 2021 forced closure of the country’s leading disability rights organisation, the Office for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 e (new)
Paragraph 10 e (new)
10e. Deplores the visit by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijarto on 13 February 2023 to Belarus in an unmistakable show of support to the regime in Minsk that utterly contradicts the policy of the EU both in relation to Belarus, Russia and the war of aggression against Ukraine;
Amendment 231 #
10f. Condemns the Belarusian regime’s acts of transnational repression against Belarusians abroad as well as Russia’s facilitation and active cooperation;
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls for the EU, its institutions and its Member States to develop a more ambitious and comprehensive strategy in order to support democratic forces, civil society activists, independent trade unions and free media both in and outside Belarus; calls for improved EU communication with the people in Belarus in order to provide them with information and counter disinformation and propaganda by the state-controlled media; urges the EU Member States to coordinate their actions in order to alleviate the difficulties, including due to incorrect application of the sanctions regime, faced by democratic forces and, civil society activists and other Belarusian citizens in exile, for example in the process of obtaining residence permits or opening bank accounts;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Reiterates its call for a targeted EU assistance programme to help victims of political repression and police violence, monitoring of the situation and trials of individual political prisoners on the ground, easing visa requirements, as well as improving asylum processes, issuing emergency visas, and improving temporary shelter in EU Member States for those seeking refuge from Belarus;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to prepare rules and procedures to deal with cases where human rights defenders and other civil society activists are stripped of their citizenship in Belarus, as well as to provide support to those Belarusians residing in the EU whose identity documents are expiring and who have no means of renewing them, since they cannot return to Belarus;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)
Paragraph 11 c (new)
11c. Encourages the Members States to reinforce the mandate and office of UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus and OHCHR Examination on Belarus to receive and process effectively individual complaints from the citizens of Belarus, as they do not have any other international remedy; Expresses support for the call of 13 February 2023 by international and Belarusian civil society organisations on Member and Observer States of the UN Human Rights Council to establish an independent investigative mechanism to complement and follow-up on the work of the existing OHCHR examination and calls for its work to be sufficiently resourced and funded;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 d (new)
Paragraph 11 d (new)
11d. Welcomes the March 2023 ILO decision GB.347/INS/14(Rev.1)/Decision “concerning the options for measures under article 33 of the ILO Constitution, as well as other measures, to secure compliance by the Government of Belarus with the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry in respect of Conventions Nos 87 and 98”; calls on all ILO Member States to support the resolution that will form the basis of the decision to be taken at the 111th International Labour Conference in June 2023;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 e (new)
Paragraph 11 e (new)
11e. Urges the International Olympic Committee and other international sports federations not to allow athletes from Belarus and the Russian Federation, many of whom support or even participate in Russia's unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine, to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games;