Activities of Salima YENBOU related to 2021/2055(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the persecution of minorities on the grounds of belief or religion
Amendments (53)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 27 a (new)
Citation 27 a (new)
— having regard to the awarding of the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Raif Badawi in 2015, Nadia Murad and Lamiya Aji Bashar in 2016 and to Ilham Tohti in 2019,
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the UN Human Rights Committee has recalled that the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion (which includes the freedom to hold beliefs) encompasses freedom of thought on all matters, personal conviction and the commitment to religion or belief, whether manifested individually or in community with others; whereas this freedom cannot be reduced in its description, protection and promotion to less inclusive terms such as religious freedoms;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas the freedom of religion and belief implies the right of the individual to choose what to believe and not to believe, the right to change or abandon one’s religion and convictions without any constraints, and the right to practise and manifest the religion or theistic, non-theistic or atheistic belief of one’s choice, whether individually or in community and whether in private or in public, the right to not to profess any religion or belief, and the right to express critical or satirical opinions on religions and religious authorities as a legitimate expression of freedom of thought or artistic creation; whereas freedom of religion or belief also entails the right for the religious and non-confessional organisations to have recognised legal personality;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas freedom of religion or belief is violated in almost one third ofmany countries worldwide; whereas over 5 billiona large number of people live in countries imposing or tolerating severe violations of freedom of religious or belief;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas women are particularly at risk of increased discrimination and violence linked to intersectional factors such as gender, religion, caste, ethnic background, power imbalances, patriarchy and belonging to minority groups;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Affirms its unwavering commitment to promoting and protecting the rights of persons belonging to religious minorities everywhere in the world, including their right to change or choose their religion or belief, in respect of the principles of equality and non- discrimination; condemns in the strongest terms all persecution, violence, incitement to violence and terrorism targeting any minority on the grounds of religion and belief, which in some cases may even amount to crimes against humanity or genocide; condemns also the denial of or efforts to minimise such crimes;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that freedom of religion or belief, including freedom to worship, and freedom to believe or not believe, is a human right, and that it often serves as a last bastion of liberty and as a source of fierce determination in highly repressive settings;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Stresses that the persecution of minorities on grounds of religion or belief is often intertwined with some other grounds of distinct nature, in particular those linked to ethnicity, gender and caste;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Is deeply concerned about the rise over the last decade of violence against people belonging to minorities on the grounds of their belief or religion as a global phenomenon, which is intensifying and affecting more and more countries; notes that it affects many religious communities, namely Christians (including Copts), Jews, Muslims (including Ahmadis and Alevis), Buddhists, Hindus and smaller religious groups, such as Baha’is, Sikhs and Zoroastrian; notes that it affects many religious communities, as well as groups of people who are atheists, humanists, agnostics or do not identify with any religion;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Strongly deplores that non- religious, and secular and humanist organizations are facing growing persecution, including unprecedented waves of incitement and hatred and killings, in a number of countries worldwide; denounces as well that countless individuals and civil society organisations are under assault for peacefully questioning, criticizing or satirizing religious beliefs; stresses that this ongoing violation of their freedom of thought and of expression occurs across geographic and cultural borders, including within EU Member States;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Emphasises that the perpetrators of acts of persecution include authoritarian regimes, governments inclined to impose the supremacy of dominantcertain ethnic or religious populations over minorities, terrorist organisations, political and religious extremist parties or groups, and also, sometimes, family members, friends and neighbours of victims, for instance when the latter change or abandon their religious allegiance or practise their religion differently than the traditional norms and doctrine;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1
Subheading 1
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Deplores the fact that atheists are still persecuted in almost all of the region and that apostasy carries the death sentence in several countries; expres, humanists and non-religious persons face persecution around the world, notably in the name of religion; underlines that the discrimination against theses its regret that freedom of worship is severely limited in some of the countndividuals may take multiple forms, including constitutional and legal barriers in the Middle East, with the notable example of Saudi Arabia, where public practice of any religion other than Islamand restrictive and conservative societal norms and perceptions; denounces that apostasy carries the death sentence isn strictly prohibitedeveral countries;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2
Subheading 2
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 3
Subheading 3
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4
Subheading 4
Tackling key challenges posed by the persecution against religious and belief minorities
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls on the Council and EU Member States to apply sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for or involved in systematicerious violations or abuses of the rights of persons belonging to religious minorities on grounds of belief or religion, as provided for by the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Is appalled by the exacerbation of persecution against religious minority groups during the COVID-19 pandemic; denounces the fact that persons belonging to religious minorities have been scapegoated, blamed for spreading the COVID-19 virus, and have been denied or faced discrimination in access to public healthcare, food or humanitarian aid, on the basis of their religiousn or belief criteria;
Amendment 277 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Underlines that women belonging to religious or belief minorities have been specifically and increasingly targeted with the purpose of inflicting harm on their community as a whole; stresses that they are particularly exposed to violent attacks, kidnapping, sexual violence, forced conversion, forced and early marriage and domestic incarceration, and that lockdown measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic have made their human rights situation even more precarious;
Amendment 279 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Denounces all forms of violence and coercion, including public expression of hostility by religious leaders, perpetrated against women, girls and LGBT+ persons justified with reference to religious practice or belief; calls for the repeal of discriminatory laws, enacted with reference to religious considerations, that criminalize adultery, that criminalize persons on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identify or expression, that criminalize abortion in all cases or that facilitate religious practices that violate human rights;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Paragraph 26 b (new)
26b. Deplores the ongoing rollback and regression on sexual and reproductive rights of women and girl and rights of LGBTI persons, notably under the guise of religious principles or doctrine; notes that intersectional factors, including religion and belonging to minority groups, increase the risk of discrimination under this regressive trend;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Condemns the use by authoritarian regimes of legislation on security, sedition and the fight against terrorism and extremism as an instrument to persecute persons belonging to religious or belief minorities, to outlaw the practise or expression of their religion and gatherings ofor believersf, and to deter the registration of religious and belief-related associations; calls on the Commission and European External Action Service (EEAS) to monitor carefully the implementation of such legislation, and to consistently raise this issue in bilateral dialogues with the governments concerned; urges EU Member States to reject any request by foreign authorities for judicial and police cooperation in individual judicial cases if they are based on such legislation;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Deplores the fact that more than 70 countries in the world enforce criminal laws or seek to introduce new legislation which provide for punishments for blasphemy, apostasy and conversion, including the death sentence; notes that laws already in place are used disproportionately against people belonging to religious minorities, and are thus seen, with good reasonon grounds of religion or belief, as an instrument of oppression; calls for the EU to intensify its political dialogue with all countries concerned with a view to repeal those laws; deplores in this context, that at least 9 EU Member States maintain criminal blasphemy or religious insult laws and underscores that the EU's external action in support of freedom of religion and belief would gain in credibility and legitimacy by addressing this internal situation;
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Denounces the recourse to denunciations of blasphemy, apostasy or other accusations based on religious grounds, in order to crack down on human rights defenders in relation to their legitimate activities, including on the Internet and social media, and more broadly to restrict civil society space;
Amendment 304 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 b (new)
Paragraph 28 b (new)
28b. Stresses that States that have compulsory military service should allow for conscientious objection, including on grounds of religion or belief, and provide for an alternative national service;
Amendment 307 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 c (new)
Paragraph 28 c (new)
28c. Recalls that, as stated by the UN Human Rights Council, public education that includes instruction in a particular religion or belief is inconsistent with the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, unless provision is made for non-discriminatory exemptions or alternatives that would accommodate the wishes of persons and guardians;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 5
Subheading 5
Strengthening EU human rights foreign policy and external actions to address the persecution of religious minoritieprotect the freedom of belief and religious of persons belonging to minority groups
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. WelcomesTakes note of the recent appointment of Mr Christos Stylianides as the EU Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief; deplores that the Commission did not carry out a transparent and comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness and added value of the position of the Special Envoy in the process of the renewal of this mandate, as requested by the Parliament; calls on the Commission to include objectives for the fight against persecution of minorities on the grounds of belief or religion as important part of his mandate; recommendinsists that the Special Envoy works closely and in a complementary manner with the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, and the Council Working Group on Human Rights (COHOM), and reiterates its calls on the Counreports annually on the countries visited and his thematic priorities; encourages the Special and the Commission to adequately support the Special Envoy’s institutional mandate, capacity and dutiesEnvoy not to neglect the situation of non- believers and to enhance his outreach and advocacy in relation to the non- confessional dimension of his mandate;
Amendment 322 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Calls on the Council, the Commission, EEAS and EU Member States to address persecutions based on belief or religion as a priority of EU human rights foreign policy, in line with the EU action plan for human rights and democracy for 2020-2024; stresses that a multi-layered and multi-actor approach is needed to protect and promote freedom of religion or belief, encompassing human rights, conflict resolution and interfaith initiatives that involve multiple state and non-state actors; reiterates its call for a regular and public review of the EU Guidelinesall EU thematic guidelines on human rights, including those on freedom of religion or belief, allowing for the assessment of their implementation and of proposals for their update; also calls for progress reports on the implementation of the thematic EU Guidelines to be communicated regularly to Parliament;
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Urges the EEAS and EU Delegations to include objectives specifically related to the protectionfreedom of religious minoritn and beliesf for all relevant situations, as part of the human rights and democracy country strategies (HRDCSs) for 2021-2024. and to consistently raise general issues and specific cases relating to the discrimination against or persecution of religious minorities during human rights dialogues with partner countries; reiterates its call for Members of the European Parliament to be given access to the content of HRDCSs; observes that atheism and the non- religious population are growing rapidly worldwide and should not be neglected in the EU policy framework;
Amendment 331 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31a. Calls on the EU Delegations and the Member States’ representations to support human rights defenders and journalists active in relation to belief or religious minorities, and, where appropriate, to facilitate the issuance of emergency visas, and provide temporary shelter in EU Member States when these individuals are at risk;
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 b (new)
Paragraph 31 b (new)
31b. Calls on the Commission to support civil society organizations and social campaigns that promote understanding and awareness of non majority religion and belief groups, especially humanists and atheists in countries where they face particularly serious forms of discrimination;
Amendment 336 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Calls on the Commission and EEAS to scrutinise the human rights situations of religious or belief minorities in third countries and the implementation of related commitments under bilateral agreements of those countries with the EU;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Recalls that the political and legal separation of religion and state is a prerequisite for the full enjoyment of human rights, democracy and the rule of law; calls on the EU to ensure that its assistance programmes to national and local authorities in third countries are consistent with the principles of secularism, including in the field of education, and strictly refrain from reinforcing government legislation and policies that favour one belief or religious group over others;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Recommends strengthening EU multilateral engagement with like-minded states and other actors with a view to promoting and mainstreaming the respect for religious minorities in human rights policies everywhere inand belief minorities around the world; calls for the EU and EU Member States to enhance cooperation with the UN, notably the Special Procedures under the UN Human Rights Council, the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), to intensify its dialogues with the African Union and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and to forge alliances with third countries in order to provide international responses to human rights issues faced by religious or belief minorities, in particular those who are most vulnerable or targeted in conflict areas; also recommends that the EU continue to be the lead co-sponsor of resolutions on freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief in the UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council, as well as to take EU-UN joint initiatives on discrimination against non-believers (including atheists, apostats, agnostics, humanists, etc.) as well as against religious minorities, also formulating common proposals on how to put an end to such acts;