Activities of Katalin CSEH related to 2021/2204(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
The EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders
Amendments (37)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. Whereas the Declaration on human rights defenders adopted by consensus by the UN General Assembly in 1998, identifies human rights defenders as individuals or groups who act to promote, protect or strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms through peaceful means;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the Guidelines, adopted in 2004 and revised in 2008, have gradually become the framework of reference for EU institutions, EU delegations, Member States’ diplomatic missions and EU leaders to promote and ensure respect for the rights of HRDs and to protect HRDs at risk of attacks and threats from state and non-state actors; whereas the European Parliament constantly calls for a proper and coordinated implementation of the EU Guidelines;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas consistent, coherent EU action to support and protect HRDs can have a significant impact, such as when Member States’ missions and EU delegations coordinate their action, including by raising specific cases both bilaterally and in multilateral fora;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas women human rights defenders are more at risk of being subjected to certain forms of violence and other violations, prejudice, exclusion, and repudiation than their male counterparts;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the EU, as a powerful economic actor, has the capacity to influence the situation of human rights and HRDs worldwide by integrating a human rights-based approach into its trade and investment policies in a coherent manner;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the new EU global human rights sanctions regime (EU Magnitsky Act) allows the EU to target serious human rights violations and abuses worldwide;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas there has been a substantial increase in the number, range and severity of attacks on HRDs and their families and lawyers in recent years; whereas the global analysis published by the NGO Front Line Defenders reported that 358 HRDs had been killed across 35 countries in 2021 alone, and since under-reporting is common, the actual figure is likely to be much higher; whereas 227 environmental defenders were killed in 2020, with more than half of those killings occurring in only three countries, Colombia, Mexico and the Philippines, according to the NGO Global Witness; whereas a large number of HRDs are under threat and attack because they raise concerns about the adverse human rights impacts of business operations, often in the context of large development projects that affect access to land and livelihoods; whereas according to several sources land and environmental rights defenders are the most targeted HRD groups;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Praises and thanks all human rights defenders for their courageous and crucial work for humanity andin defence of human rights as well as for the planet; acknowledges that they have to do their work under increasingly difficult circumstances and often at a heavy cost for them, their families and their communities;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Praises and thanks all human rights defenders for their courageous and crucial work for humanity and the planet; acknowledges that they have to do their work under increasingly difficult circumstances and often at a heavy personal cost for them, their families and their communities;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for the EU to put its ambitious rhetoric and HRD policy frameworkfurther strengthen its HRD policy framework by continuously putting into practice through concrete and effective action in third countries, in particular in its relations with authoritarian regimes in places where the EU and the Member States have association, trade, investment or cooperation agreements, or substantial commercial, energy, security, migratory and other interests;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls for the EU to implement a genuine Team Europe approach to HRDs, encouraging those Member States not yet active on HRD issues to develop a policydedicated strategy and policy framework, joining forces on the diplomatic and funding fronts and bringing together a broad coalition of governmental and non- governmental stakeholders, while representing and pursuing the same approach in their bilateral relations as well;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Believes that such an approach, through which all EU institutions – from the EEAS to the Commission, European financial institutions, Parliament and the Member States –, including the EU Special Representative for Human Rights would work together on implementing the Guidelines, would prove effective in helping to counter the global backsliding of human rights and democracy; stresses the need to apply a gender specific implementation of the guidelines;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the efforts by many EU delegations and Member States’ missions to give visibility and recognition to HRDs, in particular by establishing local human rights working groups with staff from EU missions, proactively reaching out to and holding regular meetings with HRDs, conducting systematic field visits to areas where HRDs are at risk (such as in Mexico and Colombia), developing rosters of diplomats for trial monitoring (for example in Russia), recognising outstanding contributions by HRDs through annual awards (for example in Uganda and Honduras), providing emergency support to HRDs, challenging laws that criminalise HRDs and supporting the development of HRD protection networks; highlights, as an example of best practice, the innovative #DefendamosLaVida initiative launched by the EU delegations and Member States’ missions in Colombia and, most recently, Mexico;
Amendment 61 #
10. Regrets, however, the fact that, due to the voluntarist nature of the Guidelines, the intensity and quality of EU delegations’ engagement with and on HRDs vary considerably from country to country and are in practice largely dependent on the local political context or the individual dedication and political will of the specific EU ambassador or staff in question, or of the officials at the EEAS and Commission headquarters; calls for greater consistency and a strategic overall approach in this regard and for a firm personal commitment by the VP/HR office to ensuring the consistent implementation of the Guidelines across all delegations, particularly in the countries where HRDs are most at risk;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Is encouraged by reports of improved coordination between EU delegations and Member States in the area of HRD protection, particularly through the practice of burden sharing and joint public diplomacy; regrets the fact that only a few Member States, such as Ireland and Finland, have adopted their own national HRD guidelines; calls on Member States to step up their efforts to achieve broader and more consistent engagement on the protection of HRDs and to set up their own HRD guidelines, which are in line with those of the European Union;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls for more public engagement by the VP/HR and the EU Special Representative for the safeguarding of Human Rights, including with regard to individual HRDs; encourages the VP/HR and the Commissioners to commit to systematically meeting with HRDs during their visits abroad and to raise at the highest level the plight of HRDs under attack, including those persecuted, intimidated, detained, arbitrarily imprisoned or forced to flee their country, including through public statements when appropriate;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomes the EU’s substantial and steadily increasing financial contribution to supporting HRDs worldwide, which makes it the lead donor in this regard, as well as its efforts to heighten flexibility and the development of various programmes to support human rights and HRDs, including when HRDs work in exile; emphasises the unique role of the civil society-run ProtectDefenders.eu mechanism in providing invaluable practical support for HRDs at risk; calls on the Commission to put greater emphasis on communicating these efforts publicly in order to reinforce the European Union’s image as the most prominent human rights defender entity in the world;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Warns of the active role of numerous government-organised non- governmental organisations (GONGOs) that present themselves as legitimate civil society organisations and calls on the EU and its Member States to avoid any promotion of these organisations or any form of association with them;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. HighlightCondemns the rise in attacks on HRDs’ families, communities and lawyers worldwide; stresses that these attacks also occur while in exile and are intended to inflict pain, fear, anguish, and a sense of vulnerability in order to humiliate and degrade the victims and break their physical and moral resistance accordingly, reiterates the importance of using the Commission’s emergency grants, ProtectDefenders.eu and the crisis facility to increase protection and support for these family members, bearing in mind the diverse family units that exist, and HRDs’ lawyers;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Underlines the need to invest more in HRDs’ overall long-term protection and psychosocial welfare, including by taking a more preventative approach in order to anticipate serious problems, such as assaults, in addition to implementing reactive measures focused on individuals; highlights that in its overall approach, HRD protection must prioritise preventive measures to reactive ones;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 – indent 9
Paragraph 18 – indent 9
- the development of a strategy to work for the release of HRDsarbitrarily detained HRDs or those in long-term detention;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 – indent 9 a (new)
Paragraph 18 – indent 9 a (new)
- Assistance to develop adequate protection mechanisms against new threats against HRDs, including cyberattacks or online harassment;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Welcomes the recent efforts by EU delegations and Member States’ missions in some third countries to reach out to activists who do not match the traditional notion of HRDs; encourages the EU to pursue a broad approach to HRDs, particularly by engaging with and providing support for local and grassroots HRDs and especially marginalised and vulnerable HRDs, such as those operating in remote areas and vulnerable groups, including women, all of whom are at greater risk of experiencing violence and restrictions;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Acknowledges the multiple and intersecting forms of violence and discrimination faced by women human rights defenders, including sexual and gender-based violence; urges countries to adopt effective measures to protect women defenders and to consider integrating a gender perspective into their efforts to investigate threats and attacks against human rights defenders;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the Commission to prioritise women HRDs’ access to protection mechanisms and resources, and provide increased funding to independent civil society organisations that promote the rights of women and girls;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Stresses that the EU should address climate activism as an integral human rights issue under its HRD policy and step up its action in support of those defending the climate and the environment, especially those environmental and indigenous peoples’ rights defenders who are most at risk;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls on the EEAS, the Commission and the Member States to address the threats against and attacks on HRDs by non-governmental actors, including criminal groups and local communitiehostile interest groups, as well as threats in conflict and transition settings; urges the EU to integrate violence against HRDs into its crisis management policy and provide an effective protection response to HRDs in need of relocation in crisis situations;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls on the EEAS, the Commission and the Member States to prioritise the fight against the misuse of surveillance technology to undermine the work of HRDs, particularly through the development of robust national and international legislation and, in the immediate future, the adoption of a global moratorium on the sale and transfer of such technology to countries with a poor human rights track record;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Calls for the EU to align its HRD strategies with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; underlines that EU delegations and Member States should prioritisefocus on engaging with the business community, and particularly European companies abroad, in order to protect HRDs working on land, extraction and manufacturing concerns and monitor their operations, especially in situations involving a risk or reports of human rights violations relating to their activities concerning the entire value chain of a company’s commercial activity;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Highlights the increasing phenomenon of transnational threats against HRDs by their national authorities or proxies, including in Member States; calls on the Commission and the Member States to identify and tackle these threats within the EU as a priority and as an integral aspect of the Guidelines; urges the Commission and the Member States to provide foreign HRDs residing in the EU with adequate financial and other means to enable them to continue their human rights work remotely and without fearing retaliation;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29 a. Calls on the Commission to investigate particularly concerning cases of third countries persecuting human rights defenders in EU Member States through operating unlawful overseas representations of their domestic authorities without the knowledge or consent of Member States authorities;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Notes the improvement of EU support for relocating HRDs at risk and the adoption of best practice in some Member States, such as Ireland and Spain, but deplores the fact that many HRDs and their families continue to see their urgent relocation or visa requests denied;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34 a. Calls on Member States authorities to set up protection mechanisms for HRDs who are at risk of continued harassment and persecution by their home countries even after being granted visas in a Member State;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Stresses that, as an integral member of Team Europe, Parliament should be fully integrated into the EU policy on HRDs, including through regular dialogue, when needed in a confidential setting, on key issues and policy developments in relation to the Guidelines, as well as through the Commission and Member States acting swiftly on its requests to initiate targeted sanctions for severe repression against HRDs; suggests that the concerns and recommendations expressed in its urgency resolutions be included in local strategies; calls on EU delegations to pay special attention to Sakharov Prize laureates;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 – indent 6
Paragraph 38 – indent 6
- systematic efforts by its missions to meet with arbitrarily jailed HRDs and their immediate family members, or to carry out trial observation, when deemed helpful for HRDs and their family members;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Resolves to ensure that its key resolutions on human rights, in particular urgency resolutions, are translated into the local languages of the countries concerned and published and distributed accordingly; calls for adequate follow-up of EP resolutions;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Regrets the lack of an in-depth, specific analysis by the EEAS and the Commission of the implementation of the Guidelines since 2008; calls for a comprehensive assessment of EU action on HRDs in the framework of the mid-term review of the implementation of the action plan on human rights and democracy 2020- 2024, scheduled for June 2023; calls on the EEAS and the Commission to, if necessary, expand their respective units with more officials working on HRD protection issues;