58 Amendments of Miriam LEXMANN related to 2022/2049(INI)
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
— having regard to the UN Human Rights High Commissioner's Assessment of human rights concerns in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China of 31 August 2022,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 b (new)
Citation 16 b (new)
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)
Citation 20 a (new)
— having regard to the European Council conclusions on Ukraine of 30 and 31 May 2022,
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 a (new)
Citation 21 a (new)
— having regard to Opinion 1/19 of the Court of Justice of the European Union stating that the EU accession to the Istanbul Convention will take place in a limited manner, respecting the national competence and the principle of subsidiarity,
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 31 a (new)
Citation 31 a (new)
— having regard to the EU Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief of 24 June 2013,
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 47 a (new)
Citation 47 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 3 May 2022 on the persecution of minorities on the grounds of belief or religion9a, _________________ 9a Texts adopted, P9_TA(2022)0137
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 48 a (new)
Citation 48 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 9 June 2022 on the human rights situation in Xinjiang, including the Xinjiang police files
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 50 a (new)
Citation 50 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 19 May 2022 on the fight against impunity for war crimes in Ukraine,
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, as set out in Article 2 TEU; whereas article 21 TEU stipulates that the Union's actions on the international scene shall be guided by the principles which have inspired its own creation, development and enlargement;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas an effective protection and defence of human rights means putting themust be at the core of all of the EU’s external policies including development, trade, security and defence, migration and enlargement;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the Union strongly believes in and fully supports multilateralism, a rules-based global order and the set of universal values, principles and norms that guide the UN member states and their relations;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
F a. whereas the Xinjiang police files document in detail – and, for the first time, with numerous photographs – the dimensions of the systematic, brutal and arbitrary repression in the Uyghur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang; whereas this material demonstrates the informed role, active support and direct involvement of the Central Government in Beijing, including Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, and of leading Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region officials in directing the mass internment policy in Xinjiang; whereas the documents also point to President Xi Jinping’s informed and active support for Xinjiang’s ‘re- education’ campaigns, as well as for continued spending on additional detention facilities and staff to manage the influx of detainees;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
F b. whereas the Iranian authorities is committing human rights violations and crackdown on protests throughout the country following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was killed after being arrested for allegedly wearing an improper hijab;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Reaffirms the universality and indivisibility of human rights and the inherent dignity of every human being; stresses, in this regard, its strong commitment to addressing first and foremost the challenges to human rights worldwide and reiterates the duty of the EU and its Member States to act as a global leader in the promotion and protection of human rights, freedom and democracy in line with the founding values of the Union;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine; expresses, in this regard, its deep grief at the human suffering and serious human rights violations caused by the Russian armed forces at the EU’s borders; welcomes the joint efforts of the EU and its Member States in response to the war; welcomes, moreover, the solidarity shown by a great number of countries towards Ukraine, as highlighted by their stance during the sessions and votes of the UN General Assembly on the crisis in Ukraine; calls for the EU and its Member States to give the Ukrainian people the support they need to defend democracy, human rights and international law; welcomes the unprecedented ambition of the sanctions imposed in the context of the war and calls for the EU and its Member States to continue to use all of the instruments at their disposal to support the Ukrainian people in their fight to free Ukraine from its occupiers and to hold the invading forces responsible for devastation and war crimes committed;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for the EU to reflect on how to promote a human rights-based approach in all EU instruments and strategies in order to strengthen the EU’s human rights foreign policy and shape the evolving geopolitical situation; underlines that the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI – Global Europe), including its thematic programme on human rights and democracy, is one of the main tools at the EU’s disposal to improve the human rights situation around the world and help foster resilient, inclusive and democratic societies while pushing back against the influence of authoritarian and totalitarian regimes; stresses that the engagement of local civil society actors is vital to protect human rights and democracy in their countries and reiterates its call to fully engage them in all of the EU’s relevant external activities; highlights the importance that NDICI – Global Europe attaches to the promotion of human rights and democracy with strategic international and local partners; underlines Parliament’s role in the instrument’s programming process and calls on the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to share all the relevant information in a timely manner in order to enable Parliament to play its role accordingly, in particular during high-level geopolitical dialogues with the Commission;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes with deep regret that the post of the EU Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU has remained vacant for more than a year; reiterates its and calls for the Council and the Commission to carry out a transparent and comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness and added value of the position of the Special Envoy as part of renewing and reinforcing its mandate,appointment of the new Envoy without further delay; reiterates its call for the Council and the Commission to provide the Special Envoy with adequate resources, and to adequately support the Special Envoy’s institutional mandate, capacity and duties; recalls that the Special Envoy’s duties should focus on promoting freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, and the rights to non-belief, apostasy and the espousal of atheistic views;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes withStrongly regrets that the post of the EU Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU has remained vacant for more than a year; reiterates its call for the Council and the Commission to carry out a transparent and comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness and added value of the position of the Special Envoy as part of renewing and reinforcing its mandatappoint a new Special Envoy as soon as possible, to provide the Special Envoy with adequate resources, and to adequately support the Special Envoy’s institutional mandate, capacity and duties; recalls that the Special Envoy’s duties should focus on promoting freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, and the rights to non-belief, apostasy and the espousal of atheistic views; calls for the Special Envoy to work together with national Special Envoys in the Member States in order to coordinate actions and to have regular consultations with the relevant committees of the European Parliament;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Underlines that human rights dialogues with third countries represent a unique opportunity to focus on human rights challenges and calls for them to be harnessed to their full potential; reiterates its call for the human rights dialogues to be based from the outset on a clear set of benchmarks enabling their effectiveness to be monitored; calls for the EEAS to systematically carry out evaluations of the outcomes of the dialogues and to follow up on them accordingly; stresses that in order to be effective, the dialogues must not be used as a standalone tool, but should instead be integrated within the EU’s comprehensive set of activities with the third countries concerned, which would streamline the human rights dimension and reinforce the messages conveyed in the dialogues; draws attention to the importance of raising individual cases, in particular those highlighted by Parliament in its resolutions, in the context of human rights dialogues and of ensuring adequate follow-up to and transparency of these cases; is of the opinion that, in the case of Human Rights Dialogues with regimes such as the People's Republic of China (PRC), failure to achieve concrete results should have consequences for the wider conduct of bilateral relations, including the freezing of negotiations on any future investment or trade agreements;
Amendment 166 #
12. Welcomes the fact that the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime (the EU's Magnitsky Act) has been increasingly used as an essential tool that strengthens the EU’s role as a global human rights actor through the use of targeted sanctions by the Council; calls for the restrictive measures that have already been adopted to be implemented effectively and in full, and for the adoption of additional measures if necessary; reiterates its request for a legislative proposal to extend the scope of the GHRSR to include acts of corruption or, alternatively, for a proposal for a new thematic sanctions regime against serious acts of corruption in order to effectively target the economic and financial enablers of human rights abusers; reiterates its call for the introduction of qualified majority voting for the Council’s decisions and implementation of sanctions under the GHRSR; reiterates its call on the Commission andwelcomes the Commission President's support to expand the scope of the GHRSR to include acts of corruption and calls on the Council to strive to incorporate Parliament’s recommendations for future targeted sanctions, as stipulated in its resolutions and elsewhere;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Reiterates its call for the Council to introduce targeted sanctions under the GRHSR against the Chief Executive John Lee and all other Hong Kong and PRC officials responsible for the ongoing human rights crackdown in the city;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Stresses that more states should be sanctioned under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, for instance Iran and China, due to the respective authorities’ continuous human rights violations;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Stresses that corruption seriously weakens democratic governance and hinders the enjoyment of human rights worldwide; calls for the fight against corruption to be a part of all of the EU’s efforts and policies to promote human rights and democracy, by formulating a dedicated global anti-corruption strategy, including programmes under the EU’s external financial instruments and enhancing Parliament’s role of scrutiny; underlines the utmost importance for the EU and its Member States to lead by example by applying the highest transparency standards to their external funding and by stepping up their support for civil society organisations, activists and investigative journalists engaged in the fight against corruption;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Reiterates its call to include robust clauses on human rights in agreements between the EU and third countries, supported by a clear set of benchmarks and procedures to be followed in the event of violations; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to actively reflect on how to ensure that the human rights clauses in existing international agreements are effectively enforced; stresses that the EU should react swiftly and decisively to persistent breaches of human rights clauses by third countries, including by suspending the relevant agreements if other options prove ineffective; highlights that the ongoing revision of the Regulation on the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) and the revaluation of beneficiary countries offers a great opportunity to strengthen the commitment to enforcing the respect for human rights in agreements between the EU and third countries;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Reaffirms that the effective protection of human rights around the world requires strong international cooperation at a multilateral level; underlines the particularly important role of the UN and its bodies as the main forum which must be able to effectively advance the efforts for peace and security, sustainable development and respect for human rights and international law; calls for the EU and its Member States to continue supporting the work of the UN, both politically and financially; underlines the need for the EU and its Member States to strive to speak with one voice both at the UN and in other multilateral forums; recalls the obligations of all UN member states to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, as enshrined in the Founding Charter of the United Nations and UN General Assembly Resolution 60/251; stresses the responsibility of the UN Human Rights Council to address all the grave violations of human rights around the world; encourages the continuing efforts of the UN General Assembly to abolish the death penalty including abolishing capital sentences for non-violent crimes;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Stresses that the UNHRC should address situations of violations of human rights in a balanced manner, and cease attempts to disproportionately target the State of Israel; calls in this regard for a fundamental reform of the Human Rights Council including the setting of clear criteria for members of the Council;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Deplores the abuses of multilateral institutions by the PRC, Russia and other authoritarian regimes, seeking to neutralise human rights mechanisms' their ability to hold states accountable for human rights violations, as well as to undermine and/or rewrite international norms to suit their authoritarian agenda; calls on the Council and the Member States to work with like-minded democratic allies to support a reform of multilateral institutions so that they become more resilient in the face of malign influence of authoritarian regimes;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17 b. Deplores the abuse of the UN Human Rights Council by authoritarian and totalitarian regimes which continue to abuse it for their own ends, in particular, to undermine its functioning, and erode the human rights norms regime; calls for the EU and its Member States to support a comprehensive reform of the HRC;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Stresses the vital role of ICC in carrying out investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by non-state, regional or ethnic-based armed forces against ethnic, religious or belief minorities; calls on the EU and its Member States to continue cooperation with ICC in combatting and preventing such crimes; reiterates the importance of scaling up efforts to support ICC in initiating and conducting formal investigations in a timely manner and in full conformity with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Stresses the vital role of the ICC in carrying out investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by non-state, regional or ethnic-based armed forces against ethnic, religious or belief minorities; calls on the EU and its Member States to continue cooperation with the ICC in combatting and preventing such crimes; reiterates the importance of scaling up efforts to support ICC in initiating and conducting formal investigations in a timely manner and in full conformity with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Reaffirms that the credible evidence about birth prevention measures and the separation of Uyghur children from their families amount to crimes against humanity and represent a serious risk of genocide; calls on the Chinese authorities to cease all government- sponsored programmes of forced labour and mass forced sterilisation and to put an immediate end to any measures aimed at preventing births in the Uyghur population;
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Reiterates its principled opposition to the death penalty, which is a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and is irreversible; especially condemns retention of the death penalty for non- violent crimes such as blasphemy and apostasy and recalls that the mere existence of the death penalty already has a chilling effect on the freedom of conscience, expression, religion or belief; stresses that the EU must be relentless in its pursuit of the universal abolition of the death penalty as a major objective of its human rights foreign policy; calls on all countries that have not yet done so to abolish the death penalty or establish an immediate moratorium, starting with abolishing capital sentences for non- violent crimes, such as blasphemy and apostasy, as a first step towards its abolition; condemns any incidents of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment and deplores the fact that they continue to be common in many countries; notes with great concern the trend of increasing instances of torture worldwide and widespread impunity of its perpetrators;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Reiterates its principled opposition to the death penalty, which is a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and is irreversible; stresses that the EU must be relentless in its pursuit of the universal abolition of the death penalty as a major objective of its human rights foreign policy; calls on all countries that have not yet done so to abolish the death penalty or establish an immediate moratorium as a first step towards its abolition; condemns in strong terms, enforcement of blasphemy laws across the globe that carry the possibility of death penalty to the convicted; reiterates that the freedom to choose one’s religion, to believe or not to believe at all remains a fundamental human right that cannot be punished by death or any degrading treatment; condemns any incidents of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment and deplores the fact that they continue to be common in many countries; notes with great concern the trend of increasing instances of torture worldwide and widespread impunity of its perpetrators;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls for the EU and its international partners to strengthen their efforts to ensure full enjoyment of human rights by women and their equal treatment with men, including, the right to education, movement and freedom of expression, thought and religion; underlines that women continue to be the main victims in violent crises and that sexual and gender-based violence has continued in many places around the world, notably being used in armed conflicts as a weapon of war; calls for more concerted efforts to eliminate the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and fight impunity of the perpetrators of such violence; stresses the need to pursue efforts to fully eradicate the practice of female genital mutilation; stresses that women human rights defenders, activists, journalists and lawyers have been particularly targeted, with online harassment and intimidation increasing rapidly; highlights with deep concern the increase in domestic violence and setbacks to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in both developing and developed countries and calls for the EU and its Member States to fully support the right of women to bodily integrity, dignity and autonomous decision-making;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25 a. Reiterates that it condemns the practice of surrogacy, which undermines the human dignity of the woman since her body and its reproductive functions are used as a commodity; considers that the practice of gestational surrogacy which involves reproductive exploitation and use of the human body for financial or other gain, in particular in the case of vulnerable women in developing countries, shall be prohibited and treated as a matter of urgency in human rights instruments;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 c (new)
Paragraph 25 c (new)
25 c. Calls on the Commission and the EU Special Representative for Human Rights to address the issue of forced marriage, including the phenomenon of underaged girls being forced to marry older men from outside their religion or belief, as a means of (re-)conversion from one religion or belief to another; condemns in strong terms any such use of forced marriage, house arrest, rape and other degrading treatment against women;
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26 a. Condemns legislation, policies and practices, enabling child selection on the grounds of sex, race, disability or any other ground;
Amendment 329 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to increase their efforts in promoting equal rights for persons with disabilities through external action; emphasises the need to increase pressure on candidate countries to implement reforms to improve the situation of persons with disabilities and to increase their efforts in terms of deinstitutionalisation; calls on the Commission to assist candidate countries to develop a structured process for consulting persons with disabilities and their representative organisations;
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Underlines its opposition to and condemnation of intolerance, xenophobia and discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, social class, disability, caste, religion, belief, age, sexual orientation or gender identitysex, which in many of the world’s regions leads to killings and persecution; stresses that racism, discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance continue to be a major problem worldwide and have been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic; calls for the EU and its Member States to lead the global fight against antisemitism and welcomes the adoption of the EU strategy to this end;
Amendment 339 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Underlines its opposition to and condemnation of intolerance, xenophobia and discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, social class, disability, caste, religion, belief, age, sexual orientation or gender identity, which in many of the world’s regions leads to killings and persecution; stresses that racism, antisemitism, discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance continue to be a major problem worldwide and have been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic; calls for the EU and its Member States to lead the global fight against antisemitism and welcomes the adoption of the EU strategy to this end;
Amendment 341 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30 a. Is concerned about the hate speech and violence still taught in Palestinian school materials and used in schools by UNRWA; reiterates its position that all schoolbooks and school materials supported by Union funds must be in line with UNESCO standards of peace, tolerance, coexistence, and non-violence; demands that all school material, which is not in compliance with these standards will be removed immediately;
Amendment 375 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34 a. Is deeply concerned about the growing restrictions of fundamental freedoms in Algeria and reiterates its call to the Algerian authorities to take immediate measures to guarantee the rights of its population to freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly, as already expressed in its resolution of 26 November 2020 on the deteriorating situation of human rights in Algeria;
Amendment 376 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34 a. Strongly condemns the Iranian authorities’ brutal crackdown on protests throughout the country following the death of Mahsa Amini, who was killed after being arrested for allegedly wearing an improper hijab; urges the EU and Member States to call on the Iranian authorities and President Raisi to immediately stop using violence against the protesters and cease shutting off access to the internet inside the country;
Amendment 379 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Notes that 2021 marked the 40th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief; notes with grave concern that the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, to hold a belief, or not to believe is still violated in many countries around the worldand the right to manifest and to change or leave one’s religion or belief without fear of violence, persecution or discrimination is increasingly being violated in many countries around the world; is of the opinion that this right serves as a litmus test for many other fundamental rights and must therefore be fully supported through all EU external policies, including trade policies; stresses the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as some governments still use it as a pretext for further discriminatory practices including violence against and scapegoating religious minorities; calls for the EU and its Member States to step up their efforts to protect the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, to raise these issues at UN human rights forums and to work with the relevant UN mechanisms and committees; underlines the importance of a quick reappointment of the EU Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU in this regard; calls on the European External Action Service and the EU delegations to also include religious organisations in their dialogues with civil society in order to tailor human rights policies to country-specific religious and cultural contexts; calls for an evaluation of the 2013 EU Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief, as foreseen in Article 70 of these guidelines, and to share the results with the Parliament;
Amendment 387 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35 a. Is deeply concerned about the violence against people belonging to minorities on the grounds of their belief or religion as a global phenomenon; deplores that it affects many religious communities, namely Christians (including Copts, Syriacs, Assyrians), Jews, Muslims (including Uyghurs, Ahmadis and Alevis), Buddhists, Hindus and smaller religious groups, such as Baha’is, Sikhs and Zoroastrians, as well as groups of people who are atheists, humanists, agnostics or do not identify with any religion;
Amendment 388 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35 a. Expresses its concern about the increasing persecution by the Algerian regime of the Christian community, through the closure or threats of closure of a dozen churches across the country;
Amendment 395 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 b (new)
Paragraph 35 b (new)
35 b. Fully supports the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion without fear of violence, persecution or discrimination; stresses the importance of addressing persecution on the grounds of religion or belief and condemns the persecution suffered by minorities on these grounds in many places around the world; calls on the Member States and the EEAS to take note of these cases and to respond to them accordingly;
Amendment 397 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 c (new)
Paragraph 35 c (new)
35 c. Calls on the Commission and the Council to implement ambitious programmes to defend freedom of religion or belief worldwide, including encouraging and supporting international efforts to collect evidence of crimes of atrocity, bringing the perpetrators to court, rendering criminal sentences effective, and compensating the victims; calls on the Council, the Commission, the EEAS and the Member States to work with third countries to adopt measures to prevent and fight hate crime;
Amendment 409 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
Paragraph 36 a (new)
36 a. Is concerned by the growing body of evidence on transnational repression emanating from the People's Republic of China, aimed at silencing dissent across the globe and forcing the return of overseas nationals through extra-legal means, including the existence of physical ‘overseas police service stations’ in countries around the world, including Europe, by the PRC Public Security forces in cooperation with Chinese Overseas associations linked to United Front Work; stresses that such extraterritorial practices by a totalitarian regime are not only illegal, but represent a grave human rights risk; calls on the Council and the Member States to urgently investigate and close these stations and other mechanisms of transnational repression, and to provide for adequate monitoring, reporting and protection mechanisms for the communities at risk; further reiterates its urgent call for the remaining Member States which have not done so to suspend all active extradition treaties with the PRC and Hong Kong as the human rights situation in these territories is incompatible with Member States' international obligation of non- refoulement, and their maintenance is an essential part of the PRC's transnational repressive framework, and gravely infringes on the enjoyment of fundamental freedoms within the EU and around the world;
Amendment 429 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Reaffirms the inalienable human rights of migrants, refugees and forcibly displaced persons, which must be reflected in the EU’s migration policy and in its cooperation with third countries in this area; stresses that the EU should step up its efforts to acknowledge and develop ways to address the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement, particularly focusing on displaced women, children, ethnic, religious and belief minorities and persons with disabilities, who are among the most vulnerable, building the resilience of migrants’ communities of origin and helping them offer their members the possibility to enjoy a decent life in their home country; calls for the EU and its Member States to continue and where possible step up their support for countries hosting most refugees, as well as transit countries; reiterates that close cooperation and engagement with third countries remain key to preventing migrant smuggling; stresses, in this regard, that the dissemination of information and awareness-raising campaigns on the risks of smuggling is crucial; calls for EU- funded humanitarian operations to take into consideration the specific needs and vulnerabilities of children and to ensure their protection while they are displaced; underlines the importance of developing an effective framework of safe and legal pathways to the EU and welcomes, in this regard, the Commission communication on attracting skills and talent to the EU13 , including the development of Talent Partnerships with partner countries; _________________ 13 Commission communication of 27 April 2022 on attracting skills and talent to the EU (COM(2022)0657).
Amendment 476 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41 a. Condemns human rights violations in the Tindouf camps, in particular the military recruitment of children by the Polisario, sponsored by Algeria;
Amendment 480 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 a (new)
Paragraph 42 a (new)
42 a. Highlights with concern the fact that religious, belief or ethnic background can be used as a discriminating factor in the distribution of food and humanitarian aid in the context of food insecurity and humanitarian crises; encourages the EU, its Member States and the Commission to bring this issue to the attention of the foreign governments concerned;
Amendment 499 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
45. Underlines that trade agreements often offer the possibility for the EU to work with third countries to address their domestic situation by providing some conditions that would serve to enhance living standards, as well as allow for some conditionality to improve the human rights situation in those countries; notes, however, that in some cases there has been little to no improvement in the countries concerned; notes that excessive and exploitative business activities often have detrimental effects on human rights in third countries;
Amendment 502 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
46. Calls for the EU to make more and coherent use of clauses in trade agreements that protect human rights, including closer monitoring and adequate enforcement of human rights commitments, and to use the full potential of conditionality on human rights to grant preferential access to its market to third countries; calls, in particular, for a closer link between preferential treatment and progress on human rights in the updated Regulation on the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP+) and for greater transparency throughout all steps of the procedure for granting GSP+ status, including following up on any possible violations; calls on the Commission to keep the European Parliament adequately informed in this regard; calls for a standing invitation for the EU to observe national elections in third countries to be established as a condition for granting those countries GSP+ status; reiterates its calls for the Commission to systematically carry out human rights impact assessments focused on the risks of human rights violations prior to granting any preferential regime to a country and to swiftly respond to any violations, including the revocation of GSP+ status if warranted;
Amendment 517 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
Paragraph 47
47. Welcomes the Commission’s proposal for a directive on corporate sustainability due diligence as a step towards fostering responsible corporate behaviour with regard to human, labour and environmental rights; emphasises that the directive’s requirements as regards reporting on the sustainability and due diligence strategies should apply to all publicly listed undertakings andlarge companies, as well as to small and medium-sized undertakings operating in high-risk world regions and economic sectors; calls on the Commission to draw up a strong and coherent strategy on forced labour as an accompaniment to its proposal, notably with a view to implementing a complete ban on EU imports of goods produced through forced labour;
Amendment 525 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48
Paragraph 48
48. Stresses that human rights must fully encompass the digital sphere and must be protected from the improperunethical use of technology; underlines the risks posed by digital technologies to personal liberty and democracy at large and condemns the role of digital technologies in human rights violationrecognises that digital technologies can pose a risk to human rights and dignity when used unethically, and condemns the role of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, in human rights violations, though surveillance, monitoring, harassment and limitations to freedom of expression for religious minorities; calls for more intensive efforts to establish a comprehensive legal framework on digital technologies and human-centric artificial intelligence, which should balance the need to protect human rights with taking advantage of the possible gains such technologies can offer for human well- being; calls on the swift adoption of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act as an effective tool to safeguard that AI is used to this aim, with special focus on high risk AI; calls on the attention economy used by, among others, social media platforms to be included within the scope of high risk AI in order to protect vulnerable groups from being targeted by disinformation and manipulation of the public opinion;