15 Amendments of László TŐKÉS related to 2013/2152(INI)
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)
Citation 11 a (new)
- having regard to the European Union's Guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief,
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the uprisings in the Arab world prompted the European Union to acknowledge the failure of past policies and to commit to a ‘'more for more’' approach in the Review of the Neighbourhood Policy, based on a commitment to ‘'adapt levels of EU support to partners according to progress on political reforms and building deep democracy’', including free and fair elections, freedom of association, expression and assembly, freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief, a free press and media, and the rule of law administered by an independent judiciary;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recognises the crucial role played by civil society in the protection and promotion of democracy and human rights; calls on the VP/HR to ensure close cooperation and partnership with civil society; considers also that the EU should throw its full weight behind all advocates of liberty, democracy, and human rights throughout the world, including human rights defenders as key players for the consolidation of democratic principles in their country and for the protection of human rights, often at the risk of their own lives;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Recognises the importance of the mandate given to the first EU Special Representative (SR) for Human Rights; encourages the EU SR to enhance the visibility, mainstreaming, coherence, consistency and effectiveness of EU human rights policy and to strike the right balance between silent and public diplomacy in carrying out his mandate; repeats its recommendation that the EU SR provide Parliament with a regular report on his activities and follow up on concerns raised by the Members;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Supports the practice of including legally binding human rights clauses in the EU's international agreements and promote human rights in all areas of its external action without exception, and considers that these clauses should also be included in all sectoral trade agreements;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Emphasises that the EU should give its full support to countries that have dislodged authoritarian regimes and are undergoing a transition to democracy by supporting civil society as a crucial actor in advocating rule of law, accountability and transparency and in promoting social movements for political change and participation; recalls that the police, the military and the judiciary are often used as mechanisms to perform systematic violations of human rights; stresses therefore that institutional reform of these bodies needs to provide for greater accountability and transparency in transition processes;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Supports all steps leading to political dialogue, which is essential to move the transition in Egypt forward; expresses its deep concern about recent crises and, including the street battles between the army and Muslim Brotherhood supporters, terrorism and violent clashes in the Sinai and the extremist violence against Coptic Christian communities; calls on all political leaders in the country to find a way to break the dangerous stalemate and agree on implementing tangible confidence-building measures to avoid the risk of more bloodshed and polarisation in the country; urges the Egyptian authorities to advance the work on an inclusive constitution with equal rights for all;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 51
Paragraph 51
51. Stresses the need for international monitoring of the human rights situation in China and calls on EU Member States to actively engage in establishing this monitoring in light of the failure of the EU- China dialogue on human rights to achieve significant and tangible results; furthermore remains concerned about the lack of progress in human rights in the country, in particular about the increasing restrictions targeting human rights defenders, lawyers, civil society activists, journalists and bloggers; however observes with great interest and supports the internal demand of the Chinese people of their basic freedoms and rights to which they are entitled to, signalling a gradually but firmly expanding independent civil society in spite of continuous repression, to be considered a positive development in the political and civil rights movement in China;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52
Paragraph 52
52. Expresses grave concern regarding the steadily deteriorating human rights situation in Iran, the continued repression of reformists, the growing number of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience and faith, the discrimination and persecution of the Baha'i community, the consistently high number of executions, including of minors, the widespread torture, the unfair trials and exorbitant sums demanded for bail, and the heavy restrictions on the freedom of information, expression, assembly, religion, education and movement;
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 20 a (new)
Subheading 20 a (new)
Freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief (This subheading should be place between paragraph 72 and paragraph 73)
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73
Paragraph 73
73. Stresses that the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, as encapsulated in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and other international human rights instruments, is a fundamental human right, encompassing the right to believe or not to believe, and the right to adopt, change and abandon a belief of one's choiceinterrelated with other human rights and fundamental freedoms, encompassing the right to believe or not to believe, and the freedom to practise theistic, non-theistic or atheistic belief alike, either in private or public, alone or in a community with others and the right to adopt, change and abandon a belief of one's choice; calls on the EU to promote the right of freedom of religion or belief within international and regional fora and in bilateral relations with third countries;
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 74
Paragraph 74
74. Condemns in the strongest terms discrimination, intolerance, violence and killings on grounds of religion or belief, wherever and to whomever they occur; is particularly concerned about the threat of increasing sectarianism along religious lines in countries such as Egypt and Syria as an impediment to long-lasting peace and reconciliation; furthermore, is concerned about increasing government and social hostility in many Islamic countries, Central Asia and the deplorable situation in North Korea, countries which continue to deny minority religious or belief groups the freedom to worship or publicly express their religion or belief; social hostility and attacks against religious or belief groups, which have resulted in many deaths and injuries, are on the increase; and impunity and the lack of protection for minority religious or belief communities remains a concern;
Amendment 324 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 74 a (new)
Paragraph 74 a (new)
74a. Opposes any legislation that penalises individuals for changing their religion or belief; expresses deep concern that as a result of such legislation individuals in certain countries face imprisonment or even the death penalty; is also concerned that those who have left or changed their religion are subjected to social hostility such as violence and intimidation; opposes laws that penalise expressions deemed blasphemous, defamatory, or insulting to religion or religious symbols, figures, or feelings; states that these laws do not comply with accepted international human rights standards; condemns Blasphemy law provisions in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia which allow imprisonment and the death penalty;
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 74 b (new)
Paragraph 74 b (new)
74b. Welcomes the EU's commitment to promoting the right to freedom of religion or belief within international and regional fora including the UN, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe (CoE) and other regional mechanisms; encourages the EU to continue tabling its yearly resolution on freedom of religion or belief at the UN General Assembly and supporting the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief
Amendment 329 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 74 c (new)
Paragraph 74 c (new)
74c. Welcomes recent EIDHR calls for proposals prioritising and supporting civil society actions combating discrimination on the basis of religion or belief; encourages the EU to support inclusive efforts of intercultural and interfaith dialogue and cooperation at various levels, involving community leaders, women, youth and ethnic minority representatives, and with the aim to promote peace building and societal cohesion calls on the EU and EU member states to develop small grant schemes for the protection and promotion of freedom of religion or belief in countries where this right is most at risk;