61 Amendments of Frédérique RIES related to 2021/2231(INI)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 10 March 2022 on the destruction of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
— having regard to the European Convention on Human Rights (‘ECHR’),
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8
Citation 8
— having regard to the reports of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) of the Council of Europe, notably the 2016 country monitoring report on Azerbaijan,1a _________________ 1a https://rm.coe.int/fourth-report-on- azerbaijan/16808b5581
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)
Citation 8 a (new)
— having regard to the report of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe ('PACE’) titled ‘Alleged violations of the rights of LGBTI people in the Southern Caucasus’,1a _________________ 1a https://pace.coe.int/en/files/29711/html
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 b (new)
Citation 8 b (new)
— having regard to the report of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe following her visit to Azerbaijan from 8 to 12 July 2019,1a _________________ 1a https://rm.coe.int/report-on-the-visit-to- azerbaijan-from-8-to-12-july-2019-by- dunja-mija/168098e108
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
— having regard to the report of the Independent Investigation Body on the allegations of corruption within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe of 15 April 2018,
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
— having regard to its recommendation of 19 June 2020 on the Eastern Partnership, in the run-up to the June 2020 Summit,
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas since the collapse of the Soviet Unionover more than three decades, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, immense destruction and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas deadly military confrontations between Azerbaijan and Armenia continue to erupt periodically; whereas the 9 November 2020 ceasefire statement, introduced after 44-day war triggered by Azerbaijan in 2020, has been violated several times resulting in more casualties;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas on 12 September 2022 Azerbaijani forces launched a large-scale attack on Armenian internationally recognised sovereign territory in the east and south-east of the country;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the high-level meetings held in Brussels between President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan, mediated by President Charles Michel, resulted in encouraging developcommitments;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas despite these commitments Azerbaijan started a military aggression against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia just after the Brussels meeting and has not withdrawn its troops yet;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas Azerbaijan is a reliable and trustworthy supplier of fossil fuels to the EU and whereas it is becoming increasingly important in this role;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas Azerbaijan’s record in terms of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is still unsatisfactory and highlight the risks of deepening the EU’s political and energy partnership with Azerbaijan;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas a report of the Independent Investigation Body on the allegations of corruption within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) of 15 April 2018 established that "a number of former PACE MPs […] had acted contrary to the PACE code of conduct;" and that "certain current and former members of PACE had engaged in activity of a corruptive nature" in favour of Azerbaijan;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas the EU and Azerbaijan have jointly agreed, through the 1996 Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, on the general principle of respect for democracy, principles of international law and human rights; whereas the parties foresaw to cooperate on the respect and promotion of human rights particularly to those belonging to minorities;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Hb. whereas the human rights of LGBTIQ people in Azerbaijan are at best discarded and at worst actively fought against by government and state institutions; whereas ILGA Europe’s Rainbow Index shows Azerbaijan as having the worst deficit in legislation and policy aiming to protect LGBTIQ people, ranking it in the worst place among all Council of Europe countries;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Hb. whereas Azerbaijan has targeted journalists and opponents, including in the European Union, such as the assassination attempt of Azerbaijani blogger and opposition figure Mahammad Mirzali in Nantes; whereas Azerbaijani's political opponents have also been targeted by Azerbaijan's allies in the region, in particular via the Turkish diaspora;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H c (new)
Recital H c (new)
Hc. whereas hate speech and hate crime against LGBTIQ persons in Azerbaijan persist, often perpetrated by religious or political actors, leading to continued violation of their human rights; whereas in February 2022, Avaz Hafizli, a journalist and LGBTIQ human rights activist, was murdered by a family member, which spurred indignation on social media vis-à-vis the government’s poor track record of fighting against hate crime;1a whereas this is only one of the many examples of hate crimes, which due to lack of trust in law enforcement and their inaction, usually go unreported and unsanctioned; _________________ 1a https://globalvoices.org/2022/02/24/azerba ijani-journalist-and-queer-activist- murdered/
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H d (new)
Recital H d (new)
Hd. whereas PACE adopted in 2022 a resolution on violations of the rights of LGBTI persons in the Southern Caucasus and has made a number of requests to authorities to reform legislation in order to address such violations; whereas the PACE recommendations reflect the 2016 ECRI findings, which had noted an inexistence of data on LGBTI persons and their living conditions and that hate speech against them was widespread; whereas ECRI encouraged the government to develop an LGBTI Action Plan in order to raise awareness and promote understanding for equal treatment;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict has significantly hampered the development and stability of the whole South Caucasus region; is convinced that a sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be achieved through military means but requires a comprehensive political settlement in accordance with international law, including the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, the 1975 OSCE Helsinki Final Act and the OSCE Minsk Group’s Basic Principles; calls on the international community to remain seized of this conflict which is a matter of stability and security of the whole region;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict has significantly hampered the development and stability of the whole South Caucasus region; is convinced that a sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be achieved through military means and the threat of use of force but requires a comprehensive political settlement in accordance with international law, including the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, the 1975 OSCE Helsinki Final Act and the OSCE Minsk Group’s Basic Principles;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Strongly condemns the clashes that erupted on 12 September 2022 and their consequences for the peace process; reiterates that the territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan must be respected andmilitary aggression by Azerbaijan in September 2022 against multiple targets in the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and its consequences for the peace process; reiterates that the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia must be fully respected and Azerbaijani forces should withdraw to their initial positions; underlines the EU’'s readiness to be more actively involved in settling the region’'s protracted conflicts;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Strongly condemns the clashes that erupted on 12 September 2022rge-scale military attacks by Azerbaijan on 12 September 2022 against multiple targets in the sovereign territory of Armenia and their consequences for the peace process; reiterates that the territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan must be respected and underlines the EU’s readiness to be more actively involved in settling the region’s protracted conflicts;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls for Azerbaijani forces’ complete withdrawal from the sovereign territory of Armenia and return to their positions held on 9 November 2020 when the statement on ceasing hostilities was signed;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to fully implement the tripartite ceasefire agrestatement of 9 November 2020; calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to avoid using inflammatory rhetoric and to and condemns Azerbaijan for the regular violations of the ceasefire; recalls that the implementation of article 9 of the ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020 cannot go against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia; calls on both parties to urgently implement measures to prepare their respective populations for peaceful coexistence; calls in this respect on the Azerbaijani authorities to stop using inflammatory rhetoric which threatens the peace process;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. To achieve lasting peace and reconciliation, calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to set up a transitional justice mechanism or truth commission, which the EU could support and help facilitate in conjunction with other bodies such as the ICRC or OSCE, to look into all alleged crimes committed during the armed conflict starting in 1988 until now. Such a mechanism could include members of academia, independent journalists and civil society activists with a mandate to establish the fate of missing persons, repatriation of prisoners of war, and invest in establishing historical truths, eliminating hateful narratives and building trust between the two nations;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that the EU’s passive stance during and immediately after the 2020 war gave other regional actors, such as Russia and Turkey, the opportunity to gain influence; strongly supports, therefore, the initiative taken by the President of the European Council Charles Michel to convene and mediate bilateral meetings of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Brussels and encourages the work of the EU’s special representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia to be actively engaged; deplores however that Azerbaijan did not respect its commitment to the EU and has invaded the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia few days after the meeting with the President of the Council; urges the governments of both countries to fully engage in the drafting of a peace treaty and welcomes in this regard the meeting of the foreign affairs ministers of both countries on 30 September in Geneva;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Takes note of the initial progress made on the process of border delimitation; welcomes the agreementWelcomes the agreement reached at the quadrilateral meeting between President Aliyev, Prime Minister Pashinyan, French President Macron and President of the European Council Michel to deploy a civilian EU mission to build trust and contribute to the border commissionof 40 EU civilian monitoring experts for a period of two months in order to build trust between the two countries and support the work of the border commissions; welcomes in this respect the holding of the 3rd meeting of the border commissions in Brussels and urges the EU to closely follow up on this process;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Takes note of the initial progress made on the process of border delimitation; welcomes the agreement to deploy a civilian EU mission to build trust and contribute to the border commissionscalls for the demarcation process to be internationally facilitated by the EU and/or OSCE in order to ensure credibility, fairness and sustainability;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Welcomes the deployment of the EU Monitoring Capacity to Armenia, along the Armenian side of the international border with Azerbaijan, to build trust and contribute to the border commissions, especially welcomes the approach to transfer EU monitoring experts from the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM Georgia) as a timely and experience- sharing solution; Calls for extending the mandate of the EU mission, making it permanent and increasing significantly the number of monitors so that it can effectively perform its monitoring, confidence-building, and stabilisation functions along the border between the two countries;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Calls on Azerbaijan to cooperate fully with the EU Monitoring Capacity and grant it due access;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls for granting of access to international humanitarian organisations, especially the United Nations, to Nagorno-Karabakh and recalls that currently only the ICRC is allowed access to the region which is insufficient to accurately assess the conditions and needs of the population residing there;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Condemns the footage that has appeared depicting the torture, mutilation and killing of an Armenian servicewoman and unarmed Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijani armed forces; calls for a full independent and impartial investigation of the videos to identify those responsible and hold them accountable for their actions; stresses that those acts are in violation of the Geneva conventions which were ratified by Azerbaijan and may constitute war crimes;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Condemns the footage that has appeared from 1 to11 October 2022 depicting the torture, mutilation and killing of an Armenian servicewoman and unarmed Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijani armed forces; takes note of reports by human rights groups, particularly a Human Rights Watch report, classifying this act as a war crime; calls for a full and impartial investigation of the videos to identify those responsible and hold them accountable for their actions;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan and Armenia refCondemns Azerbaijan's continued policy of destroying, erasin from destroying cultural, religious or historical heritage; calls for the restoration of damaged sites in accordance with UNESCO standards and indications; calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to quickly allow a UNESCO mission to visit both countries without preconditg and denying the existence of the Armenian cultural, religious or historical heritage in and around Nagorno-Karabakh in violation of international law and the decision of the International Court of Justice of 7 December 2021; calls for the restoration of damaged sites in accordance with UNESCO standards and indications; calls the EU to actively push Azerbaijan to participate in efforts to protect at-risk cultural heritage notably by deploying mechanisms to facilitate UNESCO's fact finding missions without preconditions; deplores that after the two years since the signing of the ceasefire statement of November 9 2020, the UNESCO mission has not been able to visit the regions;
Amendment 191 #
8. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan and Armenia refrain from destroying or altering the origins of cultural, religious or historical heritage; calls for the restoration of damaged sites in accordance with UNESCO standards and indications; calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to quickly allow a UNESCO mission to visit both countries without preconditions;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Underlines in this respect Azerbaijan’s obligations under the International Court of Justice’s decision of 7 December 2021 on the application of urgent measures, which require Azerbaijan to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration affecting Armenian cultural heritage, including but not limited to churches and other places of worship, monuments, landmarks, cemeteries and artefacts;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Encourages increased bilateral contacts between the political authorities of Armenia and Azerbaijan and underlines the role played by the civil societies of both countries in improving relationships between the two countries;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Deplores statements by high- ranking Azerbaijani officials and public figures inciting hatred and violence towards Armenians, including operation of the Military Trophies Park in Baku, which at the beginning used to depict Armenian soldiers in dehumanising way, and calls on Azerbaijan to take steps to eliminate such rhetoric, including at the highest levels, in accordance with the interim measures issued by the International Court of Justice on 7 December 2021;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Highlights the concluding observations on the tenth to twelfth reports on Azerbaijan by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination from 30 August 2022 that expressed concerns over incitement to racial hatred and the propagation of racist stereotypes against persons of Armenian national or ethnic origin, including on the Internet and social media, as well as by public figures and governmental officials, and the lack of detailed information on investigations, prosecutions, convictions and sanctions of such acts;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recognises the strategic role played by Azerbaijan as a provider of fossil fuels to the EU and welcomes its willingness to contribute even more to the EU’s objectives in terms of security and diversificationIs concerned about Azerbaijan’s increasing role as a provider of fossil fuels to the EU and in the EU’s energy diversification strategy, given Azerbaijan’s aggressive action against Armenia and poor democracy and rights record; calls on the European External Action Service, the European Commission and EU Member States to consider the political risks of deepening dependency on Baku in the EU’s security of energy supply and climate neutrality strategies;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the new memorandum of understanding between the EU and Azerbaijan signed by President Aliyev and Commission President von der Leyen in Baku on 18 July 2022; stresses however that further investment by the UE should go in hand with strong commitments from Azerbaijan on the normalisation of its relations with the tangible progress on Republic of Armenia and on tangible progress on human rights and the rule of law;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. CRecalls that the 1996 Partnership and Cooperation Agreement is predicated on respect for democracy, principles of international law and human rights, and that the former have not been systematically upheld in Azerbaijan; calls on EU institutions to ensure that any deepening of relations between the EU and Azerbaijan remains conditional on the country making substantial progress on respect for the core values and principles of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Deeply regrets the current state of press freedom in Azerbaijan; expresses its concern at the new law on media adopted in December 2021; calls for a swift review of that law in accordance with the recommendations included in the opinion of the Venice Commission of 17-18 June 2022; urges Azerbaijan to stop persecuting bloggers and journalists; calls for an immediate release of Azeri human rights lawyer Elchin Sadykov and journalist Avaz Zeynalli; urges Azerbaijan to stop surveillance, imprisoning, harassing and persecuting bloggers, journalists and civil society activists, and to ensure their safe working environment;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Deeply regrets the current state of press freedom in Azerbaijan; expresses its concern at the new law on media adopted in December 2021; calls for a swift review of that law in accordance with the recommendations included in the opinion of the Venice Commission of 17-18 June 2022; urges Azerbaijan to stop persecuting bloggers and, journalists and rights defenders;
Amendment 291 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan cease all repression of political opposition activists both domestically and abroad;
Amendment 294 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Deplores the arrest of civil society activists who made public calls for peace, regarding the September 2022 renewed clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and calls upon the Azeri authorities to respect freedom of peaceful assembly and association;
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Deplores the brutal treatment by the police and security services during the protests and during detention, and calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to eradicate such treatment;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Paragraph 18 c (new)
18c. Deplores the application of travel bans for opposition politicians, journalists, and civil society activists, without even informing targeted individual, as a form of control and repression and calls upon the Azerbaijani authorities to respect freedom of movement;
Amendment 306 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Condemns Azerbaijan's elite capture activities in several international organisations aiming at watering down international critic of the regime, in particular in the field of human rights as is demonstrated by the case of certain current and former members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe who "had engaged in activity of a corruptive nature" in favour of Azerbaijan;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Recalls that the European Parliament’s position has been clear on non-discrimination with regard to LGBTIQ people, their protection against discrimination in law and practice, and the prosecution of all acts of abuse, hate speech and physical violence perpetrated against them;1a _________________ 1a Texts adopted: P9_TA(2020)0167
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20b. Urges Azerbaijani authorities to adopt anti-discrimination legislation adding sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and sex characteristics as prohibited grounds, alongside the adoption of civil, administrative and/or criminal proceedings to protect people from hate speech and hate crimes; calls on authorities to reform criminal legislation by adding the previous grounds as aggravating circumstances and to combat LGBTIQ-phobic violence;
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20b. Condemns Azerbaijan persistent attacks on media freedom; notes that Azerbaijan is ranked 154 out 180 in media freedom by Reporters without Borders;
Amendment 316 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)
Paragraph 20 c (new)
20c. Recalls that poor media freedom leads to an increase vulnerability and spread of disinformation, including Azerbaijani State propaganda; condemns in particular the spreading of videos or images of war crimes committed on Armenian prisoners of wars by members of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan; condemns the use of such images to reinforce hatred and ultra-nationalism in the region;
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)
Paragraph 20 c (new)
20c. Reiterates the call by PACE on the authorities of Azerbaijan to investigate cases of wrongful arrest of LGBTIQ people and prevent and combat police violence against these people;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 d (new)
Paragraph 20 d (new)
20d. Condemns similarly disinformation emanating from Azerbaijan targeting the West, in particular in the wake of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine; notes that the narratives used against the West are copy-pasted from Russia propaganda, including attacks on LGBTIQ rights or alleged threat to traditional values;
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 e (new)
Paragraph 20 e (new)
20e. Condemns similarly attempts at falsifying history by eliminating traces of Armenian cultural heritage in the Nagorno-Karabakh region; condemns the establishment on 3 February 2022, by the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, Anar Karimov, of a working group responsible for removing "the fictitious traces written by Armenians on Albanian religious temples";
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Takes good note of the limited progress made by Azerbaijan on the prevention of corruption; calls on Azerbaijan to address the lack of an effective system of asset disclosure for members of parliament, judges and prosecutors;
Amendment 337 #
22a. Condemns the massive-scale and illicit use of the NSO Group's Pegasus surveillance software by Azerbaijan against journalists, human rights defenders and politicians;
Amendment 348 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Strongly welcomes Azerbaijan’s repeated support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine as well as the humanitarian aid provided to Ukraine during the ongoing war; urges Azerbaijan to ensure that sanctions against Russia are not circumvented;