MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the deterioration of media freedom in Belarus, notably the case of Charter 97

2.10.2018 - (2018/2861(RSP))

with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure

Petras Auštrevičius, Beatriz Becerra Basterrechea, Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, Dita Charanzová, Gérard Deprez, Martina Dlabajová, María Teresa Giménez Barbat, Nadja Hirsch, Ivan Jakovčić, Petr Ježek, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Patricia Lalonde, Valentinas Mazuronis, Louis Michel, Javier Nart, Urmas Paet, Maite Pagazaurtundúa Ruiz, Carolina Punset, Jozo Radoš, Frédérique Ries, Marietje Schaake, Jasenko Selimovic, Pavel Telička, Ivo Vajgl, Johannes Cornelis van Baalen, Cecilia Wikström on behalf of the ALDE Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0451/2018

B8‑0452/2018

European Parliament resolution on the deterioration of media freedom in Belarus, notably the case of Charter 97

(2018/2861(RSP))

The European Parliament,

-having regard to the statement of the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Belarus on 28 March 2018 and to the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus of 25 June 2018;

 

-having regard to the EU- funded mission launched 19 June 2018 by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), a two-year project “Promoting Democratization and Human Rights in Belarus;

 

-having regard to its previous resolutions and recommendations on Belarus, including on the European Neighbourhood Policy;

 

-having regard to the Council conclusions on Belarus of 15 February 2016, which lifted the restrictive measures against 170 individuals and 3 companies;

 

-having regard to the Amnesty International statement of 31st August 2018 regarding the harassment of independent media;

 

-having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;

 

-having regard to rule 135 of its rules of Procedure;

A. whereas the EU has repeatedly reiterated that the EU-Belarus relations can be further advanced given they are based on trust and on the values of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms;

 

B. whereas the ongoing policies in Belarus undermine these values and thus prevent the EU from offering Belarus broader participation in the Eastern Partnership and closer relations, as well as from signing the EU-Belarus Partnership Priorities;

 

C. whereas in January 2018, the Ministry of Information blocked two leading independent internet portals, Charter 97 and Belarusian Partisan;

 

D. whereas on 14 June 2018 the National Assembly of Belarus voted on the second and final reading of the draft amendments to a law which establish further bureaucratic hurdles for websites that want to register as official online media outlets;

 

E. whereas websites that do not meet the new criteria are denied accreditation with government institutions further censoring the press;

 

F. whereas the Ministry of Information is able to exercise strict control over all online resources with no judicial oversight;

 

G. whereas on 24 August 2018, trade union leaders Henadz Fyadynich and Ihar Komlik were found guilty of tax evasion and sentenced to four years of "restricted freedom", in what seems a politically motivated punishment for the trade union's role in organizing protests in February-March 2017;

 

H.whereas between 7th and 10th August 2018, raids were carried out by Belarus authorities in the newsrooms of several independent Belarussian media outlets, such as Tut.by, BelaPAN, Belsat TV, realty.by, Belaruskaya Navuka and Kultura;

 

I.whereas these searches resulted in the detention of 9 journalists including BelaPan editor-in-chief Iryna Leushyna, tut.by editor-in-chief Maryna Zolatava, and Deutsche Welle reporter Paulyuk Bykowski, seven of whom are now under a travel ban;

 

J.whereas, according to the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index of 2017, Belarus ranks 155th amongst 180 countries;

 

K.whereas two political prisoners, Mikhail Zhamchuzhny and Dzmitry Paliyenka, remain in detention;

 

L.Whereas lawyers defending cases considered by the authorities as ‘sensitive’ or ‘troublesome’ are exposed to retaliatory measures including harassment and expulsion;

 

M. whereas Belarus remains the only country in Europe that still practices capital punishment;

 

1.regrets that Belarus persists with a repressive and undemocratic policy, against journalists, lawyers, political activists, human rights defenders, civil society actors and others who are seen as a threat to the political establishment; such repressions hinder any closer relationship with the EU and broader participation in the Eastern Partnership;

 

2.strongly condemns the recent amendment to the media laws aimed at further tightening control over free and independent media;

 

3.Considers unacceptable by any standard blocking of the news site Charter97 by the Belarusian authorities since January 2018; repeatedly calls on the authorities to lift this blocking with no delay;

 

4.condemns the recent harassment and imprisonment of 9 journalists representing different independent media outlets; calls for all these media to be allowed to operate freely and without interference;

 

5.strongly calls for unconditional and immediate release of political prisoners Mikhail Zhamchuzhny and Dzmitry Paliyenka and for all former political prisoners to be fully rehabilitated;

 

6.calls for continued international scrutiny of the human rights situation in Belarus and the extension of the mandate for special rapporteur of the Human Rights Council; calls on the EEAS to better coordinate the EU’s policy towards Belarus with the UN Special Rapporteur and not to compromise on the question of respect of human rights;

 

7.urges the Belarusian authorities to allow full and unhindered functioning of political and public organisations and to repeal Article 193/1 of the Criminal Code curtailing the freedoms of peaceful assembly and of association;

 

8.demands the Belarusian authorities to uphold European and international standards to which Belarus is bound with respect to freedom of media, freedom of assembly, democracy and the rule of law;

 

9.Expresses concern over the restrictions on the independence of lawyers and the retaliatory measures taken against them by the Belarusian authorities; 

 

10.takes note on the fifth meeting of the European Union-Belarus Coordination Group on 26-27 April 2018 and the relaunch of the EU-Belarus Dialogue on Economic and Financial Issues; calls on the EEAS and the Member States to ensure that the EU assistance programmes and other forms of bilateral cooperation, including financial assistance, is made strictly conditional on clear and tangible steps towards democratisation and openness, including comprehensive election reform and full respect to media freedom;

 

11.remains concerned about the construction of a nuclear power plant in Ostrovets, 50km away from Vilnius, considering the fact that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommendations made after the Fukushima disaster assert that plants should not be built within 100 kilometers of major population centers; notes the report on stress tests and recommendations released on 3 July 2018 and demands that implementation of stress tests recommendations are seen as a condition for any further advancement in EU-Belarus cooperation, in particular for signing the EU-Belarus Partnership Priorities;

 

12.instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the EU Member States, and to the authorities of Belarus.