MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION in Crimea, in particular of the Crimean Tatars

2.2.2016 - (2016/2556(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

Cristian Dan Preda, Andrej Plenković, Elmar Brok, Davor Ivo Stier, David McAllister, Patricija Šulin, Lorenzo Cesa, Andrey Kovatchev, Jarosław Wałęsa, Anna Maria Corazza Bildt, Milan Zver, Lara Comi, Tunne Kelam, Bogdan Brunon Wenta, Michaela Šojdrová, Eva Paunova, Jaromír Štětina, Giovanni La Via, Ildikó Gáll-Pelcz, Marijana Petir, Ivan Štefanec, József Nagy, Sven Schulze, Pavel Svoboda, Luděk Niedermayer, Tomáš Zdechovský, László Tőkés, Agnieszka Kozłowska-Rajewicz, Eduard Kukan, Stanislav Polčák, Ivana Maletić, Csaba Sógor, Adam Szejnfeld, Dubravka Šuica, Romana Tomc, Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso, Therese Comodini Cachia, Roberta Metsola on behalf of the PPE Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0173/2016

B8‑0186/2016

European Parliament resolution on Crimea, in particular of the Crimean Tatars

(2016/2556(RSP))

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its previous resolutions on the Eastern Partnership (EaP), Ukraine, and the Russian Federation,

 

-having regards to the Reports of the Human Rights Assessment Mission on Crimea conducted by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

(ODIHR) and the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM),

 

-having regards to the European Council decision (21 March, 27 June, 16 July 2014) imposing sanctions on the Russian Federation as a follow-up to the illegal annexation of Crimea,

 

-having regard to the "Report on the human rights situation in Ukraine 16 August to 15 November" of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights;

 

-having regard to the UN General Assembly Resolution 68/262 of March 27, 2014 “Territorial integrity of Ukraine”;

 

-having regard of the Freedom House’s report “Freedom in the World in 2016”, which assess state of political and civic freedoms in illegally annexed Crimea as “not free”;

 

-having regard to Rule 135 of its Rules of Procedure

 

A.   whereas the Russian Federation has illegally annexed Crimea and Sevastopol, and therefore violated international law, including the UN Charter, the Helsinki Final Act and the 1994 Budapest Memorandum;

B.   whereas during the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in March 2014, Ukrainians, including Crimean Tatars, as well as the Ukrainian army have shown strong courage and loyalty to Ukraine and peacefully opposed the belligerent act of annexation;

C.   whereas the Crimean Tatar leaders, such as member of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Mustafa Dzemilev and the Chairman of Mejlis Refat Chubarov, were banned from entering in Crimea; whereas they are currently allowed to, but under threat of arrest;

D.   whereas the human rights situation has dramatically deteriorated in Crimea over the last two years, especially for those opposing Russia's illegal annexation of the peninsula; whereas human rights violations of Crimean Tatars, but also pro-Ukrainian journalists, activists and Crimean residents who openly disagree with the so-called local authorities included torture and ill-treatment, disappearances, extrajudicial killings, intimidation and expulsion;

E.   whereas any group which is in opposition to the so-called local authorities is under constant threat, including religious minorities which are facing severe difficulties in performing their missions; whereas these difficulties are due to the severe restriction of freedom of association, expropriations, non-prolongation of documents, regular searches conducted in the remaining premises of the religious organizations;

 

F.   whereas on 12 November, 2015, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a resolution in which it recognized the deportation of the Crimean Tatars in 1944 as genocide and established the 18th of May as a Day of Remembrance;

 

1.   Reiterates its strong commitment to the territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and sovereignty of Ukraine and its severe condemnation of the illegal annexation by Russia of the Crimean peninsula; reminds that the EU, its Member States and international community have committed to fully implementing the non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea; reminds equally that restoring the Ukraine control over the peninsula is one of the prerequisites of re-establishing cooperative relations with the Russian Federation, including the suspension of sanctions;

 

2.  Strongly condemns the unprecedented levels of the human rights abuses perpetrated against the Crimean residents who don't follow the imposed rule of the so-called local authorities, most notably Crimean Tatars;

3.   Condemns the discriminatory policies imposed by the so-called authorities against Crimea’s ethnic Tatar minority, restriction of their freedom of expression or demonstration of disagreement with so-called authorities, infringement of their property rights and liberties, intimidation, incarceration, disrespect of their civic and political rights;

4.  Reminds that institutions and independent experts of the OSCE, the United Nations and the Council of Europe were either fully or partially restricted access to the Crimean peninsula, and therefore were impeded from monitoring the human rights situation despite their mandates to pursue such activities in Crimea;

5.  Calls upon the Russian Federation authorities and the de facto authorities of Crimea which are bound by the international humanitarian law and international human rights law, to grant unimpeded access to Crimea for international institutions and independent experts of the OSCE, the United Nations and the Council of Europe, as well as for any human rights NGO or news media outlets that wish to visit, assess and report on the situation in Crimea; welcomes in this context the Council of Europe on-going human rights mission in Crimea; stresses that any international presence on the ground should to be coordinated with Ukraine;

6.  Welcomes the initiative of Ukraine to establish international negotiation mechanism on reestablishment of Ukrainian sovereignty over Crimea in the “Geneva plus” format, which should include direct engagement of the EU; welcomes the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe decision to send the Council of Europe Secretary General’s Special Representative for Human Rights to Crimea;

7.  Deplores impeding the return to Crimea of the Tatar leaders, the legal prosecution against them, as well as the mounting and unacceptable pressure on the other Members of the Mejlis; equally deplores the abusive closure of the media outlet ATR which has a significant outreach within the Crimean Tatar community; considers the closing down of Crimean Tatar schools and the restrictions to the use of language as a serious limitation of the basic rights of the members of the community;

8.  Condemns bans by the Russian occupation authorities of activities related to commemoration by Crimean Tatars of the important dates of their history, including anniversary of the deportation of the Crimean Tatars by Stalin’s totalitarian regime of the Soviet Union;

9.   Condemns the regular crackdowns on the independent media, journalists, and civil society activists in Crimea; deplores forceful passportization by the Russian Federation of Ukrainian citizens in Crimea; equally condemns the de facto authorities' practice to impose Russian citizenship on residents of Crimea;

10.   Reiterates its support for the EUs decision to prohibit imports originating from Crimea unless accompanied by a certificate of origin from the Ukrainian authorities as well as of restrictive measures towards Russia related to export of certain goods and technologies, investment, trade and services;

11.  Calls upon the Russian Federation to investigate all cases of torture of prisoners illegally apprehended in Crimea and to release prisoners, such as Oleg Sentsov and Oleksandr Kolchenko, as well as other activists arrested in Crimea for their protest against the occupation; urges Russian Federation to stop politically motivated prosecution of the dissidents and civic activists; condemns their subsequent transfer to Russia and forcible attribution of Russian citizenship;

12.  Calls on the Council to continue the sanctions against Russia regarding its illegal annexation of Crimea; reminds that Russia refuses to cease permanent violation of human rights in Crimea and the militarisation of the peninsula with significant negative impact on economic and social life;

13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the VP/HR, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the President, Government and Parliament of Ukraine, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the President, Government and Parliament of the Russian Federation.