Motion for a resolution - B8-1233/2016Motion for a resolution
B8-1233/2016

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Belarus

16.11.2016 - (2016/2934(RSP))

to wind up the debate on the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
pursuant to Rule 123(2) of the Rules of Procedure

Knut Fleckenstein, Andrejs Mamikins, Jens Nilsson, Zigmantas Balčytis, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Tanja Fajon, Doru-Claudian Frunzulică, Karoline Graswander-Hainz, Anna Hedh, Miroslav Poche, Marlene Mizzi, Tibor Szanyi, Julie Ward, Elena Valenciano, Josef Weidenholzer, Miriam Dalli on behalf of the S&D Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-1232/2016

Procedure : 2016/2934(RSP)
Document stages in plenary
Document selected :  
B8-1233/2016
Texts tabled :
B8-1233/2016
Debates :
Texts adopted :

B8-1233/2016

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Belarus

(2016/2934(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions and recommendations on Belarus,

–  having regard to the parliamentary elections held on 11 September 2016 and to the presidential elections held on 11 October 2015,

–  having regard to the statement by the Chair of its Delegation for relations with Belarus of 13 September 2016 on the recent parliamentary elections in Belarus,

–  having regard to the statement by the European External Action Service spokesperson of 12 September 2016 on the parliamentary elections in Belarus,

–  having regard to the preliminary statement of the OSCE/ODIHR, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) of 12 September 2016 on parliamentary elections in Belarus,

–  having regard to the Council conclusions on Belarus, in particular those of 16 February 2016 lifting sanctions against 170 individuals and three Belarusian companies,

–  having regard to the statement by the spokesperson of the US Department of State of 12 September 2016 on parliamentary elections in Belarus,

–  having regard to the OSCE final report of 28 January 2016 on the presidential elections in Belarus of 11 October 2015,

–  having regard to the numerous declarations by the Belarusian authorities that some of the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations following the 2015 presidential elections will be implemented ahead of the 2016 parliamentary elections,

–  having regard to the release of six political prisoners by the Belarusian authorities on 22 August 2015 and to the subsequent statement by Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and the Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, on the release of political prisoners in Belarus of 22 August 2015,

–  having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas, in its final report on the 2015 presidential elections in Belarus, the OSCE/ODIHR, together with the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission, prepared a set of recommendations to be implemented by Belarus before the 2016 parliamentary elections;

B.  whereas in order to build better relations with the West, the Belarusian authorities allowed democratic opposition parties to register for the 2016 parliamentary elections more easily than in previous elections, and foreign observers were granted greater access to the vote count;

C.  whereas, according to the assessment by the OSCE/ODIHR, the 2016 parliamentary elections were efficiently organised, but a number of long-standing systemic shortcomings remain, including legal framework restrictions for political rights and fundamental freedoms; whereas counting and tabulation saw a significant number of procedural irregularities and lacked transparency;

D.  whereas democratic opposition will be represented in the Belarusian parliament for the first time in 20 years;

E.  whereas no free and fair elections in Belarus have been conducted under electoral legislation compliant with OSCE/ODIHR internationally recognised standards since 1994;

F.  whereas the EU lifted most of its restrictive measures against Belarusian officials and legal entities in February 2016 as a gesture of good will to encourage Belarus to improve its human rights, democracy and rule of law; whereas some visible efforts to address certain long-standing issues ahead of the 2016 elections were noted, while at the same time many unaddressed issues remain in the legal and procedural electoral framework;

G.  whereas Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections (HRD) and Right to Choose-2016 (R2C), the two Belarusian election-monitoring groups, condemned the latest elections for not meeting a number of key international standards and for not being a credible reflection of the will of Belarusian citizens;

H.  whereas Belarusian observer groups gathered concrete evidence of massive nationwide efforts to inflate turnout totals during the five-day early vote period (6-10 September) and on election day (11 September);

I.  whereas the first visit of Parliament’s Delegation for relations with Belarus since 2002 took place in Minsk on 18 and 19 June 2015; whereas Parliament currently has no official relations with the Belarusian parliament;

J.  whereas Belarus played a constructive role in facilitating agreement on the ceasefire in Ukraine;

K.  whereas the Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea has deepened fears in Belarusian society of a destabilisation of the internal situation as a result of a power shift;

L.  whereas Belarus is the only country in Europe still to carry out capital punishment; whereas on 4 October 2016 the Belarusian Supreme Court upheld the death sentence against Siarhei Vostrykau; whereas this was the fourth confirmation of a death sentence in 2016;

M.  whereas a significant improvement in freedom of speech and freedom of the media, respect for the political rights of ordinary citizens and opposition activists alike and respect for the rule of law and fundamental rights are all prerequisites for better relations between the EU and Belarus; whereas the European Union remains strongly committed to further defending human rights in Belarus, including freedom of speech and of the media;

N.  whereas, as stated in the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus of 21 April 2016, despite a noticeable intensification of contacts between Belarus, the EU and the United States, violations of human rights still persist and no significant change has been noted;

O.  whereas human rights organisations have drawn attention to new methods of harassment of the opposition:

1.  Remains deeply concerned about the shortcomings observed by independent international observers during the 2015 presidential and 2016 parliamentary elections; recognises attempts to make progress, which remain insufficient; notes that the opposition will have two representatives in the newly elected parliament; considers these, however, to be political appointments, rather than a fair electoral outcome;

2.  Calls on the Belarusian authorities to resume work without delay on a comprehensive electoral reform as part of the broader democratisation process and in cooperation with international partners; stresses the need to introduce the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations in due time before the municipal elections of March 2018; emphasises that this is key to achieving the desired improvement in EU-Belarus relations;

3.  Reiterates its call on the Belarusian authorities to ensure, in all circumstances, respect for democratic principles, human rights and fundamental freedoms, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international and regional human rights instruments ratified by Belarus;

4.  Calls on the Belarusian Government to rehabilitate the released political prisoners and to restore their civil and political rights;

5.  Expresses concern that since 2000 no new political party has been registered in Belarus; calls for restrictions to be relaxed in this area, and stresses the need to allow unhindered political activity;

6.  Expects the authorities to stop the harassment of independent media for political reasons; urges a stop to the practice of administrative prosecution and the arbitrary use of Article 22(9)(2) of the Administrative Code against freelance journalists for working with foreign media without accreditation, which restrict the right to freedom of expression and the dissemination of information;

7.  Calls on the Belarusian authorities to repeal Article 193(1) of the Belarus Criminal Code, which prohibits the organisation of or participation in the activities of non‑registered public associations, as this provision is at odds with international standards on freedom of association and represents a breach by Belarus of its OSCE and UN obligations;

8.  Urges Belarus, as the only country in Europe still applying capital punishment, to join a global moratorium on the execution of the death penalty as a first step towards its permanent abolition; recalls that the death penalty constitutes inhumane and degrading treatment, has no proven deterrent effect and makes judicial errors irreversible;

9.  Calls on the Belarusian authorities to recognise and extend full cooperation to the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus by engaging in a substantive and constructive dialogue and facilitating a visit to the country;

10.  Calls on the European External Action Service (EEAS) and on the Commission to look for new ways of supporting civil society organisations in Belarus; stresses, in this regard, the need to support all independent sources of information for Belarusian society, including media broadcasting in the Belarusian language;

11.  Notes the launch in January 2014 of the negotiations on visa facilitation aimed at improving people-to-people contacts and encouraging the emergence of civil society; stresses that the Commission and the EEAS should take the measures necessary to speed up progress in this regard;

12.  Supports the EU in its policy of ‘critical engagement’ with the Belarusian authorities, and expresses its readiness also to contribute to it via its Delegation for relations with Belarus; calls on the Commission to monitor the legislative initiatives in Belarus closely and to scrutinise their implementation;

13.  Reiterates its commitment to working for the benefit of the people of Belarus, supporting their pro-democratic aspirations and initiatives and contributing to a stable, democratic and prosperous future for the country;

14.  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 (VP/HR), the European External Action Service, the Council, the Commission, the Member States, the OSCE/ODHIR, the Council of Europe, and the Belarusian authorities.