MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Belarus
17.4.2018 - (2018/2661(RSP))
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, Nathalie Griesbeck, Marian Harkin, Ivan Jakovčić, Petr Ježek, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Javier Nart, Urmas Paet, Maite Pagazaurtundúa Ruiz, Jozo Radoš, Marietje Schaake, Ramon Tremosa i Balcells, Ivo Vajgl, Johannes Cornelis van Baalen, Hilde Vautmans, Valentinas Mazuronis on behalf of the ALDE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0197/2018
The European Parliament,
-having regard to its previous resolutions and recommendations on Belarus, including on the European Neighbourhood Policy;
-having regard to the local elections of 18 February 2018, as well as to the parliamentary elections of 11 September 2016 and the Presidential elections of 11 October 2015;
-having regard to the declarations by the Belarusian authorities that parts of the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations would be implemented ahead of the 2018 local elections;
-having regard to the statement by the EEAS Spokesperson of 20 February 2018 on the local elections;
-having regard to the Council decision on Belarus of 22 February 2018 on prolonging the restrictive measures against Belarus for one year, until 28 February 2019, which include an arms embargo, asset freeze and travel ban against four individuals listed in connection with the unresolved disappearances of two opposition politicians, one businessman and one journalist in 1999 and 2000;
-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 statement of the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Belarus on 28 March 2018;
-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’s decision, in February 2016, to not extend most of its restrictive measures applied against Belarusian officials and companies was made in anticipation of tangible steps by the Belarusian authorities as regards human rights, democracy and the rule of law and in taking forward the recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR in a comprehensive reform of the election legislation;
B.whereas no such electoral reform has been attempted and, as demonstrated during the local elections of February 2018, a significant number of severe shortcomings and procedural irregularities remain, including a restrictive legal framework for political rights throughout all stages of election campaigns and in observing, voting and counting of votes; whereas since 1994 no free and fair elections have been conducted in Belarus;
C.whereas on 25 March 2018, on the occasion of the centenary of the independence of Belarus, Freedom Day, more than 100 peaceful marchers, political activists and journalists were detained during protests, including opposition leaders and former presidential candidates Mikalai Statkevich and Uladzimir Niakliaev;
D.whereas two political prisoners, Mikhail Zhamchuzhny and Dzmitry Paliyenka remain in detention;
E.whereas in January 2018, the Ministry of Information blocked two leading independent internet portals, Charter 97 and Belarusian Partisan, and other independent journalists face judicial harassment;
F.whereas Belarus remains the only country in Europe still carrying out capital punishment;
G.whereas in July 2017, a law on “protecting children from information harmful for their health and development” entered into force; whereas its provisions may be used to restrict dissemination of neutral or positive information about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people;
H.whereas during the last meeting of the EU-Belarus coordination group in December 2017, the European Union stressed the need for full transparency and cooperation on nuclear safety issues, in particular on the new Nuclear Power Plant in Ostrovets;
1.regrets that Belarus, despite earlier promises, failed to implement the recommendations of OSCE/ODIHR for the last elections;
2.urges Belarus to implement comprehensive electoral reform, as part of a genuine and fair democratisation process and in close cooperation with OSCE/ODIHR and other international partners;
3.condemns the mass arrests of opposition figures, civil activists, journalists and ordinary citizens on the Freedom Day celebrations on 25 March 2018;
4.calls on Belarus to immediately release the two remaining political prisoners, Mikhail Zhamchuzhny and Dzmitry Paliyenka and to rehabilitate all former political prisoners and restore their civil and political rights;
5.urges the Belarusian authorities to engage in a constructive and open dialogue with the democratic opposition and civil society organisations and guarantee citizens’ freedoms and rights, in particular the right to association, peaceful assembly and expression, as well as securing a framework for free and independent media;
6.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, which criminalises the participation in activities of non-registered organisations;
7.takes note of the ongoing negotiations on the EU-Belarus Partnership Priorities; calls on the EEAS and the Member States to ensure that the implementation of these Priorities and other forms of bilateral cooperation, including financial assistance, is conditional on clear and tangible steps towards democratisation and openness, including, as a priority, comprehensive election reform;
8.calls for the renewal of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus; calls on the Belarusian Government to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur; calls on the EEAS to better coordinate the EU’s policy towards Belarus with the UN Special Rapporteur;
9.calls on the Belarusian Government to cooperate with the UN Committee against Torture (CAT) and the UN Human Rights Committee which will review Belarus in 2018 and to implement any recommendations; calls on the EEAS to use the recommendations and their implementation to measure the human rights situation in Belarus in the coming months;
10.urges the Belarusian authorities to uphold international standards to which Belarus is bound with respect to freedom of assembly and to comply with the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on human rights Defenders, in particular with its articles 1, 2, 5 and 12.2; and reiterates its call on the Belarusian authorities to respect, in all circumstances, 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;
11.urges the government to adopt a moratorium on the death penalty as a first step towards its permanent abolition;
12.remains concerned about the lack of respect for international standards, absence of transparency and safety problems related to the construction of the nuclear power plant in Ostrovets, Grodno region, less than 50 km away from Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania; calls on the EEAS and the Commission to prioritise the safety of the Belarusian NPP and to ensure that progress in EU-Belarus relations is conditional on increased latter’s openness and cooperation and fulll compliance with international nuclear and environmental safety standards;
13.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.