Fuldstændigt Forhandlingsreferat

Onsdag den 18. december 2019 - Strasbourg

22. Voldelig nedkæmpelse af de seneste protester i Iran (forhandling)

  President. – The next item is the debate on the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the violent crackdown on recent protests in Iran (2019/2993(RSP)).

  Josep Borrell Fontelles, Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. – Mr President, you are all aware that Iran is in the midst of an extremely serious economic crisis with shortages of basic supplies, including medicines, a high level of inflation and unemployment leading to protests.

I and my service have followed the developments around the recent protests very closely. Since they began on 15 November, one month ago, we have been trying to obtain reliable verified information on the number of deaths, injuries and arrest. We have also seen, as I am sure you have, video of snipers shooting at protesters and seen official confirmation of at least 7 000 people arrested. This underlines the severity and the magnitude of what is occurring, what has occurred, what is still happening.

We have not been silent in response to these developments; on the contrary, we have responded both privately and publicly. Indeed, my first statement as High Representative on behalf of the 28 – still 28 – Member States on 9 December was about the protests in Iran.

In that statement we clearly stated that despite repeated calls for restraint, the Iranian security forces’ disproportionate response to the demonstrations led to a high number of deaths and injuries, and once more I want to emphasise that whether in Iran or elsewhere, the widespread use of force against non—violent protesters is unacceptable. We have urged the Iranian authorities to ensure transparent and credible investigations to clarify the number of deaths and arrests and we expect all perpetrators of violence to be held accountable.

I’m aware that this crackdown also extended to access to the internet and that Iranian citizens were prevented from accessing global networks, which severely impacted communication and the free flow of information.

We are committed to pursuing a balanced and comprehensive approach with Iran; a balanced and comprehensive approach with Iran with a view to addressing all issues of concern and this of course includes our long-standing concerns regarding the human rights situation. In the context of the regular EU-Iran high-level political dialogue with Iran – with the adoption of the Iran nuclear deal, the famous JCPOA – we have raised human rights issues and cases. We have also regularly engaged with the authorities to demand progress on several important human rights, including the use of the death penalty, the rights of women and Iran’s practice of detaining dual nationals. This has also extended to demanding such improvements in international fora such as the United Nations Human Rights Council.

I fully understand the severity of the situation with regard to the protests, and we will continue to address this response and urge concrete actions as part of our diplomacy with Iran, which is not limited to the nuclear problems still.

We firmly believe that the Iranian authorities must live up to their international obligations, including both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Rights such as freedom of expression and assembly must always be respected and I am looking forward to working with you to promote better respect for these rights across the world. Today we have analysed several cases of this situation, which require a stronger stance from the European Union.

  Traian Băsescu, în numele grupului PPE. – Domnule președinte, protejat de dorința Uniunii Europene de a avea cu orice preț un acord nuclear, regimul de la Teheran s-a năpustit cu toată forța asupra propriului popor. Sufocat de cheltuieli militare enorme, de corupție, dar și de sancțiunile impuse de SUA, regimul liderului suprem, Ayatollahul Ali Khamenei, a trecut la reprimarea brutală a manifestațiilor care au izbucnit în toată țara.

Cetățenii iranieni din 31 de provincii și 140 de orașe au fost pur și simplu zdrobiți de forța disproporționată cu care regimul a acționat împotriva lor. Conform Consiliului Național al Rezistenței din Iran, regimul a înfrânt Mișcarea Cetățenilor pentru Libertate cu o violență fără precedent. Circa 1 500 de morți, din care 504 confirmați până la această oră; circa 10 000 de oameni arestați; circa 4 000 de răniți. Acum regimul caută și arestează participanții la demonstrații, în mod deosebit lideri locali.

Noi, Uniunea Europeană, avem obligația să protestăm și să acționăm. Trebuie să recunosc și să recunoaștem că Uniunea Europeană, în relația cu Iranul, a devenit prizoniera tratatului nuclear. Acesta este adevărul, dar și motivul pentru care ne facem că nu vedem că, în ambițiile sale de a fi o putere regională, Iranul este implicat ...

(Președintele a retras cuvântul vorbitorului).

  Domènec Ruiz Devesa, en nombre del Grupo S&D. – Señor presidente, señor vicepresidente de la Comisión, bienvenido a esta Cámara y gracias por el tiempo que ha dedicado en el día de hoy a todas estas situaciones de violaciones de los derechos humanos. Yo, en nombre del Grupo de los Socialistas y Demócratas hago mía, hago nuestra, su posición, su intervención, que ha sido completa y detallada y también consistente, en la condena y en el rechazo de lo que se ha vivido en Irán desde el mes de noviembre pasado.

Solo, por tanto, añadir algunos elementos a lo que ha dicho el alto representante. En primer lugar, recordar que estas manifestaciones son seguramente las mayores que se han vivido en cuatro décadas del régimen actual de Irán. Unas manifestaciones que, como se ha dicho, no han podido desarrollarse pacíficamente y en las que informes contrastados de las Naciones Unidas y de Amnistía Internacional han demostrado que han causado, al menos, 300 muertos y 7 000 víctimas no mortales. Muchos de estos manifestantes ―se ha dicho también― han sido detenidos arbitrariamente, pueden hacer frente a condenas de pena de muerte y, además, se les deniegan derechos básicos, como informar a sus familiares sobre su paradero y estado de salud, así como la asistencia a una defensa legal efectiva. Del apagón digital ha hablado el propio alto representante.

Yo creo que la Resolución que mañana vota este Parlamento es una iniciativa necesaria, que esperamos que apoye y contribuya a la labor que usted está realizando en esta materia. La voz de la Unión Europea y de este Parlamento debe hacerse escuchar. La reacción del Gobierno iraní ha sido extremadamente violenta y pudiera ser el inicio de un ciclo más opresivo en los próximos tiempos. No perdemos de vista que se trata de un Estado de enorme importancia e indispensable, con el que necesitamos tener una interlocución. No dudamos de que, con usted al frente, la política exterior de la Unión estará a la altura.

  Luisa Porritt, on behalf of the Renew Group. – Mr President, following our last resolution in September about the detainment of EU-Iranian dual nationals, including my constituent, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is facing her fourth Christmas in a jail in Tehran when she should be at home with her family, the Iranian Government has shown a further flagrant disregard for the rights of its own people.

Last month saw the biggest protest since the 1979 revolution break out in response to a 50% increase in fuel prices. This peaceful protest was followed by a brutal crackdown by the Iranian authorities, involving the arrest of up to 7 000 individuals, hundreds of people being injured, and according to Amnesty International, at least 304 people, including children, have been killed.

Freedom of expression and freedom of assembly are recognised as fundamental rights by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is party. The protestors in Iran had a legitimate reason to be protesting, yet the Iranian authorities responded disproportionately and inflicted harm on them. It is the duty of governments to protect their own people. These actions are a far cry from that. Furthermore, the nationwide shutdown of online communications by the government has made it difficult for Iranians to tell their stories. This is an infringement of their free speech.

Such behaviour is set against a backdrop of an increasingly repressive environment in Iran, which has seen human rights defenders, independent media, lawyers and online activists targeted for speaking out about what is happening in the country. The EU must act now.

This resolution, which will be discussed tomorrow, demands that the protesters be freed unconditionally; calls upon you, Mr Borrell Fontelles, as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, to continue to raise our concerns about the human rights situation in Iran; and asks that the UN Human Rights Council conduct an investigation. The rights of the Iranian people and dual EU nationals cannot wait.

  Ernest Urtasun, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, more than 300 people were killed and thousands arrested during last month’s protests in Iran, following a brutal crackdown by the Iranian authorities. However, the Iranian government has not provided any information about the protests to date and continues to deny the grave human rights violations perpetrated against those protesters.

The official death toll as well as the whereabouts of many detainees continue to be unknown. There are also credible claims that those who have been held in detention have been subjected to ill treatment. Journalists, students and human rights defenders have been among those detained and killed for defending their rights.

We therefore have to call on the Iranian authorities to put an end to the ongoing crackdown on protesters and to ensure that a prompt and impartial investigation, led by the United Nations, is carried out to clarify the facts and hold accountable all those responsible. The EU and its Member States should join this call and ensure proper scrutiny of the facts by proposing an independent inquiry into those human rights allegations. The economic situation in Iran has been worsening as a result of the US sanctions, and the recent protests are a reflection of this economic unease.

That is why I want to celebrate the efforts made by the High Representative in order to continue boosting the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the JCPOA, which remains the most important tool that we have to stabilise the region and also the most important tool that we have to have a proper dialogue on human rights with the country. We need, as Europe, to continue towards that path, to make sure that everybody respects that framework. And for that, I think that your efforts will be extremely necessary and important.

  Jérôme Rivière, au nom du groupe ID. – Monsieur le Président, déjà plus de deux ans que le régime autoritaire des ayatollahs est contesté dans la rue. Il y a trois semaines, le gouvernement a coupé internet pour tenter d’endiguer la propagation de cette contestation. L’Iran, situé au cœur des jeux de pouvoir et de domination entre la Chine, la Russie et les États-Unis. N’oublions pas que, puissance d’équilibre face à l’Arabie saoudite, l’Iran a contribué à ramener la paix en Syrie.

Nous condamnons, sans appel aucun, la politique liberticide du régime islamique et nous soutenons, évidemment, le peuple iranien dans sa quête de liberté. Mais nous condamnons aussi la diplomatie occidentale qui, en fermant les yeux, en commerçant avec les financeurs du terrorisme que sont le Qatar et l’Arabie Saoudite, aggrave la situation.

Dans cet hémicycle, la majorité aime donner à la terre entière des leçons de morale. Une résolution n’est pas de la diplomatie. Balayons devant notre porte: ici aussi, la liberté d’expression est souvent menacée. L’Union européenne n’est pas légitime pour faire entendre une voix efficace; elle a perdu toute crédibilité au Proche-Orient après les fiascos libyen et syrien.

Laissons les nations d’Europe, seuls véritables acteurs de la diplomatie, défendre leurs intérêts et les peuples, choisir leur destin.

  Anna Fotyga, on behalf of the ECR Group. – Mr President, even the lowest, most cautious number of victims of the recent crackdown in Iran against peaceful protesters means an enormous death toll – a shocking death toll. Thousands are being kept behind bars. Thousands have been injured.

In view of this situation, we have to raise our voice. I’m very grateful to the European Parliament that, across political divisions, we are able to prepare a joint resolution condemning the regime for the killings, asking the UN to independently investigate the issue, requiring the regime to publish reliable numbers of the victims, releasing bodies to the families of the victims, and putting an end to the continued impunity of those responsible for the crackdown and the violence against society in Iran.

  Cornelia Ernst, im Namen der GUE/NGL-Fraktion. – Herr Präsident! Zum Ersten ganz klar: Menschenrechte sind universal, und zwar war völlig egal, wo und unter welchen Umständen. Sie sind nicht verhandelbar!

Anders ausgedrückt: Für die Verletzung von Menschenrechten, für die Inhaftierung von Menschen, für das Töten von Menschen, gibt es keine relativierende Erklärung – das kann es nicht geben –, und deswegen geht es auch gar nicht anders, als dass wir uns hinter die protestierenden Iranerinnen und Iraner stellen und ihre Forderungen mit unterstützen. Heute, da wir den Sacharow-Preis 2019 vergeben haben, fordere ich die iranische Führung natürlich wieder und wieder auf, Nasrin Sotoudeh endlich freizulassen.

Zum Zweiten ist es doch absolut unseriös, nicht zu thematisieren, dass die US-Sanktionen niemandem mehr schaden als der iranischen Bevölkerung. Diese Sanktionen müssen weg, und das muss auch von hier klar gesagt werden. Die Zuspitzung der sozialen Lage im Iran ist eben nicht nur made in Iran, sondern auch made in USA.

Wer es mit den Menschenrechten wirklich ernst meint, der muss auch die USA kritisieren, die mit ihrer einseitigen Interessenpolitik im Mittleren Osten aufhören müssen, weil das zerstörerisch ist. Wer glaubt, immer mehr Repression führt zu einem Regimewechsel, der ist wirklich naiv. Die Einzigen, die von der jetzigen Situation wirklich profitieren, das sind die iranischen Hardliner. Aber das sind genau die, die am meisten für die Verletzung von Menschenrechten im Iran zuständig sind. Aber die werden dadurch unterstützt.

Ich bitte Sie, diesen Zusammenhang auch mal wahrzunehmen. Wir sollten nicht kleingläubig sein, wir sollten auch nicht naiv sein und die Dinge ansprechen, so wie sie sind, und dazu, glaube ich, sind wir auch hier.

  Matthew Patten (NI). – Mr President, like the others, I deplore the recent deaths and human rights violations in Iran and the continued imprisonment of political prisoners like Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe who should be freed immediately. But the number one policy aim in Iran is to stop it building a nuclear weapon and destabilising the Middle East, but it is now reinstating uranium enrichment. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement offered hope, but we must brace ourselves for its failure and urgently look for a Plan B.

The Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (Instex) – the EU plan to circumvent US sanctions – is taking too long and offers too little. The fact that the US is the EU’s largest trade partner, a thousand times greater than trade with Iran, speaks volumes to the EU’s priorities. Its plan to route Iranian oil through Russia won’t help. The EU’s attempts at foreign policy in this area are in a mess. Iran is now threatening reprisals against the EU members.

It is right that a coalition of Member States and other global players is part of the solution, but without the active involvement of the US, the EU is whistling in the wind. Many people in this Parliament deny President Trump. I’ve lost count of how many virtue-signalling MEPs have tried to score cheap points by insulting Europe’s greatest protector and ally, but if we want to keep the Middle East nuclear-free, resume trade, and support the human rights of Iranians, only the Americans have the power, relationships and influence in the region to make this happen.

The EU needs to urgently restore friendships and influence in Washington, not Tehran, and I’m certain that Brexit Britain’s special relationship with the US can help.

  Lukas Mandl (PPE). – Herr Präsident, sehr geehrter Herr Vizepräsident der Kommission und Hoher Vertreter der Union für Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik Borrell! Ich wurde im Jahr 1979 geboren, und genauso alt, wie ich bin, so lange gibt es dieses Regime im Iran. Vorher war diese Gesellschaft auf dem Weg zu einer Buntheit statt zu einer Schwarzweiß-Situation, in der sich heute die Gesellschaft befindet, auf dem Weg zu einer Helligkeit, nicht in dunkle Zeiten, in der sich heute die iranische Gesellschaft befindet. Wenn wir davon sprechen, dass Proteste gewaltsam niedergeschlagen worden sind, dann dürfen wir uns nicht die falschen Bilder vor Augen rufen. Da geht es nicht um blutige Nasen oder einige Platzwunden – was nicht zu rechtfertigen wäre –, da geht es um mehr als tausend Tote – tausend Todesopfer, die das Regime in der eigenen Bevölkerung zu verantworten hat. Mitte November – wenige Wochen ist das erst her, und das ist wenige Wochen vor dem Beginn der 20er-Jahre des 21. Jahrhunderts.

Was müssen wir tun? Wir müssen immer wieder klar machen: Wir haben ein Atomabkommen. Nicht weil wir das Regime für vertrauenswürdig halten, sondern gerade weil wir es nicht für vertrauenswürdig halten, brauchen wir das Abkommen schwarz auf weiß, um den Iran daran zu hindern, Massenvernichtungswaffen zu entwickeln, weil der Iran ein Sicherheitsrisiko für die gesamte Welt ist.

Deshalb fordere ich Sie auf, Herr Hoher Vertreter der Union für Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik, machen Sie Ernst mit den diplomatischen Sanktionen, die Sie in Ihrer Rede angekündigt haben! Das sind wir den iranischen Bürgerinnen und Bürgern schuldig, an deren Seite wir im Namen von Menschenwürde und Freiheitsrechten stehen.

  Isabel Santos (S&D). – Senhor Presidente, em menos de um mês este Parlamento volta a debater a dramática situação no Irão, que sabemos ter-se agravado nas últimas semanas. O governo iraniano não só ignorou os apelos à contenção, como intensificou a brutalidade da repressão dos protestos pacíficos que ocorreram por todo o país despelotados pela gravíssima situação económica, social e política.

304 pessoas assassinadas entre as quais, segundo as Nações Unidas, 12 crianças, milhares de detenções arbitrárias, tratamento desumano e cruel dos detidos que permanecem incontactáveis, espancamentos, tortura e incitamento direto nos media públicos à aplicação da pena de morte.

São números e factos vindos recentemente a público que não podemos ignorar. O respeito pelos direitos humanos constitui uma parte fundamental do diálogo que mantemos com os outros Estados, mas também assim deve ser no diálogo político de alto nível entre a União Europeia e o Irão.

Impõe-se, Senhor Comissário, que sejam usados todos os meios de modo a persuadir as autoridades iranianas a assumir as suas responsabilidades e a cumprir as convenções internacionais a que estão comprometidas.

  Klemen Grošelj (Renew). – Gospod predsedujoči! Nasilno zatrtje demonstracij nezadovoljnih državljanov, katerega posledica je bila več 100 mrtvih in priprtih oseb, usoda katerih je še danes neznana, nas opozarjata na brutalnost in brezkompromisnost in nasilnost teokratskega režima v Iranu.

Seveda imamo lahko različne poglede in mnenja o tem, ali je bil ameriški odstop od jedrskega sporazuma utemeljen ali ne ter ali so uvedene sankcije ustrezna poteza ali ne. A ne glede na to nič ne opravičuje nasilnosti in brutalnosti, s katero je iranski režim zatrl in še vedno zatira nezadovoljstvo prebivalstva. Uvedba sankcij ne more in ne sme biti opravičilo za brutalnost in nasilje režima, ki se vse bolj opira na represivni aparat in paravojaške sile, s katerimi izvaja nasilje doma, ampak tudi v regiji.

Evropska unija mora ne glede na interese dejanje režima v Teheranu odločno obsoditi in mu nedvoumno sporočiti, da kljub interesom ne bomo odstopili od naših temeljnih vrednot. Od sogovornikov moramo zahtevati spoštovanje vsaj minimalnih uveljavljenih človekovih pravic, mednarodnega prava in nenazadnje tudi spoštovanje lastne nacionalne zakonodaje.

Brutalnost režima pa kaže na njegovo nestabilnost in občutek ogroženosti, pri čemer se mora iranski teokratski režim zavedati, da mu uporaba brutalne sile doma in ustvarjanje regionalne hegemonije dokazano ne bosta omogočila preživetja. Edina pot naprej so globoke družbene, socialne in politične spremembe, ki bodo Iranu omogočile postopno vrnitev v mednarodno skupnost.

  Virginie Joron (ID). – Monsieur le Président, chers collègues, quel peuple accepterait que le prix de l’essence double sans manifester? Ces manifestations en Iran, nous les comprenons. En France, on harcèle les automobilistes avec les 80 km/h, les radars, les péages, le prix du gasoil qui s’envole.

L’ordre public iranien n’a été maintenu qu’au prix d’une réponse particulièrement autoritaire de l’État, un État dont nous espérons des évolutions: la fin de la peine de mort pour apostasie de l’Islam et la clarification du rôle des gardiens de la révolution, par exemple.

Toutefois, quel est aujourd’hui notre crédit en Iran? Le Service pour l’action extérieure européen et la diplomatie française sont eux-mêmes très gênés par le rôle qui leur a été imposé lors des accords dits de Vienne pour aboutir au retrait unilatéral des États-Unis.

L’origine et la rédaction de cette résolution expriment une limpide volonté de continuer à exercer deux formes de pression contre l’Iran: la mise au ban de la communauté internationale et la poursuite des sanctions. Or, cette stratégie n’est pas efficace, car la société iranienne est particulièrement nationaliste. Elle ne supporte pas les campagnes étrangères grossières qui visent à forcer les évolutions sociales du pays. Renouons une relation équilibrée avec l’Iran avant toute nouvelle initiative.

  Charlie Weimers (ECR). – Mr President, High Representative, let me tell you a tale of two teenagers. Nikta Esfandiari was only 14 when she was shot in the head by the Iranian regime. Her family had to look for three days before her body was handed to them. Meanwhile, the teenage sons and daughters of those responsible for Nikta’s death are living a life of luxury, shopping in European capitals, posing on Instagram in front of Ferraris and attending the most prestigious European and Western universities.

High Representative, we need a European Magnitsky Act now: targeted sanctions against human rights abusers. Let the family members of Iranian henchmen know that the door to Europe is closed. Let the family members of the murdered Iranian protesters know that Europe is on their side.

  Isabel Benjumea Benjumea (PPE). – Señor presidente, en primer lugar, quisiera condenar la tremenda represión que está llevando a cabo el régimen islamista de los ayatolás en Irán.

Estamos hablando de una represión que, según datos que son contradictorios por el mero hecho de que el régimen ha querido tapar y ocultar lo que estaba haciendo contra la población civil, se ha cobrado más de mil muertos, más de siete mil detenidos, según las Naciones Unidas, e, incluso, doce menores asesinados. Una tremenda represión. Una represión que —como decía— el régimen ha querido silenciar a toda costa, así como eludir su responsabilidad, incluso culpando a terceras naciones de la misma.

Estamos hablando de que se ha bloqueado internet a más de 80 millones de iraníes. También se ha prohibido a los medios de comunicación grabar en las calles y, por supuesto, cómo no, se ha culpado a los Estados Unidos, a Arabia Saudí o a Israel del descontento social.

Hoy, desde aquí, desde el Parlamento Europeo, lo que queremos decirles a los ciudadanos de Irán, a los iraníes, es que no están solos. No están solos los jóvenes que claman en las calles por su libertad y sus derechos. No están solas las mujeres que cada miércoles protestan por el uso obligatorio del velo. No están solos los homosexuales. No están solos los periodistas. Y no están solos los activistas de derechos humanos encarcelados.

Quisiera también poner el foco en la importancia de la coherencia a la hora de defender los derechos humanos en esta Cámara y apelar a ciertos sectores de la izquierda que, aparentemente, defienden los derechos humanos de una manera distinta dependiendo de dónde se estén dando estas violaciones, y apelar a que seamos contundentes. Por eso mismo, quiero decir que a mí la propuesta de Resolución que mañana vamos a votar me parece una resolución escasa y apelo al alto representante para que pasemos de la mera condena a las sanciones.

  Jytte Guteland (S&D). – Mr President, the United Nations has said that at least 7 000 people have been arrested in Iran since the mass demonstration erupted last month. We call for the immediate release of those arbitrarily detained. It is truly horrifying to hear about the security forces firing on protesters, and many people have been killed during this unrest. The internet shutdown in Iran made it difficult for outside groups to document the death toll and for journalists to paint the full picture of what was happening on the ground in dozens of cities.

It is unacceptable that people who protest because of social and economic injustices are killed and injured. We Social Democrats condemn the actions of the regime and demand that the violence stop immediately. The people of Iran need the EU on their side. This is why I’m happy to stand by this resolution, where we demand a stop to the violence and call for the EU to continue raising human rights and concerns with the Iranian authorities in bilateral and multilateral exchanges.

  María Soraya Rodríguez Ramos (Renew). – Señor presidente, señor alto representante, sin datos, Amnistía Internacional habla de 304 muertos, la oposición iraní nos habla de más de 1 000 personas asesinadas, 4 000 heridos, 12 000 detenidos. De nuevo, el cierre del acceso a Internet, al que usted se ha referido. Pero, a pesar de este bloqueo, nos llegan imágenes de video que cuentan una crueldad inenarrable. Disparos de las fuerzas de seguridad, disparando desde helicópteros, desde techos de edificios, a los manifestantes. Las familias ni siquiera pueden hoy enterrar a sus hijos, a sus familiares y hace dos semanas se ha descubierto un gran número de cadáveres en ríos y lagos en ese país. El Parlamento expresa hoy de nuevo su condena a esta brutal represión. Y unimos nuestra voz a la de la alta comisionada de las Naciones Unidas y exigimos una investigación independiente, encabezada por el relator de las Naciones Unidas, para identificar a los responsables, para que puedan responder. El diálogo político necesario con Irán no puede avanzar sobre la impunidad de los verdugos y el olvido de las víctimas.

  Jiří Pospíšil (PPE). – Pane předsedající, pane vysoký představiteli, já jsem celé minulé volební období paní Mogheriniovou nabádal k tomu, abychom zvolili mnohem tvrdší přístup vůči íránskému zločinnému režimu. Ta situace jasně ukazuje, že takový režim nemůže být partnerem nás, zemí, které vyznávají demokratické hodnoty a hodnoty právního státu. Režim, který střílí do lidí, do svých občanů, kteří demonstrují, jsou tam stovky mrtvých, si nezaslouží nic jiného než totální odsouzení a sankce z naší strany.

Já Vás tedy prosím, zvolte mnohem radikálnější, tvrdší přístup vůči této zemi, než volila Vaše předchůdkyně, požadujme po Íránu jasné vyšetření těchto zločinů proti vlastnímu obyvatelstvu a řešme, nakolik například jaderná dohoda dnes není cárem papíru a nakolik vůbec ještě platí. Já si myslím, že s Íránem není možné mít dobré vztahy, pokud se takto bude chovat vůči svým obyvatelům, kteří dělají jediné – protestují proti korupci, proti narůstajícím životním nákladům a dovolí si tak realizovat své základní právo shromažďovací.

  Bernard Guetta (Renew). – Monsieur le Président, on avait d’abord parlé de dizaines de morts, et c’était déjà terrible. Mais des listes nominales et encore provisoires font maintenant état de plus de 300 assassinats par balles, les balles des snipers.

Ce régime a donc peur, ce régime craint pour sa survie et panique, car il est aussi contesté à l’intérieur que rejeté dans ses protectorats libanais et irakien. L’Iran des mollahs est désormais plus descendant qu’ascendant, mais que faut-il faire au-delà des condamnations morales?

Il faut proposer, Monsieur le Haut Représentant, cher Monsieur Borrel. Les diplomaties, et d’abord celles de l’Union, devraient ne plus tarder à avancer des idées sur la définition de zones d’influence iraniennes et sunnites, l’organisation d’une coopération régionale et l’instauration de garanties de sécurité.

Il faudra du temps pour faire entendre ces propositions, mais c’est précisément parce qu’il en faudra beaucoup que la diplomatie doit reprendre ses droits et cela, sans perdre une minute.

Catch-the-eye procedure

  Milan Zver (PPE). – Gospod predsedujoči, v ponedeljek zvečer sem že na tem mestu spregovoril o številkah žrtev, ki jih je povzročil brutalni režim v Iranu. Nocoj bi pa rad podčrtal nekatere stvari, ki jih je nujno potrebno sprejeti.

Naprej bi morali jasno in glasno podpreti v Evropski uniji opozicijo, uporniško gibanje, ki se bori za svobodo in demokracijo v Iranu. Potem bi morali redefinirati odnos z Iranom in ne smemo si pri tem zapirati oči, podobno kot ZDA bi morali tudi mi uvesti nove sankcije.

Seveda bi morali uvesti še nekatere druge konkretne ukrepe proti iranskemu režimu, ki ni brutalen le proti svojim državljanom, ampak predstavlja tudi grožnjo v regiji. Postaja faktor nestabilnosti, razvija nova orožja, ne samo da grozi Izraelu ampak tudi drugim državam v regiji in tudi Evropski uniji. Skratka, ne bi bilo slabo, če bi organizirali tudi kakšno fact-finding mission v Iran.

  Julie Ward (S&D). – Mr President, Amnesty International has just reported that over 300 people were killed and thousands arrested in a violent crackdown against peaceful protests in Iran. The recent wave of protests has seen over 7 000 activists, journalists, students and protesters arrested, all of whom could now be facing torture whilst being detained.

We cannot stand idly by while the Ayatollah blames this on a foreign plot to oust him. It’s quite clear that the Iranian authorities wish to crush all political dissent and opposition. When speaking about Iran, I must mention the ongoing cruel imprisonment of dual national, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, on trumped—up charges and also the situation of UK permanent resident, Aras Amiri, who has carried out extraordinary service as a promoter of Iranian arts and culture but now finds herself behind bars: a bargaining chip in a cynical game of diplomatic chess.

Finally, I wish to raise awareness of the ongoing harassment of journalists and their families in Iran, including those working for the BBC Persian Service. If we value media freedom, we must defend it everywhere.

  Clare Daly (GUE/NGL). – Mr President, my solidarity, obviously, first and foremost is with the victims of oppression anywhere and everywhere, and the reports of violent and lethal repression of demonstrations in Iran is, obviously, something I, naturally, condemn. But the problem is this: even though human rights are universal, all human rights abuses are not condemned equally by this Parliament. Sometimes the human rights abuses are exaggerated, sometimes they’re not. But do you know what? They’re always the abuses of other states, never our own: states that stand up to the United States and Europe, states that have an independent policy, states that are closed to Western capital, states in the firing line.

It’s obviously natural and right to support the victims of repression, but the skewed emphasis in this Parliament to twist it into a one-sided imperialist human rights agenda that only condemns repression in Iran, China, Russia, whatever – never the United States or Europe and their clients. Where’s the speaking out against the repression of Palestinians brutally repressed by the vicious Israeli war criminals? This helps to downplay genuine human rights abuses. We weaken our own authority by this and we should do well to remember that.

  Fabio Massimo Castaldo (NI). – Signor Presidente, egregio Alto rappresentante, onorevoli colleghi, le vittime causate dalle forze di sicurezza in risposta alle manifestazioni in Iran si stimano intorno ad almeno 304 e tra di esse, 12 bambini e 13 donne.

Quando coloro che dovrebbero essere in prima linea per la difesa della popolazione sparano per uccidere sulla folla, è chiaro che è stato oltrepassato un limite. Purtroppo una volta ripristinato l'ordine in modo brutale è iniziata una nuova fase di repressione violenta, che ha visto l'arresto di migliaia di persone, sembra almeno 7 000: studenti, giornalisti, difensori dei diritti umani. No, non può esserci impunità per tutto questo.

Permettetemi però una considerazione spassionata, che non è in alcun modo una giustificazione per questi atti, che condanno anzi fortemente: le manifestazioni sono originate dal caro benzina, a sua volta conseguenza delle sanzioni estremamente punitive imposte dagli Stati Uniti, sia verso l'Iran, sia verso chiunque commerci con Teheran. Evidentemente queste hanno avuto un effetto devastante sulla popolazione civile senza sortire l'effetto politico voluto.

Questo deve essere, secondo me, un campanello d'allarme. Quando uno strumento colpisce, volontariamente o meno, i più deboli, nella speranza spesso vana di influenzare in questo modo coloro che sono al potere, forse andrebbe radicalmente ripensato.

  Eugen Tomac (PPE). –Domnule președinte, doresc să mă adresez Înaltului Comisar, în calitate de membru al Subcomisiei pentru drepturile omului din Parlamentul nostru. Domnule Înalt Comisar, au murit minori, au murit tineri, studenți, profesori, cetățeni iranieni care nu au mai avut altă soluție prin care să își exprime nemulțumirea, decât prin protest.

Uniunea Europeană, diplomația noastră nu mai poate aborda o cale a prudenței. Avem nevoie de acțiune fermă și hotărâtă prin care să condamnăm ceea ce se întâmplă acum în Iran. Nu putem, de dragul Acordului nuclear, să tolerăm ceea ce se întâmplă acolo. Iranul este un focar de instabilitate pentru întreaga regiune. Dacă ne uităm la Siria, dacă ne uităm la Yemen, dacă ne uităm la Liban, peste tot vedem Iranul. Avem nevoie de o acțiune hotărâtă, asta vrem de la Comisia noastră.

  Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D). – Señor Presidente, alto representante señor Borrell, sí, lamentablemente, Irán es también una constante en los debates de este Parlamento sobre derechos humanos. Solo que en esta ocasión la situación es escalofriante: la cifra de muertos por encima de 300, y 7 000 detenciones arbitrarias, ilegales, incomunicadas, con torturas, expuestas a la pena de muerte.

Cuando hablamos de esto no estamos hablando de simplemente represión de los derechos de manifestación y de reunión. Estamos hablando de una revuelta popular bañada en sangre. Y, por tanto, la Unión Europea tiene que emplearse a fondo. Es cierto que introducimos siempre la cláusula de la preservación del acuerdo nuclear, pero la diplomacia puede hacer mucho en su diálogo político, no solamente con las autoridades iraníes, sino también con la oposición, para asegurarse de que, cuando llegue el momento de que pueda cambiarse la dirigencia represiva en Irán, venga realmente una situación política cualitativamente distinta, donde haya pluralismo, donde haya libertad ideológica, religiosa y de credo, y también un Irán no nuclear.

  Mick Wallace (GUE/NGL). – Mr President, while the weapons of sanctions have contributed massively to the protests, the response of the Iranian state to those protests cannot be justified. The state has used lethal violence – live ammunition – against the protesters, and this is inexcusable and should be condemned. We should also be condemning the use of force by the right-wing governments in Bolivia and Chile, where people are being killed and thousands are also being imprisoned. We must recognise, too, that this brutal response is warmly welcomed by the US, who use the language of human rights as a further weapon against Iran.

The head of Iran policy for the US is Brian Hook, and he said: ‘We should consider human rights as an important issue in regard to US relations with China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, because pressing those regimes on human rights is one way to impose costs, apply counter-pressure, and regain the initiative from them strategically’. The US administration has seen the proof of Washington’s maximum-pressure policy against Iran as working, causing the Iranian people to turn on their political system. This is called ‘foreign interference’. Mr Borrell, do you approve of the foreign interference in Iran? Do you think that Europe should still look to get the JCPOA back on track? Because America’s ambition is to undermine the prospect for the same.

ELNÖKÖL: KLÁRA DOBREV
alelnök

„A catch the eye” eljárás vége.

  Josep Borrell Fontelles, Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. – Madam President, this exchange of views has been very informative and I thank the House for the opportunity to know more about your views on this difficult issue, namely relations with Iran.

I can assure you that we will not ignore the plight of the thousands of individuals in Iran who were involved in, or affected by, the protests. I confirm our commitment to address these issues with Iran, publicly and privately, until we’ve got clarity on the full scale of what has occurred and with the expectation that those identified as responsible for the violence will be held accountable. This is in general terms.

I will try to answer some of the specific issues that you have raised. It has been asserted that support for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has prevented the European Union from focusing on other issues. That’s not true. We have engaged in a frank and active dialogue with Iran on all issues, maintaining a range of EU autonomous restrictive measures, including on human rights violations.

We don’t believe that we would be in a better situation to address those without the JCPOA being in place. I can assure you that this is my strong belief. The JCPOA was first enshrined by a United Nations Security Council resolution and was not an invention by Europeans. It was the United Nations Security Council which adopted this agreement and we view it as a crucial issue for regional and European security. No one wants to see a nuclear arms race in the region and no one has been able to come up with a peaceful way of ensuring that Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon.

Having said this, we have on several occasions since June 2019 expressed our strong concern about Iran’s reduction in its commitment and we will continue defending the objective and full obligation of this agreement. We will do our best in order to save the JCPOA Agreement. Other people say that we are too soft on Iran. I want to engage with you in a frank and deep debate, and not to say that everybody is happy. No. Let’s go to the real issues. Are we too soft on Iran? I don’t think so.

The EU still has a number of sanctions in place: first, nuclear proliferation sanctions under the CPOA; second, human rights sanctions – currently 83 individuals and entities, including a ban on exports to Iran of equipment which might be used for internal repression and equipment to monitor telecommunications because, when you disturb the traffic on the internet, you do that with sophisticated telecom instruments – and, third, sanctions under our Syria and CP931 terrorist regime.

So we are not being especially soft or hard. We do what we have to do and personally I think that you will understand that the JCPOA is something that is important for us, but it doesn’t prevent us from taking a tough position when such things as the ones we have seen in Iran happen. It is the case for additional human rights listing in response to the protest. To tell the truth, there are currently no proposals for additional listing on the table.

Having said that, the process for the annual review of the human rights regime is ongoing. As things stand, we still have human rights sanctions in place, as I told you, which affect 83 individuals and entities in Iran. This is a difficult question and we will continue working on it, at the same time using our diplomatic capacity in order to save a deal that is very important for our security and, on the other hand, defending human rights in Iran and elsewhere with our sanctions regime, our diplomatic pressure and our permanent claim to respect human rights.

This has been a very intensive part-session. It was my first part-session, ‘mon baptême de feu’. I would like to thank all of you for all your contributions and for your support. I know that not everybody sees things in the same way. From the left to the right, there are different approaches and different understandings of what’s happening in this difficult world in which we have to live. Today, having covered four difficult issues, thank you all for your contribution and thank you for your support for my job.

(Applause)

  Elnök asszony. – Hat állásfoglalásra irányuló indítványt juttattak el hozzám, melyeket az eljárási szabályzat 123. cikkének (2) bekezdésével összhangban nyújtottak be.

A vitát lezárom.

A szavazásra 2019. december 19-én, csütörtökön kerül sor

Írásos nyilatkozatok (171. cikk)

  Urmas Paet (Renew), kirjalikult. – Iraani protestirahutustes on praeguseks tapetud juba üle tuhande inimese ja tuhandeid on vigastatud. Arreteeritud on üle 12 000 protestija, keda hoitakse koolides ja riigiasutustes kinni. Igasugune ülemäärase jõu kasutamine rahulike protestijate suhtes on lubamatu ning kõik vägivallatsejad tuleb vastutusele võtta, samuti tuleb vabastada kõik need, kes on arreteeritud rahumeelse protesteerimise tõttu, ning võimaldada neile õiglane kohtupidamine. On oluline, et Iraan täidab rahvusvahelisi kohustusi ning võimaldab inimestel väljendusvabadust ja rahumeelset kogunemisvabadust kasutada.