On 14 January 2014 the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs published its report “On the situation with human rights in the European Union” (posted on the ministry’s website ) in which it claimed that the EU was struck by “serious human rights illnesses.” A large part of he report relies on information from international human rights organizations, such as AI. In the document the Russian Foreign Ministry Read the rest of this entry »
Archive for the 'EU' Category
Russia publishes report on human rights in the EU
January 17, 2014The EU and freedom of expression as seen by Index on Censorship
January 16, 2014Index on Censorship is basing a series of articles on its larger report by Mike Harris, Time to Step Up: The EU and freedom of expression.
On 14 January 2014 came the one the ‘southern neighbourhood’ arguing that the credibility of the EU’s swing in focus from economic development towards human rights (after the outbreak of the Arab spring) is low.
The EU’s communication “A partnership for democracy and shared prosperity with the southern Mediterranean“ (published on 8 May 2011) addresses the EU’s commitment to financially support transition to democracy and civil society and heralds the creation of the Civil Society Facility for the neighbourhood (covering both the southern and eastern neighbourhoods), while the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) deployed a number of operations in the region to protect and promote freedom of expression, often without the consent of the host country. Still, the article argues, european countries are often still seen as former allies of repressive regimes.
http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2014/01/eu-freedom-expression-southern-neighbourhood/
The one of 15 January, entitled ‘The EU and free expression: Human rights dialogues’, looks at the situation that the EU runs 30 human rights dialogues across the globe, with the key dialogues taking place in China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Georgia and Belarus. It also has a dialogues with the African Union. The article is more detailed on China
The article concludes: “With criticism of the effectiveness and openness of the dialogues, the EU should look again at how the dialogues fit into the overall strategy of the Union and its member states in the promotion of human rights with third countries and assess whether the dialogues can be improved.“
The EU and free expression: Human rights dialogues – Index on Censorship | Index on Censorship.
Groundbreaking LGBTI Human Rights Guidelines Adopted by EU
June 25, 2013The Council of the European Union [the EU’s 27 foreign affairs ministers], which previously adopted a non-binding toolkit to promote LGBT human rights, has upgraded its guidelines in order “to promote and protect the enjoyment of all human rights by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons.” The new document is binding and represents a step forward in international human rights law. The LGBTI Guidelines instruct EU diplomats around the globe to defend the human rights of LGBTI people. .
full document at: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/137584.pdf
Related articles
EU needs Digital Freedom Strategy says MEP Schaake
September 24, 2012Dutch MEP for D66, Marietje Schaake wrote a short but good piece in New Europe about the need for a overall EU strategy with regard to ‘digital freedom’. Concerning HRDs she has the following to say: “Generally speaking, the fight for control and power by authoritarian regimes involves a growing ICT component. While training human rights defenders, journalists and dissidents should improve their safety online it also creates a new set of sensitivities and a potentially dangerous dependency on the accuracy and quality of the guidance. Human rights defenders deserve EU support and in any case should not be targeted with tools and technologies developed and exported from within the EU.”
via The need for an EU Digital Freedom Strategy | New Europe.
European Parliament calls – again – for more attention for Human Rights Defenders
May 2, 2012The European Parliament adopts every year a Resolution based on the report it receives on the EU’s human rights action and policy. So, it did again on 18 April 2012.
The official emblem of the European Parliament. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It is quite a long resolution and I only copy here the general paragraphs relevant to Human Rights Defenders (the chapter also includes a somewhat ill-fitting paragraph 91 on Western Sahara and a correct but detailed observation re the Sacharov prize in para 93, which you can consult in the full text):
…….
Re Human rights defenders
87. Welcomes the EU’s political commitment to supporting human rights defenders, as a long-established component of the EU’s human rights external relations policy, and the many positive examples of demarches, trial observations, prison visits, and other concrete actions undertaken by EU missions and delegations, such as regular, institutionalised meetings with human rights defenders, but remains concerned at the lack of implementation of the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders in some third countries; considers that the VP/HR should make recommendations for enhanced action to those missions where implementation has been noticeably weak;
88. Urges the EU and its Member States to encourage EU missions and delegations to show their support and solidarity for the work undertaken by human rights defenders and their organisations, by regularly meeting and proactively engaging with them and incorporating their contributions into the development of the specific country strategies on human rights and democracy, and regularly engaging with Parliament;
89. Reiterates its call on the EU to systematically raise individual cases of human rights defenders in the ongoing human rights dialogues it has with those third countries where human rights defenders continue to suffer harassment and attacks;
90. Stresses the importance of systematic follow up to contacts with independent civil society, as well as more direct and easier access for human rights defenders to EU Delegations in third countries; welcomes the appointment of liaison officers, in the Delegations and/or in Member State embassies, for human rights defenders, and stresses that these should be experienced and appropriately trained officials whose functions are well-publicised both internally and externally; very much welcomes the fact that the VP/HR has indicated that she will always meet with human rights defenders in the course of her visits to third countries and calls for this practice to be followed by all Commissioners with responsibilities in the external relations field, and for reports on these contacts to be made available to Parliament;
91…….
92. Reiterates its call for greater inter-institutional cooperation on human rights defenders; considers that the EU’s response capacity and the coherence between the actions of the different institutions on urgent crises for human rights defenders would be well served by a shared alert system based on focal points, and encourages the EEAS and the Commission to explore this avenue further with the European Parliament;
93. ……
94. Undertakes to include women’s rights more systematically in its own human rights debates and resolutions and to use the Sakharov Prize network, and especially female winners of the Prize, to advocate women’s rights in the world;
Quick reminder of the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders
January 13, 2012
Image by erjkprunczyk via Flickr
The European Union Guidelines on human rights defenders were created to help staff in the embassies of EU member states to protect threatened human rights defenders (HRDs). In short they tell EU diplomatic missions to:
- Produce periodic reports outlining the broad human rights situation, noting specific cases of concern.
- Take urgent local action when needed and make recommendations for further EU involvement.
- Prepare local strategies in co-ordination with HRDs, with special attention given to the protection of women defenders.
- Organise regular meetings between HRDs and missions diplomats
- Maintain contact with HRDs through receiving them in the missions and visiting their areas of work.
- Publicly recognise HRDs and their work through use of traditional and new-media methods of communication.
- Visit, where appropriate, HRDs in custody or under house arrest and attend trials as observers.
- Raise specific cases with third country governments.
- Involve HRDs in the preparation, follow-up and assessment of human rights discussions with third country governments.
- Provide measures for swift assistance of HRDs in danger, including the issuing of emergency visas and the offer of temporary shelter in EU member states.
- Provide access to financial support where necessary.
Urgent local action can be organised through “local working groups”, of which HRDs should be members.Integral to the Guidelines is a duty to “proactively” support human rights defenders on the world stage through political dialogue and promotion of the UN Human Rights Council and its Special Rapporteurs. When, for example, the EU President, High Representative for Foreign Affairs or other relevant official visits a country with human rights issues they should seek to meet with HRDs wherever possible and reflect any concerns in their discussions with third country governments.
This is not news but at the beginning of the new year it is good to have a reminder AND REMIND THE EU DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATIVES of all this laid down in 20 short paragraphs; for full text see: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cmsUpload/GuidelinesDefenders.pdf
Situation of Human Rights Defenders in China Worsens: EP Hearing – YouTube
July 21, 2011interesting video of (part of the) session of the European Parliament
Conditions for Chinas Rights Defenders Worsens: Hearing – YouTube.
New Tang Dynasty Television
NTDTV’s Channel
Ashton demands release of Iranian women HRDs
July 7, 2011
EU High Representative Catherine Ashton released a statement on 5 July condemning the recent arrests of women’s rights defenders. She specifically refers to the arrests of photographer Maryam Madj, film-maker Mahnaz Mohammadi, journalist Zahra Yazdani, and women’s rights advocates Maryam Bahrman and Mansoureh Behkish.
Maryam Madj, an Iranian photojournalist and women’s rights activist, was taken from her home the day before she was scheduled to fly to Germany to photograph the Women’s World Football Cup on 17 June. She has long been an advocate of women’s rights, especially the right of women football fans to publically watch football matches. Madj’s arrest has been challenged by 32 other Iranian photojournalists and the German commissioner of human rights, Markus Loening.
Mahnaz Mohammadi, an Iranian documentarian and filmmaker, was taken from her home by Iranian security officers two weeks after the arrest of Madj. The unidentified officers refused to show a warrant when they picked up Mohammadi. She is reportedly being kept incommunicado in Tehran’s Evin prison, meaning she has no access to her family or proper legal representation.
Zahra Yazdani is a journalist for the Asr-e Eghtesad, the newspaper owned by her father. Like the others, no clarification was given for her 21 June arrest from her home. She has had no contact with her family since she was taken.
Maryam Bahrman is a women’s rights activist and promoter of the ‘One Million Signatures for Equality’ campaign, which calls for a reform of the Iranian laws that discriminate against women. She too has being denied a lawyer or any contact with her family since her arrest on 11 May.
Mansoureh Behkish is a member of the ‘Mouring Mothers Group,’ which protests unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, and enforced disappearances. Several of Behkish’s family members were executed in the 1980s and she has been a human rights activist ever since. This is not her first arrest.
These arrests and others have spurred an outcry from the rest of the global community. Amnesty International is demanding clarification for the arrests, while other groups urge citizens to sign petitions and write letters calling for the detainees’ release.
The 2011 World Press Freedom Index lists Iran as a “very serious situation,” ranking 175th out of 178 countries for freedom of the press!
Ashton demands release of Iranian women prisoners – New Europe.
Al-Hassani, MEA 2010 Laureate on You Tube and reaction by the EU
October 21, 2010The portrait of the 2010 MEA Laureate Muhannad Al-Hassani (duration approximately 15 mn) can now be found on:
VIMEO: http://vimeo.com/16030613 as well as YouTube (where it had to be in 2 parts) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiZOF_8OOdM PART 1 andhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkZ5ZOwU5KQ PART 2.
It was made by True Heroes, Films for Human Rights Defenders.
There is also a strongly worded EU statement that can be found on: http://ec.europa.eu/delegations/syria/press_corner/all_news/news/2010/20101018_ar.htm (in Arabic) and http://ec.europa.eu/delegations/syria/press_corner/all_news/news/2010/20101018_en.htm (in English)
Please pass on this information to those who need to know
Ceremony for Al-Hassani, 2010 MEA Laureate, very impressive
October 19, 2010The annual MEA ceremony has just taken place on Friday 15 October 2010 in Geneva. The forced absence of the Laureate, Muhannad Al-Hassani, who is serving a 3-year sentence, was to a large extent compensated for by the very ‘personal’ and exclusive portrait made by film produced by True Heroes (THF). The whole 1-hour ceremony can still be viewed on: http://www.martinennalsaward.org/video/bceremony_en.m4v. The audience in the Victoria Hall was approximately 500 persons and at least the same number of people has watched it in English or Arabic on the website, including the family of Al-Hassani. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights handed over the award to the representative of the laureate.
In addition to being convicted on ludicrous charges (see my other blog about what I said about Al-Hassani) the laureate was barred for life by the Syrian Bar Association. Fortunately the International Bar Association at its recent meeting in Vancouver has started to look into this misbehaviour by its Syrian member. Also the European Union made a strong statement in support of the Laureate. It can be viewed on: http://ec.europa.eu/delegations/syria/press_corner/all_news/news/2010/20101018_en.htm
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 