HRC53 - EU Statement - Interactive Dialogue on High Commissioner’s annual report
UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
53th session
Interactive Dialogue on High Commissioner’s annual report
EU Statement
Mister President,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.
We thank the High Commissioner for his annual report.
Regarding the situations in Sudan, OPT, Myanmar, Venezuela, Syria, Burundi and Central African Republic we would like to refer to our statements during the respective interactive dialogues.
The EU condemns Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine in the strongest possible terms. We urge Russia to immediately, completely and unconditionally end its ongoing aggression and withdraw all its forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine and fully respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. The EU condemns in the strongest terms Russia’s violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, some of which may amount to war crimes. These include the indiscriminate and targeted attacks by Russia against civilians or civilian objects, the use of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, sexual and gender-based violence, as well as the forcible transfer and deportation of Ukrainians, including children, to Russia, within areas temporarily controlled by Russia and allegedly to Belarus. They must be immediately allowed to return safely. We are deeply concerned about the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on persons in vulnerable situations, in particular those with disabilities and older persons. The EU is firmly committed to ensuring full accountability for war crimes and the other most serious crimes committed in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, including through the establishment of an appropriate mechanism for the prosecution of the crime of aggression, which is of concern to the international community as a whole. We fully support the work of the International Criminal Court and the Commission of Inquiry established by the Council, and welcome the establishment of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. We welcome the work of UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, and that of the experts under the Moscow Mechanism of the OSCE. We call on Russia to grant without delay full and unhindered access to humanitarian actors. We remain committed to supporting Ukraine’s repair, recovery, and reconstruction, in coordination with international partners and reiterate the EU’s support for the Register of damage caused by the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. And, it is not only Ukraine that is impacted by this war. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has disrupted global food chains and blocked the export of food from Ukraine towards the rest of the world. Food Security, with a specific focus on populations in the most vulnerable countries, many of which are located in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, remains a top priority for us. We are determined to advance concrete responses aimed at the full enjoyment of human rights, including the right to food, at all levels, including the multilateral level.
Russia’s violations of international law related to external aggression against Ukraine are mirrored in Russia’s internal repression, with an unprecedented escalation of the crackdown on human rights and fundamental freedoms. The EU strongly condemns the systematic repression of civil society organisations, activists and human rights defenders, as well as the unabated crackdown on independent media, individual journalists and media workers, political opposition members, anti-corruption activists and other critical voices. We continue to call on Russian authorities to uphold their international obligations on human rights and fundamental freedoms. We call on Russia to abolish its repressive legislation and end political misuse of the judiciary, such as recently in the case of the human rights defender and Memorial co-founder Oleg Orlov. Russia must immediately and unconditionally release all those imprisoned on politically motivated charges, including the opposition politicians Alexei Navalny, Ilya Yashin, Andrei Pivovarov and Vladimir Kara-Murza. The EU calls on Russia to fully cooperate with all special procedures related to human rights situation in the Russian Federation.
The EU reiterates that the human rights situation in China, as corroborated by numerous reports of UN Special Rapporteurs and the assessment report of human rights concerns in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region by the OHCHR, remains very serious. The EU encourages China to effectively cooperate with the OHCHR, including towards the implementation of the recommendations of the assessment report and with all international human rights mechanisms. The EU continues to urge China to abide by its obligations under national law, including China’s own Constitution, and international law, to respect, protect and fulfil human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, including Uyghurs, Tibetans and persons belonging to ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities across China.
The human rights situation in Hong Kong continues to remain of concern with the repressive use of the National Security Law and of the Sedition Law, as well as the sweeping changes in the electoral system that constitute a violation of democratic principles and political pluralism. The EU is following with great concern the trials of politicians and pro-democracy actors. The EU urges the Chinese central government and the Hong Kong authorities to restore full respect for the rule of law, fundamental freedoms, and democratic principles, as key to preserve Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy under the ‘One country, two systems’ principle, in compliance with Hong Kong’s Basic Law and China’s domestic and international obligations.
The EU strongly condemns the continuing deterioration of the human rights situation in Belarus. As stated in the OHCHR report on Belarus of March 2023, systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations, which may amount to crimes against humanity, have been and are being committed in Belarus. We express deep concern as to the increased use of alleged terrorism- and extremism-related offenses to intimidate, repress and prosecute individuals and organisations exercising their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. Human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists and media workers, civil society members, persons belonging to national minorities and representatives of trade unions are persecuted and silenced. This makes any political debate and any expression of political opposition impossible. The authorities continue to undermine Belarus’ independence and sovereignty by subduing the country to Russia. We call on Belarussian authorities to stop enabling Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. The authorities brutally persecute Belarusians for their opposition to government, including for anti-war statements and for supporting Ukraine. There are currently more than 1500 political prisoners in Belarus; the EU calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all those arbitrarily detained, for the charges against them to be dropped and for their full legal redress. The EU will continue to work for justice for victims and accountability for perpetrators. The EU continues to urge Belarus to abolish the death penalty and, as a first step, to introduce a moratorium. We will continue to condemn attempts to instrumentalise migrants for political purposes, particularly when used as leverage or as part of hybrid destabilizing actions.
The EU remains deeply concerned about the human rights situation across Iran. We call upon Iran to eliminate, in law and in practice, all forms of systemic discrimination against women and girls in public and private life and to take gender-responsive measures against sexual and gender-based violence in all its forms. Freedom of opinion and expression and other civic freedoms have been increasingly curtailed. We are appalled by the use of harsh sentences, including capital punishment, subsequent to trial procedures that do not respect international standards with regard to fairness and due process, against individuals who have exercised their civil and political rights. The EU re-emphasises its unequivocal opposition to the death penalty and calls on Iran to refrain from any future executions, provide due process to all detainees and pursue a consistent policy towards the abolition of capital punishment. We call on the Iranian authorities to cease their widespread resort to arbitrary detentions, including of foreign citizens and dual nationals, and release all those unjustly detained. We urge Iran to cooperate with Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran and the Independent Fact-Finding Mission and to implement the relevant international treaties and agreements to which it is a party, including the ICCPR and the Vienna Convention on Consular relations.
The EU condemns Nicaragua’s systemic repression against any form of political dissent, through measures that violate both its own Constitution and its international obligations, including the ICCPR. The EU calls for the liberation of all the remaining political prisoners, the return to the rule of law, the return of international human rights organisations to the country, and the protection of human rights of the political prisoners deported earlier this year and stripped of their citizenship. We reiterate our calls on the Nicaraguan government to engage in a genuine and inclusive dialogue with all relevant stakeholders in Nicaragua about their legitimate demands, and to stop any persecution and reprisals against dissidents, human rights defenders, clergy, independent media, peasants, indigenous peoples, and civil society.
The EU expresses its unwavering commitment to the people of Afghanistan and to peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region. An inclusive political process, with the participation of all Afghans is required. The full, equal and meaningful participation of women in public life is required for sustainable peace. The EU is gravely concerned about the Taliban’s systemic violations of human rights of the Afghan people. The EU strongly condemns violations and abuses of human rights, in particular of women, children, persons belonging to ethnic and religious groups and minorities, LGBTI persons, human rights defenders, journalists, former security forces and politicians, despite the announced amnesty by the Taliban. The EU also denounces the dismantling of the rule of law and independence of the justice system in Afghanistan, resulting in limited or no access for women. Accountability for human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, must be ensured. We recall that Afghanistan is a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The EU condemns in the strongest possible terms the Taliban’s bans on Afghan women working for national and international NGOs and UN agencies. These unacceptable decisions follow previous education bans and other restrictive edicts issued by the Taliban, targeting Afghan women and girls. The EU calls on the Taliban to reverse these decisions immediately and ensure access to education for all, especially girls. The realization of women’s and girls’ rights is indispensable for achieving sustainable development, for the prevention and resolution of conflicts, in peace-building, and in the humanitarian response.
In Uganda, the Anti-Homosexuality Law is contrary to international human rights law and to Uganda’s obligations under the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights. The law introduces severe punishments, including the death penalty to which the EU is opposed in all circumstances. The Ugandan government has an obligation to protect all persons in Uganda and uphold their human rights.
The EU fully supports the cessation of hostilities agreement between the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. The EU encourages Ethiopia to make sustained progress towards an inclusive transitional justice mechanism, in line with international human rights’ norms and standards, supported by an international component, such as OHCHR, and, to ensure engagement of judicial procedures on the most pressing cases and to ensure the safeguarding of evidence for future prosecution. EU is concerned by the recent reports of escalating tensions, alleged violations and abuses of human rights and violence in various parts of the country and encourages de-escalation and dialogue.
The EU is deeply concerned by the human rights situation in Eritrea which shows no sign of improvement. The EU calls on Eritrea to withdraw all Eritrean soldiers from Northern Ethiopia, as their presence has the potential to undermine the successful implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement between the Government of Ethiopia and Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
The EU is concerned by the worsening security crisis in Mali, the sharp deterioration of the human rights situation and the significant increase of the violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law against civilians. The conclusions of the OHCHR report on the massacre of Moura, where more than 500 civilians were killed by Malian troops and the Wagner Group in March 2022, is extremely disturbing. The EU calls on the Malian Transitional Authorities to shed light on these events through an independent, impartial, effective and comprehensive judicial investigation and to bring to justice all those responsible.
The EU reiterates the call on Türkiye to comply with its obligations under international law, including human rights law, and protect human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, including property rights of persons belonging to minorities and minorities’ legal entities. The EU is concerned about targeting of political parties, civil society representatives, journalists, academics, human rights defenders, and others with detentions. These developments increase concerns about the continued deterioration of respect for the rule of law and human rights, including fundamental freedoms and the independence of the judiciary. As an EU candidate country and long-standing member of the Council of Europe, Türkiye is expected to apply the highest democratic standards and practices. In this context, we urge Türkiye to implement the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights. Human rights will continue to be an integral part of EU-Türkiye relations.
The EU appreciates Cambodia’s cooperation with the HRC and its mechanisms and welcomes the progress on some economic and social rights, such as the rights to social security and to education. The EU continues to follow with concern the preparations for the national elections in July this year. The continued use of criminal procedures against opposition politicians and supporters, as well as threats and intimidation against civil society, media and human rights defenders, further restrict human rights and fundamental freedoms essential for an inclusive, transparent and genuine electoral process. It was illustrated by the revocation of the licence of the independent news outlet Voice of Democracy and the conviction of the opposition leader Kem Sokha, which effectively excludes him from political life. Recent restrictions imposed on the main opposition party, the Candlelight Party, excluding them from the elections, further restrict the right of political participation and deprives citizens of the right to freely choose their representatives. The EU continues to call on Cambodia to ensure conditions conducive to inclusive and credible elections in July 2023.
The EU takes note of Sri Lankan Government’s commitment to replace the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) with its broad powers, with a new law in line with international standards. The importance of bringing counter-terrorism legislation fully in line with international norms and standards cannot be over-stated. The EU strongly encourages a genuine consultation process taking into account concerns and recommendations provided by legal experts and civil society so that the PTA is finally replaced by a legislation ensuring that the rights of citizens are protected and respected, and calls on the authorities to refrain from using the PTA.
Finally, while the EU remains deeply concerned about Haiti’s deepening political, social and humanitarian crisis, the strength and violence of the armed gangs and the long-lasting difficulties faced by the State in restoring the rule of law, we welcome the appointment of the independent human rights expert by the High Commissioner, and we support the provision of technical assistance and capacity building by the OHCHR to improve the human rights situation in the country.