💙 Human Rights Defenders are our natural allies in the fight for #HumanRights, the rule of law, 🌳🌿 climate protection & democracy all over the 🌍.
What can 🇪🇺 do to support + protect them?
This is what my report is about: It will be debated in plenary today.
A 🧵 thread (1/12)
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/HNeumannMEP/status/1635923888713478147
‼️ #HRDs are often not safe. They & their families are
🛑 intimidated
🛑 subjected to smear campaigns
🛑 imprisoned on trumped-up charges and even
🛑 murdered.
My report looks at the implementation of the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders.
Its main demands:
(2/12)
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/HNeumannMEP/status/1635923892568047618
✅ Work together as 🇪🇺:
▶️ EU institutions & member states acting in concert can save lives and change structures. See e.g. #DefendamosLaVida run by the EU delegations in 🇨🇴 / 🇲🇽 and representations of 19 EU member states in these countries.
https://bit.ly/Defendamos_la_vida
(3/12)
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/HNeumannMEP/status/1635923895734632455
✅ More prevention - not just reaction
▶️ HRDs should get 🇪🇺 assistance before receiving concrete threats
Steps to take e.g.
- align EU external action with EU action to protect HRDs
- strengthen domestic legislation & policies on HRDs, see: https://bit.ly/Model_law
(4/12)
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/HNeumannMEP/status/1635923898733584385
✅ A broader concept of #HumanRightsDefenders
▶️ Land & indigenous rights defenders and environmentalists should also receive protection and support; they are increasingly under attack.
See e.g. this @guardian article on a @Global_Witness report:
https://bit.ly/Environmental_Defenders
(5/12)
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/HNeumannMEP/status/1635923900881154048
✅ Better protection specifically for women and members of the LGBTQ+ community
▶️ They are under threat everywhere in the 🌏:
- Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer in #Iran, who i.a. stands up for women who peacefully protest against the mandatory veil
https://bit.ly/Nasrin-Sotoudeh
(6/12)
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/HNeumannMEP/status/1635923903313854466
- Amazonian Women collective members @pumahuarmi, Nema Grefa, Salomé Aranda & Margoth Escobar. The collective has been calling on the 🇪🇨 State to stop oil and mining companies from operating on their communities’ ancestral territories:
https://bit.ly/Amazonian_Women
@AmnestyEU
(7/12)
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/HNeumannMEP/status/1635923905494777863
✅ Better protection for HRD’s families & communities, who are often attacked to prevent #HRDs from speaking up
An example is @Sultanakhayya1. Moroccan security agents raided her house and physically assaulted her, her sister & other family members:
https://bit.ly/SultanaKhaya
(9/12)
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/HNeumannMEP/status/1635923910364389384
✅ Easier access to visas for #HRDs ...
▶️ ... e.g. for cases of acute or permanent threat, and to attend conferences / trainings in the EU.
See also the call of 50 civil society organisations: https://bit.ly/EU_Visa and the @EP_ThinkTank study: https://bit.ly/Study_EP_ThinkTank
(10/12)
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/HNeumannMEP/status/1635923912465829888
... you can find more information about Human Rights Defenders' work in the last 25 years in this @UN report initiated by @MaryLawlorhrds: She will speak about it at the @UN_HRC today!
(11/12)
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/HNeumannMEP/status/1635923914885824513
❗️️Debate tonight, votes tomorrow
... btw did you know the @boell_gr toolkit on "Legal means and advocacy tools for criminalised Human Rights Defenders in Europe"?
You can have a look here:
https://bit.ly/Criminalised_solidarity
@boell_eu @Border_Violence
(12/12)
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/HNeumannMEP/status/1635923917326938114
And a special Thank You goes out to my amazing shadows:
@JaninaOchojska
@rglucks1
@katka_cseh
@MiguelUrban
@Assita_Kanko
🙏
Team Work across political parties is what made this report so strong.
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/HNeumannMEP/status/1635937885806264323
Turkish LGBTI activist Özgür Gür @ozgurgurgurgur who organised a pride sit-in at university in 2019 together with other students & a teacher; the police used excessive force incl. tear gas against the protesters.
The teacher + students were acquitted in a subsequent trial.
(8/12)
🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/HNeumannMEP/status/1635923908208541696