The European Union has a new sanctions regime for serious human rights violations. But unanimity is required to punish an author.
Photo d’illustration.
KEYSTONE
The EU on Monday acquired the capacity to sanction perpetrators of “serious human rights violations” around the world, but decisions will have to be taken unanimously by member states.
Foreign ministers on Monday approved a “European Union Action Plan for Human Rights and Democracy” and this new framework of sanctions could be used in cases of torture, slavery or systematic sexual violence, for example, said delegations.
But these must be “serious violations” and this judgment is left to the discretion of the member states.
Entry ban into the EU
Those responsible will be penalized with bans on entry into the EU and the freezing of their assets in Europe, as with all sanction regimes in force in the EU.
The framework for sanctions against those guilty of human rights violations is global in scope. People or entities found guilty of serious human rights violations can be prosecuted and punished wherever they are in the world.
Currently, the EU has country-specific sanctions regimes, such as those for Belarus or Russia, and three specific regimes to sanction the use of chemical weapons, cyber-attacks and terrorism.
The poisoning of A. Navalny
Eight close associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin, accused by the EU of being involved in the poisoning in Russia of Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny, were sanctioned on October 15 in connection with the chemical weapons regime. Their names have been placed on a list which also includes Syrians guilty of the same offenses.
The human rights regime is a new specific regime. But the Member States have limited the initial ambitions of the Commission and the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell.
The abandonment of the unanimity rule, defended by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to facilitate and accelerate decision-making, was notably refused.
“The rule that has prevailed for a number of years with regard to the adoption of sanctions has been the practice of unanimity. There is no change from this practice ”, explained the representatives of the member states.
The new regime is “not a copy of the Magnitsky law”, (Magnitsky Act adopted in 2012 in the United States “to fight against impunity at the international level), and the idea of giving it the name of the Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny, launched by Josep Borrell before the European Parliament, was rejected.
“We hope that this new regime can in the future be extended to acts of corruption” such as the “Global Magnitsky Act”, said Lithuanian Minister Linas Linkevicius.
Turkey warned?
Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn considered that the adoption of the new sanctions regime could be seen as a “warning” to Turkey in a statement before the start of the meeting.
His German counterpart Heiko Maas (SPD) welcomed this initiative: “those who torture or are responsible for trafficking in human beings should no longer be able to shop in Europe without worrying in the future”.
The new EU sanctions framework is valid for three years and must then be extended.
Posted today at 2:05 p.m.-
