misclassified/meps_speeches huggingface dataset:
Violations of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2022-01-19

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Mr President, Chow Hang-tung was sentenced to 15 months’ prison in Hong Kong for organising an event to light candles on 4 June. Like her, so many activists and journalists fight to protect civil liberties in Hong Kong, but more and more of them end up in jail, they are being beaten up with no due process inside.
So dear colleagues, what we have here – the freedom to raise our voice freely – is quite a privilege. I truly believe that this privilege comes with a responsibility: to use this voice to support and protect those who fight for democracy and freedom.
Well, it’s not as easy as it is here. We need flexible visa schemes for these activists; we need to increase our pressure on China. But there’s one concrete thing we all need to do: as long as our democratic allies are in prison in Hong Kong, as long as Uyghurs keep disappearing in Xinjiang, and as long as people can’t even light candles in China, none of us should participate in a political show in which the Olympic flame is misused to cover up grave human rights abuses.
Dear colleagues, I can’t go to China anyway, because I’m under sanctions. Others are as well. But it needs more; it needs a very clear political message: a joint European political boycott of these 2022 Olympic Winter Games, and, Mr Commissioner, we have two more weeks to work on that one.
MeToo and harassment – the consequences for the EU institutions (continuation of debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2021-12-16

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Mr President, turning to my dear colleagues, especially those to my right, let me say I know it’s hard to be a man these days with all this uncertainty about what you can do, what you can say, where old school manners stop and harassment starts – but no need to panic; I’m going to womensplain a few things to you. 
One. Welcome to the club! Women have grown up policing their own behaviour for centuries – can I sit like this? Is my skirt too short? So what may feel like discrimination to you is actually just losing some privilege. Two. Sexual harassment, even if done unintentionally, is an abuse of power, so the powerful that we clearly are, we have to ask ourselves the question: do we want to use the power to intimidate and degrade, or to encourage and uplift those who do not have the privilege that we do? And three, as with all things in life, non-offensive behaviour can be learned. This is why this House offers anti-harassment training courses. This is why we should all do them mandatorily, including us as MEPs. I hope this was of some help.
Human rights violations by private military and security companies, particularly the Wagner Group
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2021-11-25

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, if private military and security companies behave like warlords, it’s time we treated them like warlords. The original job of these companies is actually to protect people and buildings, but what some do is smuggle arms, rape, torture, kill and do the dirty jobs for other governments. In return, they are allowed to use and to loot countries’ natural resources. The Wagner Group is present in this kind of business in half of Africa, rapidly expanding; new companies are mushrooming, and even private military and security companies (PMSCs) employed by Western governments have been involved in these kinds of crimes.
So it’s time that we got this under control. We have to sanction – and very thoroughly sanction – these PMSCs, but also those who contract them, for being involved in these kinds of human rights abuses. We should no longer support governments that rely on the services of PMSCs that commit human rights violations. Finally, we need to work on a very solid international framework that focuses on the accountability of these organisations and clearly restricts the legal tasks in which they are allowed to be involved.
The case of human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor in UAE
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2021-09-16

  Hannah Neumann,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, Ahmed Mansoor is so many things: he’s a father of four, he’s a poet, he’s an Emirati engineer, he’s a husband. This sounds like a rich and fulfilled life. But Ahmed Mansoor is also a prisoner. He’s serving a 10 year prison sentence because he was running an opposition blog, calling for human rights and political reform. And he’s by far not the only one in the United Arab Emirates who is behind bars because of his peaceful political engagement.
And it is by far not the first time that we are discussing this issue here in Parliament, that we call for the immediate and unconditional release of all those peaceful activists. But despite the many years of international calls for their release, the United Arab Emirates leadership has not moved an inch. 
Even worse, since the arrest, the second arrest, of Ahmed Mansoor in March 2017, he has been in solitary confinement. His wife has only been allowed to visit him a few times. This is unacceptable.
In early October, I will nevertheless be going to Dubai to visit the Expo. I will be speaking for the European Parliament. I will be discussing the EU Green Deal, and how we can work together to stop the climate crisis. And as much as such an engagement and cooperation on the side of climate is necessary, we cannot and should never remain silent on the human rights issues. This is why, with the same visit, I have put in a request to visit Ahmed Mansoor and other political detainees in the UAE prisons. 
As much as the Expo 2020 is an opportunity for the government, the leadership of the United Arab Emirates, to present itself as an international host and actor, it should extend the same courtesy and hospitality to its own citizens, including those that dare to be critical.
The Pegasus spyware scandal (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2021-09-15

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, this is my phone. I take it everywhere, apparently. I do 1 000 things with it, to a degree that sometimes my husband is even jealous about the intimate relationship the two of us are having. But now imagine your biggest enemy sits in this phone. The person now wants to know everything about your contacts, the person now wants to see you dead, and there’s nothing you can do about it because you don’t even know it. And that is what Pegasus is about. It’s about deliberately targeting human rights defenders. It’s about deliberately targeting EU citizens. It’s maybe about deliberately targeting one of us because of the human rights work we do. 
This is a whole industry gone rogue, in a deadly alliance with the worst dictators of this world, making human rights work impossible. The Commissioner had many nice words and strategies. First of all, it’s about enforcement. Second, Commissioner, this whole thing has a foreign policy and human rights dimension you haven’t even spoken about. We need a global ban on the export of these kinds of spyware and we need to ask tough questions of other governments, including those in Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Situation in Afghanistan (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2021-09-14

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, we made mistakes in Afghanistan in the last 20 years, but what we are doing right now is much worse. Two weeks ago, it was our ministers of home affairs who met and they didn’t pledge a single, a single resettlement place because they were afraid of bad opinion polls back home. 
Bad opinion polls, while the women are marching in the streets of Afghanistan, although they know they will be beaten up by Taliban. While our local partners are stuck in refugee camps in Pakistan, although we promised them safe passage. What we are doing right now is betraying the foundations on which our foreign policy is based: the trust of our local partners and our commitment to human rights. 
But there is a chance to get things right. Commissioner Johansson announced another resettlement conference and we need pledges in the tens of thousands. So every one of you who spoke about the protection of human rights and of activists today: as you walk out this room, pick up your phones, call your colleagues in the governments and make sure there will be substantial pledges. This one, it’s not about political power games and party politics. This one, it’s about responsibility.
The death penalty in Saudi Arabia, notably the cases of Mustafa Hashem al-Darwish and Abdullah al-Howaiti
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2021-07-08

  Hannah Neumann,  author. – Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, diplomatic engagement with Saudi Arabia is quite a tightrope walk. They have made progress on women’s rights and announced substantial legal reforms. That’s good news. But we also know that blatant human rights violations are still a reality. It’s a reality for most in prisons that their situation is very, very bleak and we describe it all in our resolution. 
But again, Saudi Arabia is a key regional player. We need to engage with Saudi Arabia, be it to improve security in the Middle East or to fight the climate crisis. Saudi Arabia made it quite clear they want to engage with us and we need and should engage with Saudi Arabia. But all of our actions need to be guided by three questions. 
How can we strengthen and support all those who want to change Saudi Arabia towards more human rights, more rule of law and eventually democracy? How can we contain and ostracise those responsible for human rights violations? And how can we make sure that European companies do not enable, or even worse, profit from the suffering of human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia? 
This is how we can have an impact as parliamentarians, as diplomats, as Team Europe, but often enough we are not using it. For many years, European companies have exported surveillance technology to Saudi Arabia that is used to track dissidents. Some Member States are still exporting arms to Saudi Arabia, despite the violations of humanitarian law that are committed with these weapons in Yemen. There are still no sanctions on those responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and political delegations shake hands and sign business deals without a word of support for those in prison. 
It is important to engage with Saudi Arabia and it is important to also name perpetrators, denounce oppressive structures and show solidarity with victims. We can do both. We should do both. And Charles Michel, I wish you a safe and successful trip to Saudi Arabia.
EU global human rights sanctions regime (EU Magnitsky Act) (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2021-07-06

  Hannah Neumann,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, dear colleagues, it has been quite a struggle, but now we have the EU global human rights sanctions regime. And you may have realised, especially with regards to China, it has created some effect and some impact. So I think it’s good that we finally debated it here in the European Parliament because it was actually the Parliament that initiated this mechanism. 
It is the Parliament that was mainly targeted by Chinese retaliation. And it’s the Parliament that we use to debate issues on human rights and EU foreign policy. So, Mr Logar, it may be the prerogative of the Council to decide on sanctions alone, but this is not how it should be. And this is part of our questions and our resolution as well, because at the moment we have an EU global human rights sanction regime where the European Parliament doesn’t have a say in it. 
So I think it’s good that, as a start, we agreed across all political parties that it’s time to establish a dedicated working group looking at the implementation of sanction regimes and making proposals for possible persons or organisations to be sanctioned. 
And I also call on the Council and Commission to reach out more strongly to civil society organisations, to journalists, to human rights defenders. They are our allies in the fight against human rights violations and I think they should also have a formal mechanism in which they can include their proposals, their ideas, their discussions into this mechanism, and not just random consultation whenever it pleases the Council and the Commission. 
That’s the second call. I think that is very important in our resolution. 
So after seven months of this mechanism, I think it’s good that we say congratulations, we have it and it has an impact. But I think now it’s time to join forces to make the best use of it. We here in the Parliament are ready. Civil society is ready and I have high trust in the Commission and the Council that they are equally willing to join forces with us to make the best use of this instrument.
The effects of climate change on human rights and the role of environmental defenders on this matter (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2021-05-18

  Hannah Neumann,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, a safe and a healthy environment is a human right and companies or governments that knowingly undermine this for economic profit or for short—sighted political gain need to be held accountable.
I know this sounds obvious, but there’s still a long way to go. I just have one example. An oil company in Ecuador needed to get rid of toxic wastewater from its drilling activities and they simply spilled it into rivers for decades. The people living in the region got seriously ill. Steven Donziger, a human rights lawyer, represented them in court. They won the court case in 2011 and you would think everything is good. Well, today, just 10 years later, Stephen Donziger has been under house arrest in the US for 600 days now because Chevron, the oil company, staged a revenge trial against him. The people in Ecuador are still suffering from the disease and Chevron didn’t even pay a single US dollar of the 10 billion fine that they were sentenced to in court.
And these are exactly the vicious circles that we need to break if we want to make climate protection and accountability a reality. In this report we clearly say what more the EU can do because an ambitious Green Deal is not going to be enough. We also need to protect the right to a safe and healthy environment globally and we need to support all those who defend it.
European Defence Fund (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2021-04-29

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Mr President, the defence budgets of the EU Member States are actually higher than their allocations to the EU budget, so if Member States want to develop arms together, they really should pool their national budgets. But apparently capitals decided to waste EUR 8 billion from our EU budget for subsidies for the arms industry, and my colleagues from the ECR, EPP and Renew groups are apparently just too happy to support that. 
The least we can do now is to make sure that the weapons that will be developed with this money do not end up in the hands of dictators. That, actually, is also your job, Mr Breton, because according to not much heard of Article 22(4) of the European Defence Fund regulation, the Commission has the right to object to the export of EDF research results to a third country, as no such export should contravene the security interests of the Union and its Member States. Or, in less technical terms, the Commission has a say in arms exports resulting from EDF-funded projects. That’s why it’s time that we set up an EU-level arms export control system the very same day we spend the first euro from EDF-funded money, because we have seen far too often in the past how national mechanisms of export control fail in cases of multinational armament projects.
Chinese countersanctions on EU entities and MEPs and MPs (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2021-04-28

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, first of all, I think we need to talk about language because these are not counter—sanctions. The European Union has sanctioned four Chinese human rights abusers. The Chinese have retaliated with sanctions on individual members of different parliaments – the whole Subcommittee on Human Rights, 27 Ambassadors and quite a number of think—tankers. This is a regime arbitrarily shooting a shotgun, targeting our freedom of expression, our freedom of research and our rights as Members of Parliament. 
So I think it is important, as a consequence, that we also are very clear in our response as the European Parliament as a whole. As members of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, we can no longer travel to China. We can also not invite experts on China to our committee because they would equally face sanctions, and we cannot rely on the work of think—tankers because they are banned from going to China. 
So, when it comes to the EU—China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) that China wants us to ratify, we may be able to discuss the economic dimension at length, but we are kept by China from discussing its effects on human rights. 
I am not willing to let a foreign country dictate to me how to do my job as a Member of Parliament, and I don’t think any one of us should accept that. I’m not sure if we are clear on that across the board. 
So, as long as any one of us is under sanctions, I think this Parliament should refuse to even start discussing the CAI, let alone ratify it, because our commitment to human rights, and our solidarity with the Uyghurs and the democratic movement in Hong Kong has to be more important than any potential economic effort or any potential economic benefit market access could have.
The human rights situation in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in particular the cases of death row inmates and human rights defenders
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2021-03-11

  Hannah Neumann,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, more than two thirds of the countries around the world have either abolished the death penalty or have a moratorium on it, and amongst them are countries like Morocco, Tunisia or Algeria, and until 2017, Bahrain was part of this group with a de facto moratorium on the death penalty and no executions.
But sadly, Bahrain left this coalition and so far, six people have been executed and dozens are on death row, like Mohamed Ramadan and Hussein Ali Moosa. They report, both of them, that they were tortured into confessions, and both of them are at imminent risk of execution.
This is a very dramatic situation and it is a clear violation of international human rights standards.
Dear colleagues, as the Chair of the Delegation to the Arabian Peninsula, I really don’t want the rulers of Bahrain to go down that road. I would actually rather like to see them living up to the statements that they make, describing Bahrain as a country that is ‘soon to be a champion of human rights’.
And that is why I reiterate our call, that we have made in this Parliament repeatedly, to the Bahraini authorities: halt all executions and go back to the moratorium of the death penalty.
The mass trials against the opposition and civil society in Cambodia
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2021-03-11

  Hannah Neumann,  author. – Madam President, the Prime Minister, Hun Sen, clearly misuses the COVID-19 pandemic to crack down on human rights and civil liberties in these countries. The recent mass trials against opposition and civil society are just the last step on a very dangerous path towards dictatorship.
In Cambodia, we are now looking at intimidation of environmental activists and restrictions of internet access, governmental censorship, violence against peaceful demonstrators and so much more. This is how the government undermines democracy and builds a breeding ground for fear and mistrust, and none of this is actually helpful to fight a pandemic. 
So, it is very much time that the Foreign Affairs Council sends a very clear signal to the leaders of Cambodia. Either they end all forms of harassment, repeal the long list of restrictive laws, and drop all charges against opposition, or they will have to face the consequences, including – and that is very important – targeted sanctions against Cambodian leaders and their egoistic economic interests.
The Syrian conflict – 10 years after the uprising (continuation of debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2021-03-09

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Mr President, the war in Syria has now lasted for ten years, the political process in Geneva is stuck and Mr Borrell has come here today to just read out a statement about how much money we have thrown at the problem. 
Mr Borrell, I really don’t think that’s enough. So, while listening to you and my colleagues, I drew up a list of things that we can actually do now. The first one is to finally use the political leverage that comes with all the money that we have spent. For that, we need a strategy. Our strategy comes from 2017, so maybe we should revise that. Then, continue the fight against impunity by supporting all the universal jurisdiction processes that are happening in the European Union, and make sure there are more of them. Repatriate European citizens from Al-Hol and Roj camp. Ease family reunification and resettlement. And, finally, please treat those in camps inside Europe with dignity. Support peaceful and democratic activists in exile, and ease the visa and protection mechanism for everyone who needs to get out. 
Mr Borrell, dear colleagues, that is the least we owe to the people who have stood up against Assad’s regime for the last ten years.
Challenges ahead for women’s rights: more than 25 years after the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (continuation of debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2021-02-10

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Mr President, I’m standing on the shoulders of giants today. Twenty—five years ago, the Beijing Declaration imagined a world in which women and girls could enjoy equal rights and enjoy fully human rights in all fields of life. 
But isn’t it strange that something as natural as this sounds like utopia today. Just one example: we may have doubled the number of women in Parliament in the last 25 years, but 90% of heads of governments are still men, and many of these 90% actually behave as if women fighting for parity were a threat to security. 
Well, if you are used to male privilege for centuries, equality may feel like discrimination. But let me tell you something, guys – it’s not. It is just women asking for their fair share and, believe me, we will continue to do so and we may even be a bit more vocal and a bit more assertive in the next 25 years. So you may do better just to join us in that fight!
Humanitarian and political situation in Yemen (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2021-02-09

  Hannah Neumann,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, Yemen is indeed the worst humanitarian crisis around the world and the people of Yemen are suffering in a way I think we can’t even imagine. But it’s also part of the story that this war is fought with weapons made in the European Union. The Eurofighter from Airbus is used to bomb hospitals in Yemen. French Mirage bombers are used by the United Arab Emirates to do exactly the same. Both airplanes are equipped with MK-80 bombs manufactured by RWM, the Italian subsidiary of German Rheinmetall. And the French company DCI is at this moment training Saudi soldiers on how to better launch rockets into Yemen. 
So we actually can do something as the European Union to stop this war. That’s why I think the message from our Parliament’s resolution needs to be crystal clear: no more weapons, no more spare parts, no more maintenance until the war in Yemen is over. And I want to say to Mr Borrell that I really hope that the message from the next Foreign Affairs Council will be just the same, because this is the only way we can build credibility, to put pressure on Iran and everyone else who wants to make money or politics with the suffering of the people in Yemen, to get out of this beautiful country and let the people of Yemen sort out their conflicts. 
And there’s actually a window of opportunity, and Mr Borrell, you mentioned that. The new US Administration is doing exactly this. They are working on a suspension of all arms deals to Saudi Arabia and the UAE and a diplomatic initiative, a new diplomatic initiative, to end the war in Yemen. I think that all of us in this room and beyond should do everything possible to make sure that the European Union picks up on this initiative, and to build a transatlantic alliance to stop the war in Yemen and the suffering of the people of Yemen.
Implementation of the Common Foreign and Security Policy - annual report 2020 - Implementation of the Common Security and Defence Policy - annual report 2020 - Human Rights and Democracy in the World and the EU policy on the matter - annual report 2019 (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2021-01-19

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, the discussion on the EU’s strategic autonomy gained quite some momentum last year, but sadly it was often those putting forward the term and the concept who were actually undermining the EU’s ability to act as a global player. How can we have an EU-led mission and a Berlin peace process for Libya while France continues unilaterally to support Haftar? How can the EU put pressure on Egypt for its human rights record, also against Giulio Regeni, when Italy sends more weapons than ever to el-Sisi? And how can the Council sanction Turkish officials for the escalation in the Mediterranean when Germany continues to send submarines to Erdoğan that may be turned against Greece?
Member States undermining European efforts by egoistic national deals and policies: that’s our biggest problem and that’s what needs to stop. So, from now on, I really want to see every Head of State who uses the term ‘strategic autonomy’ to clearly outline in which areas they are actually willing to delegate national sovereignty to European level; what they are doing to strengthen European capabilities to act; and what role they see for the European Parliament in all of this. Because what we need is the ability of the European Union to protect peace and human rights – at best with its partners, independently where necessary. But what we don’t need is another round of fuzzy concepts and inconsistent action by Member States.
(Applause)
The deteriorating situation of human rights in Egypt, in particular the case of the activists of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2020-12-17

  Hannah Neumann,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, dear colleagues, today, exactly 10 years ago, Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire starting what has long been called the Arab Spring, but was actually smashed with violence in so many places including in Egypt. In Egypt that is today run by a dictator – Mr Berg – a dictator that brands human rights’ defenders as terrorists, who puts people in jail for years for having not more than Whatsapp on their phones. And this dictator was received by President Emmanuel Macron last week who then officially announced that he will continue to supply this dictator with arms irrespective of his human rights record. 
Dear colleagues, that is carte blanche for Macron to do even worse and it is a slap in the face of each and every one who has been fighting for freedom and democracy in the Middle East for the last 10 years, because we all know the arms of France, the arms of Germany and of so many other countries, have been used against the protesters. I don’t want us to go down this road. That is why we need a real arms embargo. We need to suspend any budget support to this regime, and we need to see all the political prisoners freed.
Iran, in particular the case of 2012 Sakharov Prize laureate Nasrin Sotoudeh
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2020-12-17

  Hannah Neumann,  author. – Madam President, Nasrin Sotoudeh is a human rights lawyer. This means that she uses the laws of her country, Iran, to defend her clients, the people of Iran, against a regime that does not feel bound by any of these laws. The more Nasrin uses these laws, the more absurd become the charges of that regime. The latest one: 33 years and 148 lashes for defending women that took off their hijabs. 
Nasrin has now been 10 years in and out of prison in one of the countries with the cruellest prison conditions, amidst the raging COVID pandemic. Nasrin Sotoudeh really pays a high price for her love of the law and of the people of Iran. I’m full of admiration for this unbreakable woman and I think she rightfully deserved the Sakharov Prize from this Parliament. 
As you all know, Nasrin is not the only one. The regime’s repression got a lot crueller recently, with arrests and executions. Ruhollah Zam was executed last week, while Ahmadreza Djalali is threatened with execution, and no justice has been done for the thousands of protesters in the streets of Iran last year. 
That is why I think it’s so important that we send two clear signals today. One signal to the regime that if they continue like this they will be even more isolated and subject to targeted sanctions. And one signal to the brave Iranians, the vibrant and diverse civil society. You have our full solidarity, our full attention, our full support, as long as this is needed. Because, just like Nasrin, I hope that one day all the prisons of Iran will be turned into museums and parks. 
(Applause)
The need for a dedicated Council configuration on gender equality (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2020-12-16

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, I’m just sick and tired of this debate, because gender equality is one of our fundamental values – but in some sectors we are at the moment even moving backwards. In national parliaments across the EU, gender equality would take an average of 60 – six zero – years if you continue at the current speed. I will be dead by then, my children will be retired and we would have lost another two generations, and that is why we really need to get things moving. But Member States, and even those praising themselves for being very progressive, block major steps ahead, and yes, the German Government is part of this, with the Gender Balance on Boards Directive, for example. And that’s why it’s time for us to have this Council configuration, to ensure that we finally get gender mainstreaming across all sectors in all EU Member States. Dear colleagues, gender equality is not the cherry on top of the cake. It’s the cake.
(Applause)
The geopolitical implications of the Abraham Accords in the Middle East region (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2020-11-24

  Hannah Neumann,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have opened diplomatic relations with Israel. Yesterday, Benjamin Netanyahu – though not officially confirmed – visited Saudi Arabia. In a region that has been suffering from conflict and confrontation for decades, such a dialogue between former antagonists is a good sign, and yes, this region really needs such good signs. 
Therefore, one could actually wholeheartedly welcome the Abraham Accords if – and that’s the thing – they would live up to their stated goal to build peace. But – and that is also true, Mr White – recent developments are worrisome. The UAE has advanced a major arms deal with the USA as part of the bargain, as if we needed more weapons in the Middle East. Israel has stepped up its settlement policy against Palestinians and the human rights violations in Bahrain continue rather unnoticed.
So a deal that only serves to build alliances against other neighbours or to arm the region even further is neither going to build peace, nor should it be supported by the European Union. But, on the other hand, every step that the UAE, Israel, Bahrain and hopefully many, many others take towards de-escalation and peace should have our full support. 
So, very much in line with what you said, Mr Borrell, I think it’s time for a reality check. Let’s take the signatories at their word and use the new regional dynamic and the change in the US administration to initiate a new EU-led initiative to work towards an inclusive Israeli and Palestinian peace deal.
The fight against impunity for crimes committed against journalists around the world (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2020-11-24

  Hannah Neumann,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, journalists expose what others want to conceal. They shed light on situations that others want to keep in the dark. So a climate of impunity for crimes against journalism is as if we switch that light off and wander in darkness.
But it doesn’t always need a murder to silence a journalist’s voice. Authoritarian, and sadly even some democratic, regimes and governments have found other ways to muzzle media freedom. They are silencing journalists by anti-terror laws in the Philippines, by state interference in corona coverage in Tajikistan, or by the denial of permits and the withdrawal of accreditations, as in Belarus. These crimes may not be as obvious as killings, but the effects are very much the same: killing the freedom of the press, depriving people of their right to information and silencing critical voice after critical voice.
That is why I want our EU institutions and each and every one of our Member States to make sure that there is no impunity and no way for these governments to get away with these laws and restrictions. Commissioner, support is good, but I also want to see severe consequences if support is not changing anything. I want to see that within Europe and in each and every corner of this world.
Gender Equality in EU’s foreign and security policy (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2020-10-22

  Hannah Neumann,  rapporteur for the opinion of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. – Mr President, when Operation Sophia, the one that was actually still allowed to do search and rescue in the Mediterranean, was launched in 2015, there were long discussions about the operation plans because it was different, a new mission. Most of the discussion was about what kind of weapons this mission would need to overpower people on the boats and what kind of specific training to do that. At some point, it was a woman who asked about sanitary napkins and diapers because there would be women and small children on the boats and they would be on the ships with us for quite some days. In the end, the sanitary napkins and the diapers were used much more than the weapons.
This example just shows how more diversity leads to better decisions and, yes, sometimes it is that stereotypical. The same is true when we speak about peace negotiations because peace deals last longer if women are involved, because societies are more peaceful if they are gender equal, but still to this day negotiation tables and the whole field of peace and security is a male domain. I can’t even remember how many rooms I walked into in the last 15 years where I was the only woman, either being ignored or stared at curiously. 
That’s why we dedicated large parts of this report to our own EU institutions and our own EU budget because there we actually have 100% of the power to change it and no excuses. That’s why we ask for 50% of women in CSDP missions in our own services. That’s why we want a specific part of the foreign budget to go into projects that empower women and girls to claim their spot because they know how it works.
There was an amazing spirit during our negotiations in the committee because I think we all agree that we want an EU foreign policy that is for everybody. But now it’s time to change the reality out there and to really speed things up on women, peace and security. That’s why, Ms Urpilainen, but also Mr Borrell and the whole Commission, you had better come up with an ambitious gender action plan towards the end of this year.
Situation in Iran (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2020-10-07

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, we have talked for nearly an hour now about the threats to the JCPOA, about global power dynamics, about national repression. While all of this is true and very frustrating, there is also hope in Iran.
There were massive protests of young people last year in the streets, taking their claims to the streets. Just a few weeks ago, women of Iran have started a ‘Me Too’ movement. There is even a ‘Fight for the Future’ group in the country. Young people in Iran are not living on a different planet. They are part of global movements, and they challenge the regime. Yes, they have to face crackdowns, oppression, repression, torture. They are in prison, some of them are executed. But they are coming back again, and again, and again. And the old ones who have gone through this for decades and decades have not stopped.
As long as people in Iran still have the courage to face this regime, it is our duty to support their cause and protect them. And while it is so important that the EU engages in regional dynamics, as Reinhard Bütikofer said, we can only do so if we also manage to engage the people that suffer under the various regimes in the region.
The situation in the Philippines, including the case of Maria Ressa
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2020-09-17

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, I think we have the wrong order because I was actually the one negotiating these resolutions. There must be a mistake, but if the author gets the first word that should be me.
The situation in the Philippines, including the case of Maria Ressa
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2020-09-17

  Hannah Neumann,  author. – Madam President, before the summer I spoke to Maria Ressa. She had just lost a made-up case, and I was so worried about the human rights situation in the Philippines. 
I said Maria, what can we do as the international community? She said ‘democracy dies in darkness so you should is shed light on the situation’. That is exactly why we are having this debate today and that’s why I’m happy to see you here Ms Urpilainen.
But someone is missing, and that’s our new trade commissioner Mr Dombrovskis, because as the European Union we don’t have that many tools to protect human rights and democracy, and maybe our trade policy is the strongest one.
But Duterte, the president of the Philippines, who is encouraging his own services to kill tens of thousands of people, still enjoys EU trade privileges the under the GSP Plus scheme that are supposedly linked to improvements in human rights. 
The situation is just getting worse, and that’s why I’m so happy that across all political parties in this resolution we call on the Commission to start the procedure to revoke these privileges immediately and – to be frank – by immediately, we mean by Monday.
Arms export: implementation of Common Position 2008/944/CFSP (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2020-09-14

  Hannah Neumann,  rapporteur. – Madam President, we reached a lot with this report and I would be very happy if we could confirm our many forward-looking proposals in the final version on Wednesday. But let’s not stop halfway. If we want the EU to play a role in this world in chaos, and if we want to build a true European defence union, we need to join in arms production, but we also need to join in oversight and arms export control. Et je comprends bien que ce sujet est une prérogative nationale, oui, but there is one thing that this European project has taught us: no one is going to come, Mr Borrell, and give this European Union and this Commission any competences all by themselves, and no one is going to come and offer this Parliament any rights for scrutiny, oversight or control. If we do not claim it and fight for it, it’s not going to happen. 
And that’s why I call on all pro-European parties in this House – and I deliberately include PPE and Renew in this one – to vote tomorrow for Amendment 19; to vote for Amendment 19 that calls on the Member States and Commission to translate the Common Position on EU arms export, the Common Position that was reaffirmed by all 27 Member States one year ago, to transfer this Common Position into EU law. And to do it, to finish what we started, and make sure that the European Union can really control where EU arms, arms produced inside the EU, end up in this world in chaos.
The 2019 Human Rights Annual report - Stability and Security in the Mediterranean and the negative role of Turkey - Situation in Belarus (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2020-07-09

  Hannah Neumann,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, we stood here in January this year, and in Parliament’s resolution on the 2018 annual report we called on the Council and the Commission to establish a coordinated procedure for granting visas to human rights defenders. And now I’m standing here again: nothing happened. Even worse, when I asked the Commission about it this March, I received the following answer: the Commission is, and I quote, ‘not aware of systemic problems faced by human rights defenders fulfilling the necessary entry conditions in being granted short-stay visas’. Seriously?
Özgür Gür was supposed to speak at a round table at Parliament on 15 October last year. He’s a 25-year-old LGBTI activist. He applied for a Schengen visa with the Belgian embassy. The MEP hosting the event even called the embassy. Still he didn’t receive a visa. Tomorrow, Özgür Gür is facing trial in Turkey for organising a non-violent protest for LGBTI rights.
There are so many more people like Özgür Gür, because to get a visa, you should be married, have a proper job, a regular income, you should not have been in prison or in conflict with state authorities. Well, human rights defenders living in oppressive countries can rarely fulfil these criteria, precisely because of the work they do, because of the work we ask them to do and we encourage them to do. And then the Commission speaks of no systemic problems?
Mr Borrell, you know this as much as I do. Human rights defenders are our partners. Without them, we can do nothing when it comes to promoting human rights globally, and their space is shrinking. And now our own visa policies are shrinking their space even more. So I really urge you to get together with Commissioner Johansson to stop this injustice and adapt the Visa Handbook, to make sure that they can travel and network and go to conferences. Because our role as the European Union is to support and protect those fighting for democracy and human rights, and not to make their lives even more difficult.
Foreign policy consequences of the COVID-19 crisis - The PRC national security law for Hong Kong and the need for the EU to defend Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy - The EU's response to the possible Israeli annexation in the West Bank (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2020-06-18

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Mr President, Mr Borrell, dear colleagues, we have focused our efforts on the COVID-19 pandemic as a health crisis in recent months. But in its shadow a human rights crisis is unfolding and this human rights crisis is making the health emergency even worse. 
If regimes attack and kidnap journalists who report on the pandemic, it doesn’t stop the virus, it just spreads disinformation and mistrust.
If regimes use corona funds to buy weapons for their police to enforce lockdowns, it doesn’t stop the virus. It only spreads fear and death. 
Of course, restrictions to individual freedoms are necessary to fight the pandemic, but each and every restriction needs to be proportionate. It needs to be clearly linked to the health emergency and above all, people have to be allowed to debate them and often they are not. 
So, to fight the COVID-19 crisis globally, we need to tackle both the health emergency and the human rights crisis. We need to monitor the spread of the disease and the human rights violations. We need to investigate deaths and human rights violations. We need to protect our doctors and our human rights defenders.
Mr Borrell, it’s not just about millions. Team Europe needs to become Team Human Rights. And while I applaud your efforts in this regard, and you have spoken up strongly, I really think that we need to step up our actions on this one as well, looking at the world of today.
Gender Equality Strategy (debate)
Speaker: Hannah NEUMANN (Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance / Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Date: 2020-02-12

  Hannah Neumann (Verts/ALE).   – Frau Präsidentin! Frau Dalli, ich freue mich sehr, dass wir jetzt mit so viel Energie in diesen Prozess der Strategie starten, und ich freue mich auch, dass unsere Parlamentsentschließung, über die wir morgen abstimmen, eine starke außenpolitische Dimension hat. Denn zum einen macht Solidarität uns Frauen stark, und zum anderen haben wir in so vielen Friedensverhandlungen gesehen, und das ist auch wissenschaftlich bewiesen: Je mehr Frauen am Verhandlungstisch sitzen, umso länger hält der Frieden. Ich finde es gleichzeitig wichtig, dass wir uns auch an unsere eigene Nase fassen. Mir ist es oft wirklich hochnotpeinlich, wenn wir mit EP-Delegationen ins Ausland reisen, und da sind nur Männer; wenn unser Europäischer Auswärtiger Dienst in den Krisenregionen keine einzige Botschaft hat, die von einer Frau geführt wird. Ich würde mich einfach sehr freuen, wenn wir in dieser Strategie nicht nur innenpolitisch rangehen und nicht nur mit dem Finger auf andere zeigen, sondern uns auch wirklich an unsere eigene Nase fassen und unsere eigenen Strukturen da nochmal angucken. Da haben Sie, glaube ich, in uns Grünen eine starke Unterstützerin, aber nicht nur da. Mutig voran! Das wäre sehr schön.