During the ALDE Party Council 2022 in Bratislava, delegates voted to adopt 15 resolutions covering some of today’s most pressing issues such as: justice for Ukrainian citizens affected by Putin’s invasion, protection of LGBTIQ+ rights, action against human rights abuses in China, Iran, and Russia, and much more.

Justice for Ukrainian citizens severely affected by Putin’s war

On 24 February, the Russian Federation commenced a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, accompanied by systematic attacks and massive atrocities against civilian targets. The number of documented war crimes, among them sexual violence, in Ukraine is nearing 40,000 and is expected to increase. The World Bank has estimated the cost of the reconstruction of Ukrainian infrastructure to be at least $349 billion.

Ukraine’s population deserves justice. The ALDE Party Council approved a resolution to demand justice, rehabilitation, and compensation for the victims of wartime sexual violence in Ukraine and another one to start using seized Russian assets for the reconstruction of Ukraine.  

In these resolutions, ALDE Party called for its member organisations to influence national governments of EU Member States to bring Russia to justice for sexual and gender-based violence committed against Ukrainians, cooperate on efforts to establish programmes for rehabilitation, support, and compensation for victims of wartime sexual violence, and to establish legal mechanisms to use seized Russian assets for the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine.

Guarantee equal rights for LGBTIQ+ community across Europe and beyond

Hosting the World Cup in Qatar has caused major controversies across the sporting world and highlighted the lack of human rights for the LGBTIQ+ community, women and migrant communities in the country.

The brutal murder of two gay men in Bratislava on 12 October has also shed light on the widespread verbal and physical attacks against the LGBTIQ+ community in Europe, and the resulting queerphobic campaigns against the LGBTIQ+ community by politicians in Slovakia and beyond.

During the Council, delegates approved a resolution on condemning FIFA for reversing commitments for LGBTQI+ inclusion and another one to work on the guarantee of equal rights for LGBTIQ+ community across Europe.

In these resolutions, Europe’s liberals call for European states and their sport committees not to support any future hosting bid of countries that do not respect the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and uphold laws recognising the existence of same-sex relationships and rainbow families and ensure their freedom and safety, among other things.

Act against human rights abuses in China, Iran, and Russia

In late November 2022, thousands of people joined protests in cities across China, in an unprecedented challenge to leader Xi Jinping's zero-COVID policy. The Chinese authorities moved quickly to suppress demonstrations, deploying police forces at key protest sites and tightening online censorship.

After the death of Mahsa Amini following her arrest by the Iranian morality police, a wave of protests for women's rights, freedom and democracy were launched in the country. However, at least 416 people have been killed by the regime’s security forces since the protest started in September.

In the Russian Federation, persecution, intimidation and repression against dissenting politicians, activists, journalists and nonpartisan citizens publicly opposing and criticising the policies of the government, especially the war in Ukraine, have reached a massive scale. Fines for exercising free speech have become a daily occurrence and many of the dissenting have been ousted out from the country or are under arrest.

During the Council, three resolutions were approved on these human rights abuses. One on the recent protest and human rights situation in China, another on the situation in Iran and another calling for freedom for Russian political prisoners. 

In these resolutions, ALDE Party calls on the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European Council and EU Member States to: put into force stronger economic pressure on those responsible for the repression in China if it continues and give further support to Chinese opposition politicians, to summon Iranian ambassadors to demand an end to violence against protesters and impose stricter sanctions against the Iranian regime, and demand the Russian Federation stops the persecution and repression against all the dissenting, among other things.

Other resolutions were also approved, covering topics such as European security, hate crime in Europe, the expansion of the Schengen Area and protecting civil rights.

You can read all the resolutions adopted by the ALDE Party Council 2022 in Bratislava here