On Wednesday 12 April, EU Special Representative for Human Rights Stavos Lambrinidis reiterated that while the fight against terrorism was essential, it should not provoke violations of human rights.
"Terrorism must be fought, that's essential (...) but it cannot mean stifling human rights advocates. That does not help security", Lambrinidis told the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee, taking Egypt as an example.
He said that in accordance with the EU's comprehensive strategy, "the focus must be on the threats to terrorism used by certain governments to justify extremely serious violations", and added that the issue of security was used to justify the violation of certain human rights, such as imprisoning human rights campaigners who are critical but not dangerous.
As is the case for development, the term sustainable needs to be associated with security, Lambrinidis stated. "There are people in prison for their beliefs, their political disagreement, their peaceful campaigning. These voices do not seem to have any place any more in the context of the fight against terrorism. We put peaceful people in prison and as a result we radicalise the population, we make it angry and we risk strengthening the risks to security", he said, stating that in fostering human rights the EU fosters stability.
More generally, Lambrinidis thought that 2016 and early 2017 had been "very difficult times for human rights". In his view, countries that have violated human rights are more organised and try to be more offensive than defensive, "to export harmful practices". "These countries use arguments such as 'nobody is perfect' concerning human rights, not to meet their requirements, but to violate human rights and say that these rights are futile", he added.
Lambrinidis stated that the EU should build "intelligent" alliances with countries that are not necessarily of strategic importance for the EU, so as to identify good practices on human rights and to try to help them. "The work of the EU must continue. Human rights violations must be identified and criticised. It is important to get practices changed", he said. Lambrinidis also stated that the goal is to get third countries to take ownership of the idea of human rights, which is a universal value, and not only a European one. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)