Statements and opinions

This section reflects on the statements and initiatives submitted in English or other languages. For more statements and opinions published in Czech only, please see the Czech version of the website.

  • DEMAS together with other 11 signatories joint the letter on China ahead of European Council. The letter urge European Council to keep human rights at the core of EU relations with China. The letter is available here.
  • DEMAS together with 230 civil society organisations have come together to express concern and opposition to a proposed ‘foreign interference’ directive within the European Commission’s upcoming Defence of Democracy package. The full open letter is available on the European Civic Forum website.
  • The DEMAS Association issued a statement to express its gravest concern over the latest prosecution of the EU – Russia Civil Society Forum. Read the full statement here.
  • DEMAS together with other 33 civil society organizations signed the joint statement on the European Commission’s 2023 Rule of Law Report. The statement can be found here.
  • DEMAS together with other 43 journalists, press freedom, civil society and digital rights groups, signed the joint letter to Parliament in order to reiterate full support for a strengthened and timely European Media Freedom Act. Read the full letter here.
  • Demas joint the Joint NGO Letter to the European Parliament to express concerns over the Decision on 500-Word Limit for Urgency Resolution. Full letter is available on the HRDN website.
  • Demas joint the Joint NGO Letter to the European Parliament on Proposals to Halt Human Rights Activities in order to express concerns over debates and proposals to freeze all activities of the European Parliament’s Human Rights Subcommittee (DROI). Full letter is available on the HRDN website.
  • DEMAS supports the Open letter to Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjur. The letter calls on the Minister to stand up in The Economic and Financial Affairs Council for the use of the regulation on conditionality of financial support as a tool to protect the rule of law and the EU budget and to negotiate measures that are in line with the position of the European Commission. The full letter is available online here.
  • DEMAS joins other 33 civil society organizations in open letter to voice deep concern regarding the Czech Presidency’s compromise text on the Regulation on the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (COM(2021)0731) and the risks that it poses to democracy and fundamental rights in Europe. The open letter can be found here in the English version.
  • NGO insfrastructure NeoN, of which DEMAS is member, joined an act of solidarity expression with all victims of the conflict in Ukraine, and with Russian and Ukrainian civil societies by coalitions from seven European countries under the umbrella of the VoxPublic network.
  • DEMAS supports the Open appeal to UN Member States to ensure the adoption of a resolution creating an investigative mechanism on Afghanistan at the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). The appeal was initiated by a coalition of Amnesty International, Global Centre for R2P, HRW, ICJ and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, together with the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. Full version is availale on the Global Centre for R2P or FIDH websites.
  • Belarus: Global letter in solidarity with the Belarusian civil society: DEMAS joins other 160 human rights organizations in a demand to end the repression against the Human Rights Center Viasna and all other human rights defenders in Belarus. We condemn the systematic arbitrary arrests, beatings and acts of torture they are subjected to. Despite all-out repression by the Belarusian authorities, human rights defenders in Belarus continue to strive to protect human rights. Inspired by their courage, we will not stop fighting until they are all released and able to continue their human rights work freely and unhindered.
  • DEMAS supports the recommendations  by the Human Rights and Democracy  Network’s Funding Working Group issued in June 2021 on the EU Delegated Regulation on Global Europe programming, aiming at making the geographic Global Europe programmes deliver on sustainable development and EU strategic objectives: 1. Maintain the 15% target for human rights and democracy in geographic programming, 2. Support democracy and human rights as a priority in all regions.
  • DEMAS supports the Inputs to the implementation modalities of the Human Rights and Democracy Pillar of the NDICI issued by the Human Rights and Democracy  Network’s Funding Working Group in May 2021.
  • DEMAS supports recommendations by the Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN) for the revision of EU guidelines on human rights dialogues with third countries submitted in December 2020.
  • DEMAS supports a joint contribution of the Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN) Working Group on Funding for Human Rights and Democracy  to the CSO consultation on the thematic civil society programme.
  • Global crises demand strengthened cooperation and solidarity: DEMAS supports the statement of Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN) and other 8 networks, civil society organizations and CSOs calling on decision-makers to reverse deep cuts agreed to the EU’s external action instruments.
  • DEMAS supports HRDN letter to European Parliament which appeals to increasing the resources of the thematic pillar in the NDICI (The Neighborhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument) in the new  Multiannual Financial Framework.
  • DEMAS supports a joint statement with 5 demands for the European Democracy Action Plan which was drafted and endorsed by a coalition of 46 organisations working on democracy, human rights, media and the rule of law in Europe. Coordinated by the European Partnership for Democracy, they demand the European Democracy Action Plan to be ambitious and comprehensive in scope, and implemented in an inclusive multi-stakeholder manner using all the tools the European Commission has at its disposal. For more inputs on the vision of the European democracy action plan, please see A comprehensive plan to innovate democracy in Europe.
  • DEMAS supports the Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN) Letter addressed to the European Council on 19 June 2020. The letter submits recommendations on Heading VI (Neighbourhood and the World) of the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the external aspects of the Next Generation EU 2021-2024.
  • DEMAS joins CSOs Open Letter to European and national leaders, initiated by European Civic Forum. The letter reminds key European stakeholders of the key role of civil society in democracy’s infrastructure and of the fact that the civil society’s critical role is not adequately reflected in the draft budget. You can find the full text of the open letter on the European Civic Forum webpage.
  • DEMAS Assotiation joins the Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN) statement on the proposed Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2024. HRDN network welcomed the European Union’s attention and commitment to promoting the protection of human rights and democracy in its foreign policy. However, it made a number of recommendations and comments on the current wording of the proposed action plan, which were submitted to the relevant EU Council working groups. You can find the full text of the statement on the HRDN website.
  • DEMAS supports Memorandum on restoring participation of the Russian delegation in the sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Signatories of the Memorandum – Members of the Steering Committee of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, Human Rights and Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (UHHRU) and DEMAS – call on the human rights and other civil society organisations of all Council of Europe’s countries, including the Russian civil society, to start an international NGO coalition whose aim is to uphold democratic values – and unite efforts to counter actions of international and EU institutions, which might pose a threat to democracy and security in Europe, as well as turn a blind eye to the violation of the principle of territorial integrity and human rights by the Russian Federation.
  • DEMAS joins the call initiated by Human Rights Watch to deny Venezuela’s bid to gain a seat in the UN Human Rights Council, which is subject of vote on 17 October, 2019. The whole text of the pledge and list of signatories can be found here.
  • DEMAS joins ’5 recommendations for EU leadership on democracy’ initiated by the European Partnership on Democracy. The statement calls on the new European Commission (including the High Representative), the new European Parliament as well as European governments to undertake the 5 following actions: 1. Prioritize democracy, 2. Develop a democracy support policy, 3. Define democracy support, 4. Adapt funding rules to democratisation, 5. Put people on democracy.
  • DEMAS joins the statement of the Human Rights and Democracy Network, HRDN How to make the European Parliament a more visible, consistent and coherent actor in defending human rights and democracy worldwide’. ’Following the European Parliament elections, new members will take their seats within different parliamentary Committees. The Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN) believes that this is a timely moment to share recommendations, which would ensure that the European Parliament (EP) will be an important actor in defending democratic governance and human rights worldwide, notably through its Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI). With the backlash against human rights, the shrinking space for civil society and attacks on human rights defenders in many countries, the EP must be more efficient than ever in defending EU values.’
  • DEMAS supports Recommendations of the Human Rights and Democracy Network – HRDN – for a new EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy. ’At a time when human rights and democracy are under threat globally, when civil and political rights are in decline, when international institutions and laws are directly attacked by some governments, the EU should assert itself as a key actor to protect, promote and fulfil human rights and fundamental freedoms. HRDN reiterates its call for the EU and its Member States to be at the forefront of the international community in acting and speaking out against human rights violations, international crimes and disrespect for humanitarian law whenever and wherever they occur’.
  • Human Rights and Democracy Network, of which DEMAS is a member, organize “Free and Fair Europe” campaign. The initiative aims to reach candidates for the European Parliament in the May elections and to ask them to uphold the EU’s founding values – respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law and respect for human rights.
  • Promoting Human Rights and Democracy in the next EU Multi-annual Financial Framework. The 51 member organisations of the Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN) consider that the European Union’s commitments spelt out in Article 2 and 21 of the Treaty remain fully relevant. The EU institutions and its member states must guide the negotiations of the future Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) in a direction that reinforces human rights through the EU’s internal and external financial instruments.
  • Joint Position of the European Networks on Multi-annual Financial Framework 2021. On 20 February, European civil society networks CONCORD, EPLO, HRDN, and VOICE sent a joint letter to the European Heads of the State ahead of the Informal Meeting on 23 February 2018.
  • DEMAS joins the letter of the HRDN network addressed to the European Parliament President Martin Schulz. In this letter, HRDN organisations welcomes the EP decision to place the cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
  • DEMAS supports the HRDN (Human Rights and Democracy Network) statement ’Human rights should underpin the new EU Global Strategy which pleads for the need of grounding the EU Global Strategy on human rights commitments.
  • DEMAS supports HRDN (Human Rights and Democracy Network) statement on the Council Conclusions on the action plan on human rights and democracy 2015 – 2019 entitled From words to action: Time for EU leadership to walk the talk on Human Rights and Democracy’.
  • DEMAS joins the HRDN statement ’The EU Strategic Framework and Action Plan on Human rights and Democracy: Time for more collective political ambition’. The statement was issued on the second anniversary of announcement of the EU Strategic Framework and Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy.

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