THE PP SUCCEEDS IN GETTING THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO DEMAND IN THE VICTIMS’ DIRECTIVE THAT MEMBER STATES PREVENT TRIBUTES TO TERRORISTS
The European Parliament approved last March 14, in the Joint Committee on Civil Liberties and Women, its proposal for the victims’ directive, which requires Member States to prevent the glorification of terrorist crimes and pay tribute to terrorists thanks to the initiative of the People’s Party.
This is because the approved text includes a new article entitled “Right to the protection of the dignity of victims”, which has been promoted by the PP MEP and co-rapporteur of the European Parliament for this directive Javier Zarzalejos.
The article states that “in order to protect the dignity of victims and relatives, as enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights, Member States shall take appropriate measures to protect them from secondary and repeat victimization by preventing the glorification of a specific crime or by paying tribute to convicted offenders where this would deprive victims of their dignity.”
After the approval, Zarzalejos celebrated this milestone achieved in the European Parliament, since from the PP “we have been defending that the revision of the Victims Directive was an opportunity to improve the protection of this group, especially to fight against revictimization”.
“The glorification of terrorism and the humiliation of the victims of terrorism are radically unacceptable and can become a real terrorism of substitution legitimizing violence”.
The MEP recalled that the European Parliament has called over the last few years in various initiative reports for the prohibition of tributes to terrorists and that “finally, what we have been demanding has been included in a directive”.
Zarzalejos recalled that last year there were 466 public acts of support to ETA in Spain according to the Collective of Victims of Terrorism (Covite) through its Observatory of Radicalization 2023, “so the measure approved today is totally necessary”.
Once the proposal has been approved by the joint LIBE-FEMM committee, it is expected to be endorsed by the Plenary at its next session in April. As soon as the Council adopts its position, inter-institutional negotiations will begin.
Right to be informed about criminal proceedings, such as the release of perpetrators
Other contributions formulated by Zarzalejos as rapporteur and which were finally approved are related to the right of victims to receive information: “Victims must be informed about the status of their cases and about important developments in the criminal process”.
They must also have the opportunity to be notified when the person deprived of liberty, accused or convicted of the criminal offenses affecting them “has been released under judicial supervision, has been transferred to a different location or has obtained prison benefits, a reduction of sentence or an early termination of criminal responsibility”.
The text further advances by improving crime reporting mechanisms, strengthening victim support and protection services, and ensuring that victims truly receive full compensation immediately after sentencing.
The new text also provides that Member States shall ensure that victims of violence against women, terrorism, trafficking in human beings and minors and victims of abuse and ill-treatment with disabilities always have access to free legal aid regardless of their financial situation.