Amnesty International is concerned about human rights violations in Europe under the pretext of Corona

Amnesty International has warned of human rights abuses in some European countries under the guise of combating the coronavirus. The human rights organization says such issues are particularly concerning in Hungary and Poland.

In order to combat the widespread spread of the new coronavirus, many restrictions have been imposed on the social life of citizens in almost all countries around the world.

Amnesty International warns that these restrictions have led to violations of citizens' fundamental rights in some European countries.

On the occasion of the publication of its annual report on the situation in European and Central Asian countries, this human rights organization announced that the trend towards restricting civil rights, which had been observed in some countries since last year, has accelerated in the shadow of the Corona crisis.

The German news agency, on Thursday, April 16, quoted Markus Beko, head of Amnesty International's German section, as saying: "Protecting human rights becomes even more important, especially in crises such as the global coronavirus pandemic."

The need to protect vulnerable groups

He says that in such circumstances, more vulnerable groups, such as the homeless and asylum seekers, should be protected to the same extent as the fundamental principles of the rule of law dictate.

Amnesty International believes that many of the measures taken to combat the spread of the coronavirus are necessary to protect public health. However, the organization warned that some governments are exploiting the crisis to undermine the rule of law, resort to discriminatory measures, repression and censorship.

Based on this organization's assessment, in many cases, people who are marginalized and discriminated against under normal circumstances are the ones who are most vulnerable to harm.

Marcus Beko emphasizes that it is the duty of all governments to ensure that the measures they take to combat the Corona crisis are consistent with international and regional human rights treaties.

In connection with restrictive measures due to the Corona crisis, three countries - Hungary, Poland, and Türkiye - are at the center of criticism from Amnesty International.

Intensification of “attacks on human rights” in Hungary

Janine Olmanczyk, a European affairs expert at the organization, says the Hungarian government has used the coronavirus crisis as an excuse to intensify its "attack on human rights and the rule of law."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is accused of using the Corona crisis as an excuse to concentrate unlimited power and authority in his own hands.

An emergency law recently passed by the Hungarian parliament allows Viktor Orbán's government to implement its decisions for an indefinite period without the need for parliamentary approval.

The measure has been met with strong criticism in Europe, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen threatening to impose sanctions on Hungary over the law.

Amnesty International has also accused the Polish government of using the coronavirus crisis as an excuse to intensify repressive policies. In the shadow of the coronavirus crisis, discussions have intensified in the Polish parliament about restricting abortion and sexual enlightenment.

The Turkish parliament recently approved a bill that would allow about 100,000 prisoners to be released conditionally or early due to the spread of the coronavirus and COVID-19.

Türkiye refuses to release some prisoners

According to Yanina Olmanzik, this resolution is a "reasonable measure" given the overcrowding and unsanitary conditions in most Turkish prisons, but it does not include many journalists, civil rights activists, and opposition political activists in Turkish prisons.

Amnesty International has also approved the measures taken by some European countries, such as Germany, to deal with the coronavirus crisis, saying that a "good balance" has been struck in these countries so far between the necessity of combating the spread of the coronavirus and the restriction of civil rights.

The head of this organization in Germany also emphasized that, given the ongoing coronavirus crisis, it is necessary to gradually adopt measures so that citizens can exercise their right to hold protest rallies and freely and publicly express political views.

Currently, most European countries are severely affected by the spread of COVID-19, and in most of them, gatherings of more than two people are prohibited, except for family members or essential and permitted activities.

According to statistics published by the American Johns Hopkins University, as of Thursday afternoon, April 18, Germany is behind Spain and Italy with nearly 137,800 identified cases of coronavirus infection, and more than 3,800 people have died from Covid-19 in this country so far.

According to this statistic, the number of cases of the new coronavirus in 185 countries around the world is nearly two million and 80 thousand cases, and the number of victims of Covid-19 has been recorded as of Thursday afternoon at 137,193 people.

Source: DW