The Centre informed the UN Human Rights Committee on civil and political rights in Slovakia

News

Under its mandate as an NHRI, the Centre conducts monitoring of implementation of international human rights instruments in the Slovak Republic. The Centre regularly submits alternative reports to the human rights monitoring mechanisms that monitor implementation of the core international human rights treaties by State parties and their obligations and address recommendations to improve the human rights situation in Slovakia.

In August 2023, in relation to the upcoming adoption of the List of Issues Prior to Reporting with regards to Slovakia’s implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, we submitted an alternative report with suggested questions to the UN Human Rights Committee.

In our report, we addressed several important issues with regards to implementation of civil and political rights in Slovakia:

  1. We underlined the need to adopt legislative amendments providing full compliance of the law on functioning of the Slovak National Centre for Human Rights with the Paris Principles, which represent international standards for ensuring the effective and independent functioning of national human rights institutions.
  2. We also drew attention of the Committee to the persistent hate speech against minorities, particularly Roma, which is prevalent also among political representatives.
  3. Regarding discrimination against LGBTI+ people, we informed on lack of any form of legal recognition of LGBTI+ couples in the country, attempts to restrict legal gender recognition or on restrictions on blood donation by gay and bisexual men.
  4. With regards to access to healthcare without discrimination, we underlined persistent major health inequalities of Roma and on lack of access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, including for Ukrainian refugee women.
  5. We also covered prevailing hate speech, harassment and other violation of rights of journalists and human rights defenders in Slovakia, including the issue of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). We also underlined the lack of systemic and sustainable financial support for civil society in Slovakia.