Human Rights Watch: Violations rising, tolerance declining in EU

Tolerance is declining in the European Union and cases of human rights violations are more frequent. Those are the conclusions of the report on the year 2013 by Human Rights Watch (HRW), which was just presented in Berlin.

The organization criticizes the approach taken by several EU Member States toward asylum-seekers, Muslims, and Romani people. Neither the Czech Republic nor Slovakia were mentioned.

HRW reports that the interior ministers of EU Member States agreed last June that there is a need to proceed more forcefully against human rights violations in their own countries. However, the organization says that no instruments for preventing human rights violations have been successfully enforced.

"Respect for human rights is measured by actions, not words," said Judith Sunderland of HRW. "Ordinary people, from the homeless in Hungary, to the Arab and Black youth constantly stopped by the French police, to Syrian asylum-seekers in Greece are paying the price for the fact that the instruments available to enforce human rights are insufficient."

HRW criticizes Hungary for a law approved last September making it possible for municipalities to fine homeless people or even imprison them. The organization claims that anti-Romani and anti-Semitic sentiment has long predominated in the country. 

HRW also criticized amendments to the Hungarian Constitution made last March to limit the powers of the Constitutional Court. The organization believes this could threaten the country’s legal order and weaken the position of human rights there.  

HRW criticizes France for the authorities’ procedures against Romani encampments, in which police forced more than 13 000 people to leave. According to the organization, the French police also primarily target Arabs and Black people when monitoring traffic and often subject them to searches for no reason. 

Greece became a target of criticism by HRW for its position against refugees from Syria, which is in the throes of civil war. Athens is returning a large number of those refugees to Turkey, the country through which they fled; Greece says it is concerned the Syrian asylum-seekers pose a security risk.  

The organization has also taken a stand against the efforts by some countries to introduce bans on Muslim dress that covers the face. A ban on burkas, which are worn by some Muslim women, is considered by HRW to represent a serious violation of religious freedom; such bans have been enforced by France in the past and are also being proposed by several British and Spanish politicians.