AI Criticises Drafts Related to RTVS, NGOs and Birth Numbers

Bratislava, April 26 (TASR) - Amnesty International (AI) calls on Parliament and the government to ensure that their decisions respect the rule of law, freedom of association and expression, the right to information and protection against discrimination, the organisation criticises the draft laws concerning public-service broadcaster RTVS, non-profit organisations and birth numbers. "The April session of Parliament has so far also brought bills that may worsen the human-rights situation in Slovakia. Continued attacks on the rights of transgender people and NGOs in the form of shameful bills must be unequivocally rejected by MPs. At the same time, the Slovak government has passed a law that will increase political control of RTVS," stated the organisation. The organisation sees the Slovak Television and Radio (STVR) Act as an attempt to strengthen political control over the public media. "The proposal implies that there is a risk of greater politicisation of the management of RTVS or STVR, because the choice of the management will be more strongly influenced by one political party, namely the one that will be in charge of the Culture Ministry," said Amnesty International Slovakia head Rado Sloboda. AI considers the changes to the NGO law to be a dangerous attempt to stigmatise, discredit and intimidate NGOs. The amendments would also bring unreasonable bureaucratic and financial burdens, according to AI. It speaks of fatal consequences for organisations and urges MPs to reject the proposal. The NGO sees repeated attacks on the rights of transgender people in the resubmission of the proposal to change the birth number law. It should add a condition to the law that a change of gender can only occur on the basis of a genetic test proving a person's sex determination. "Even if a genetic test could reliably determine biological sex, which it cannot, requiring transgender people to undergo a genetic test would be a flagrant violation of their human rights," noted Daniela Muzikova of the organisation. am/mcs