HRC: 2025 Saw Sharpest Decline in Rights in History of Slovakia

Bratislava, 13 December (TASR) – The year 2025 brought the greatest weakening of human rights since the establishment of the Slovak Republic, according to the Human Rights Coalition. The statement was made by Radoslav Sloboda, the director of Amnesty International Slovakia and representative of the Human Rights Coalition, at a press briefing on Wednesday (10 December) marking International Human Rights Day. Sloboda also presented the first human rights assessment, divided into several areas. He stated that throughout the year the government and Parliament repeatedly violated the state's human rights obligations. "The assessment report is not only a mirror of where the government has taken this country through its actions, but also a compass it can follow if it wishes to pursue a path in line with human rights," he said. Sloboda identified the amendment to the Constitution as one of the most significant interventions. "Queer people face attacks and hatred daily, they face violence and discrimination, and this Constitution has decided to cement some restrictions on their human rights and add new ones," he noted. Adriana Mesochoritisova, representative of the organisation Choice, highlighted the area of women's sexual and reproductive rights. She stated that Slovakia ranks among the worst in Europe in abortion policy. "From waiting periods that have no medical justification to people having to travel hundreds of kilometres across the country, only to find they do not even have access to a medical abortion," she added. The coalition also pointed to the impact of the amendment to the Constitution on children's access to information about health and bodily integrity, and called for the removal of menstrual exclusion as a hygiene barrier for girls and women at risk of poverty. In the area of Roma rights, it drew attention to the continuing segregation of Roma children and the lack of legislative tools to eliminate it. mf/jrg