Coronavirus (COVID-19) has had a profound impact on daily life, with many facing restrictions upon personal movement and personal freedoms to enable the authorities to better combat the pandemic. Advice issued by the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic is now available in English, French and Spanish.

The Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Sabina Aliyeva addressed to the relevant state bodies, the public and private sector actors the message drawing the attention to the issue of ensuring the urgent needs of persons with disabilities as they are among the high-risk groups of the population during the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19. 

The Human Rights Defender examined the Draft Laws on Making Supplements to the Law on the State of Emergency and on Making Supplements to the Law on Electronic Communication in an urgent manner.

En todas las etapas de su interacción con el sistema de justicia, las mujeres trans privadas de la libertad están sujetas a discriminación, estigmatización y criminalización. El Equipo de Género y Diversidad Sexual de la Procuración Penitenciaria de la Nación (PPN) junto otras organizaciones regionales presenta un nuevo informe que investiga las condiciones de vida de las mujeres trans y travestis privadas de la libertad.

In the past weeks, parliaments, governments and local authorities have adopted legislation, decrees or decisions that clearly risk hampering the work of journalists and restricting the public’s right to receive information. Introducing disproportionate restrictions to press freedom is a counterproductive approach that must stop, says  Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović.

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović calls on member states to safeguard the rights and health of all persons in prison during the COVID-19 pandemic. Convicted prisoners and persons on remand are among those most vulnerable to viral contagions as they are held in a high-risk environment: in general, detention facilities are not adapted to face large-scale epidemics, and the basic protective measures such as social distancing and hygiene rules cannot be observed as easily as outside, exposing prisoners to greater health risks.

As one of the preventive measures against the spread of coronavirus, especially because of those who frequently violate the self-isolation measure, the Government has proposed amendments to the Electronic Communications Act to monitor citizens’ movements. It would allow location data to be collected, which may restrict citizens’ rights to freedom of movement and privacy.

The Ombudsman received several complaints from workers whose functions are incompatible with the teleworking regime and are forced to miss work to provide support to the elderly who are part of their household and depend on their permanent support, especially in the face of the recent closure of social responses in which they were integrated (day centers and homes).