State of emergency should have been declared due to white plague and corruption, not coronavirus

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Center for Human Policy believes that the RS entity and BiH are more threatened by the epidemic of white plague, corruption, mass emigration, hopelessness, and the absence of good governance than by the coronavirus epidemic, that adequate reasons justifying the introduction of a state of emergency in RS have not been provided, that the coronavirus epidemic has been declared for less than 0.01% of the BiH population, and that human rights and freedoms have been violated by measures restricting the movement of the population and the performance of certain activities.

"It is not disputed that the population is threatened by coronavirus and that the focus and care of entity and state institutions for the health of the population and the adoption of measures to protect health and mitigate the consequences of the crisis, which do not jeopardize human rights and freedoms, and the commitment of government institutions to other problems are necessary and justified. The ban on movement for those over 65 prevents them from meeting basic life needs, engaging in activities that represent a primary or supplementary source of income, traveling from city to village to cultivate agricultural land, visiting loved ones who need help, and moving around to preserve psycho-physical health. The ban on movement between 8 PM and 5 AM prevents urgent tasks from being performed during that time, visiting the elderly, the sick, and the neglected, and meeting other needs, and the use of the term 'curfew' is associated with a police state, suspension of human rights and freedoms, overemphasis of danger, intimidation, repression, and obedience," the Center for Human Policy stated.

They add that the RS Constitution only recognizes restrictions on movement, which means that the ban on movement has been introduced unconstitutionally because movement restrictions can only be introduced by law.

"In addition to the questionable justification for banning certain activities, there are no measures to compensate for lost wages, profits, employment, and other damages. The introduction of a state of emergency has suspended the weak parliamentarism in RS, which can be a permanent commitment of autocratic structures, given that it justifies easier and faster adoption of laws and necessary measures. The Institution of the Ombudsman for Human Rights of BiH has been asked to comment on the introduced bans that violate the freedom of movement and the right to work, with the note that this institution should have reacted earlier ex officio, that its call to citizens 'to strictly adhere to the instructions issued by the competent bodies and institutions, and to reduce movement to the necessary minimum' represents solidarity with measures that violate human rights and freedoms, and that this institution has once again shown that it does not perform its basic function, that it does not want to offend anyone, that it was established as a decoration, that it represents one of many illusions, and that as such it only suits the employees of this institution and those who violate human rights," the Center for Human Policy points out.