On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, the Green Party (Strana zelených – SZ) held a demonstration calling for the creation of the post of Minister of Human Rights, Minorities and Equal Opportunities. During the "happening", which took place directly in front of the Lidový dům ("People’s House"), the headquarters of the Czech Social Democratic Party on Hybernská Street, sidewalk was symbolically blocked and access was only granted to "adaptable citizens" while "inadaptables" had to take another route.
The demonstration warned of the current situation in the area of human rights protections and was in support of a recent initiation by nonprofit organizations with the same aim. The Greens believe the human rights agenda should be represented at cabinet level by transferring the existing competencies for the agenda from the Office of the Government to a ministry.
The SZ supports the recent nonprofit initiative, which asked the chairs of ANO 2011, the Christian Democrats, and the Czech Social Democrats in an open letter to see to that a Ministry for Human Rights, Minorities and Equal Opportunities is created by the incoming governments. The chairs of these political movements and parties have not yet come forward with any proposals for how to address the human rights agenda at government level.
None of the parties about to form the next government have expressed a positive position on the issue or a promise to see to the establishment of this necessary institution. "We do not want any kind of increase in the number of bureaucrats, the agenda is already sufficiently represented in the structure of the Office of the Government. However, that staff must be transferred and unequivocally represented directly in the Government by a minister. It is obvious that the position of a mere Human Rights Commissioner doesn’t work. In the current situation, when anti-Romani sentiment and open racism are finding backing on the floor of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, and when the threats of discrimination in education, housing and the labor market, inequality between men and women, and social exclusion are escalating, a effective solution must be brought forward," says Green Party chair Ondřej Liška.
The Greens are the only party to include the creation of a human rights ministry in their program, because human rights protections have long been one of its priorities. "In the past it was the Greens who were the first and the only party to enforce the creation of a human rights institution at ministerial level. Ever since then, however, the human rights agenda has been intentionally, systematically marginalized. It has been de facto erased at government level and has completely lost its reputation," says Josef Šmída, a member of the SZ Expert Section on Human Rights and an organizer of the "happening".
The Greens advocate for human rights to be given more backing, significance and systematic protection at the highest political levels. "Unless the necessary institutions are created, that will never happen. The taxpayers’ money cannot continue to be squandered on riot police interventions and other ineffective approaches to the consequences of neglecting human rights. A systematic human rights agenda is ultimately a significantly cheaper solution in the long run," said Tomáš Křemen, chair of the Young Greens.
In collaboration with the Young Greens civic association, the Green Party decided to hold this public happening on International Human Rights Day during the ongoing negotiations between ANO 2011, the Christian Democrats and the Czech Social Democratic Party on the composition of the future government. Its controversial content was meant to draw attention to unsolved human rights problems in the Czech Republic.
