ZAGREB, July 19, 2019 – Human Rights House in Zagreb on Friday said that it was inappropriate to nominate the incumbent Interior Minister Davor Božinović as the deputy prime minister for the coordination of human rights, calling on MPs to reject his nomination.
“Appointing Minister Božinović with this burden is a step backwards and certainly cannot give a ‘new boost and energy’ to the government’s activities in the field of human rights, which has been neglected for years and without fundamental public policies for the protection and promotion of human rights such as a national human rights programme,” the NGO said in a press release.
It is absurd the minister whose “ministry is faced with continual and serious accusations by international and local organisations and institutions of systematic human rights violations and illegal expulsions of refugees and migrants” should be responsible for the coordination of government activities in the field of human rights.
The NGO accused Minister Božinović of “seriously jeopardising the rule of law in Croatia,” because he “systematically prevented and thwarted the supervision of police conduct by the ombudsman’s office, an independent institution authorised by parliament for the protection of human rights.”
The NGO called on lawmakers to show their commitment to the respect of human rights and Croatian laws by rejecting Minister Božinović’s nomination and urged Prime Minister Andrej Plenković to select someone that would make a significant step forward in that field.
More news about human rights in Croatia can be found in the Politics section.
