Open Letter to the Council of Europe: Quarantines of Roma Settlements in Bulgaria and Slovakia Require Urgent Attention

Amnesty International sent a letter to the Council of Europe raising concerns about the treatment of Roma communities in Bulgaria and Slovakia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reports from Bulgaria and Slovakia indicate that respective governments have imposed measures, including mandatory quarantines, selectively targeting Roma settlements not applied to other groups or the general population. Targeted application of these measures raises questions over compliance with the requirement of equal treatment under the European Convention on Human Rights and the EU’s Race Equality Directive.

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