Eastern Europe and Central Asia confronted with COVID-19

By Natalia Kochiashvili

Friday, May 1

The report also says that during the state of emergency, utility bills from citizens who consume less than 200 kWh of electricity and less than 200 cubic meters of gas per month will be covered by the state budget.

Despite the doctors' recommendations, religious gatherings were not restricted in large part because the Georgian Orthodox Church had the opportunity to hold an Easter liturgy with the participation of the parishioners.

The governments of Eastern Europe and Central Asia are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic with repressive and violent measures that do not meet their human rights obligations. This is stated in a report published on 29th of April, by the human rights organization Amnesty International.

According to the organization, the authorities of some countries consider the pandemic to be a carte blanche for human rights violations.

Amnesty International's researchers cite the example of Kazakhstan where the apartment entrances were locked; in Chechnya where the police beat the people who didn’t wear masks; in Russia where the administrative impact methods were used against the doctors who complain about the lack of medicines and other means; the case when Ukrainian army locked down the only road of village that is controlled by the separatists, therefore eliminating the possibility of purchasing of food and medicines for the 150 village inhabitants, etc.

According to Amnesty International, in many countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the government has resorted to repression and criticized social media users, journalists and medical staff. The human rights organization believes that a number of governments are using the measures used to justify misinformation to hide the real scale of the epidemic and prevent the spread of information about the problems.

The section of the report, which deals with Georgia, discusses the restrictions imposed on March 21 as part of the state of emergency ,which was “dictated by the necessary, proportionate and legitimate goals of public health.”

According to the report, the President's decree on the state of emergency included a ‘comprehensive’ list of suspended rights and specific circumstances where such suspension was possible. The document said the measures taken included restrictions on the response to COVID-19, including quarantine regulations, restrictions on international and domestic travel, visits to prisons, and access to public services. According to the report, the decree allowed the use of private property for public health needs and the regulation of prices for basic products.

Amnesty International has expressed concern over the fact that certain measures have been taken in a ‘discriminatory manner.’

“Despite the medical advice, the law did not restrict religious gatherings so that the Georgian Orthodox Church could hold a liturgy on Easter. On April 12th and 19th, during the Easter and Easter holidays, several Orthodox churches in Georgia hosted dozens of parishioners,” the document reads.

The human rights group says all other religious groups have voluntarily agreed to close the chapels.

The report said that on April 15, Muslim cleric Mirtag Asadov said that at the start of Ramadan, they would open mosques and hope that the authorities would treat them with the same understanding as the Orthodox Church. However, according to the document, two days after the announcement, Asadov was summoned for questioning by the security service in connection with an alleged sabotage attempt against the state.

The watchdog highlighted Government’s measures aimed at protecting ‘the most vulnerable’ groups of the population. It mentioned that the government intends to compensate those who lost their jobs due to the pandemic and restrictions.