The Protector of Citizens Zoran Pašalić indicated to the competent authorities today that persons with disabilities of any category (mental / intellectual, sensory or physical disabilities) are among the most vulnerable sections of the population amid Covid-19 pandemic, together with the elderly, and that it was therefore essential to include that vulnerable group in the support measures of the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

The Protector of Citizens joined the appeal by the National Organization of Persons with Disabilities (NOOIS) to the authorities, to make additional efforts and not to cut down community support services, such as supported housing, personal assistants, children personal companions and geronto-housewives.

Mr. Pašalić also warned of a serious problem regarding the personal assistance service operation, in particular the arrival of assistants to the homes of persons with disabilities during the movement ban, as well as the provision of necessary support and assistance to immobile or disabled persons by relatives, friends or persons privately engaged during the restriction of movement in a state of emergency.

Mr. Pašalić indicated that in the state of emergency, it was necessary to take additional protection measures and provide assistance to the inhabitants of substandard Roma settlements, primarily in hygiene packages and food packages.

The Protector of Citizens, Mr. Zoran Pašalić and employees from the Emergency Response Department visited the refurbished Reception Center in Subotica yesterday, to make sure that all the prescribed conditions for accommodation, food and medical care of our citizens returning from abroad, without a registered address or residence on our territory, and of those individuals deemed a medical or sanitary risk by the border doctors. As previously announced from the Ministry of Defense, pursuant to the Decision on the state of emergency, members of the Serbian Army were deployed to the Reception Center, and in addition to refurbishing the premises, they are in charge of accommodation and medical care of our citizens from abroad.

Since the declaration of the state of emergency, declared due to the corona virus epidemic, the Institution of the Protector of Citizens monitors how human rights are observed amid this situation of emergency.

In accordance with the above, the mobile team of the Institution of the Protector of Citizens, formed of representatives of Emergency Response Department, the Sector for the Rights of Persons Deprived of Liberty and the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM), monitors daily the human rights situation on field.

The field team works intensively round-the-clock amid the state of emergency. The expert field team within the Protector of Citizens is focused on launching own initiative investigations - in those situations where they learn that citizens’ rights might be jeopardized in the state of emergency.

Pursuant to the Law on Protector of Citizens, Mr. Zoran Pašalić, the Protector of Citizens of the Republic of Serbia, submitted today to the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia the Regular Annual Report of the Protector of Citizens for 2019.

Attachments:

Regular Annual Report of the Protector of Citizens for 2019