Fifty-three members of the Czech Republic’s government-appointed human rights advisory bodies resigned today, accusing Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s government of dismantling independent oversight of human rights policy through administrative overhaul.
The coordinated resignation follows the government’s decision in May to transfer responsibility for human rights, gender equality, national minorities, Roma affairs, disability policy and civil society from the Office of the Government to three separate ministries.
In a joint resignation statement, the advisers argued the move would weaken independent, cross-government coordination on issues affecting vulnerable groups while reducing opportunities for civil society to influence policymaking.
“We no longer see a way to effectively fulfil the mission of these advisory bodies,” the signatories said, adding that they had exhausted attempts to persuade the government to reconsider its plans.
“We are convinced that this step represents a fundamental weakening of the institutional protection of human rights in the Czech Republic” they added.
The departures represent roughly one-third of the independent experts serving on the Czech government’s various councils, committees and working groups.
The Babiš government rejected criticism arguing that placing the agendas within individual ministries will make the system more efficient and improve accountability.
Head of the Government Office Tünde Bartha has previously described the new structure as “better” and said it would function effectively once implemented.
The resigning advisers, however, said efficiency would come at the expense of institutional independence.
In their statement, they criticised the government for failing to consult its own advisory bodies before approving the reforms and for ignoring compromise proposals submitted afterwards.
Petr Třešňák, who chaired a working group on support for people with intellectual disabilities, accused the government of replacing expert consultation with unilateral decision-making.
“The government has long failed to listen to experts whom it itself invited to address complex social issues,” he said.
Former Human Rights Commissioner Monika Šimůnková described the changes as the most important intervention in the advisory system in three decades, warning that dispersing responsibilities across ministries could ultimately erode the councils’ independence.
Conservative Czech media questioned whether the advisory councils had accumulated disproportionate influence as consultative bodies and welcomed the move.
