PRESS RELEASE OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COALITION
1 SEPTEMBER 2025
The Human Rights Coalition described the proposed changes to the Slovak Constitution as an unprecedented attack on human rights in front of the Constitutional Court in Košice today. According to the coalition this presents an attempt by those in power to abuse the Constitution in order to enforce an anti-human rights ideological agenda and trample on the rights and dignity of people in Slovakia. Symbolically, on the Constitution Day the coalition therefore publicly appeals and demands that the amendment is stopped.
After the summer recess, the National Council of the Slovak Republic will face one of the most serious decisions and legislative changes since the establishment of independent Slovakia. The proposed constitutional amendment is not just a legislative initiative. It is an attempt to fundamentally change the character of the state – to undermine its legal stability and the protection of human rights. The amendment will affect virtually all the residents, as well as business and local municipalities and authorities. It weakens our membership in the European Union, strengthens state authorities at the expense of private actors (individuals and companies) and opens the door to legalizing violations of fundamental rights and freedoms.
Concrete risks of adopting the amendment to the Constitution:
- Weakening Slovakia’s international commitments
- Direct impact on LGBTI+ people
- Restriction on the rights of children and women – the amendment will strengthen control over sexual education and will hinder access to information on violence prevention, sexuality and reproductive health.
- Negative economic consequences – weakening of the rule of law might lead to lawsuits in front of the European courts, sanctions and losing parts of EU fundings.
- Strengthening of authoritarian practices – the amendment is part of a broader trend of attacks on human rights, in particular minorities, as well as the weakening of independent institutions and civil society.
Let us not allow the human rights restrictions to become part of Slovakia’s identity
„Let’s not allow human rights restrictions, discrimination, and legal uncertainty to become part of Slovakia’s identity. This amendment creates a mechanism that will allow Slovakia to ignore European law and international human rights conventions. The constitution is meant to protect people, not legitimize their inequality,“ said Robert Furiel, director of Saplinq and Pride Košice.
Slovak authorities have been using stigmatizing language against LGBTI+ people for political purposes for some time now. These constitutional changes are therefore another step in a trend that threatens the fundamental rights and safety of minorities. In the past, legislative proposals have repeatedly been sought to restrict the rights of women, girls and LGBTI+ people, including transgender individuals.
„The MPs who are trying to push this change through at any cost are showing us that they are willing to ´throw human rights and Slovakia’s international commitments out the window´ if it brings them cheap political points. And this persistent risk threatens us all. The curtailment of human rights and the violation of international commitments never ends with attacks on just one minority,“ added Rado Sloboda of Amnesty International Slovakia.
The Human Rights Coalition has therefore today called on the Slovak government, as the proposer of the amendment, to withdraw the constitutional amendment and not to open the way to restricting human rights. If it fails to do so, it appeals to the members of the National Council of the Slovak Republic to reject these changes in the September vote.
To the citizens of Slovakia, it sends the following message: „Use all the peaceful and non-violent means – from writing letters to MPs to participation in public events – and make it clear that Slovakia does not want to go down the path of discrimination and authoritarianism.“
