Crises must not be an excuse for restricting civil rights, so the Croatian parliament must not be silenced because of the coronavirus crisis but continue to support the rule of law, respect international standards and protect human rights, 25 civil society organisations said on Wednesday.

When Croatia is recording record coronavirus numbers, parliament went on a two-week break because MPs “worked for seven straight weeks” and the authority was left in the hands of the executive branch, the NGOs said in a press release.

Regardless of the kind of emergency, the executive, judicial and legislative authorities must not forget their rights and obligations so that citizens can have legal certainty and trust in the functioning of the rule of law, they added.

Democratic procedures are most important in times of crisis, the NGOs said, asking that parliament enable MPs to equally participate in plenaries via video link or other forms of online communication, including those in self-isolation.

Each vote should be made public, the NGOs said, adding that parliament had not been doing this since March, claiming that it was technically unfeasible during a pandemic.

They said that under its Standing Orders, all parliament sessions should be public, calling for broadcasting them live on parliament’s YouTube channel.

The NGOs also said that parliament should oversee the work of the national COVID response team, suggesting that it should report to parliament every two or four weeks to explain which measures have been taken and why and so that its representatives can answer MPs’ questions.

Parliament’s two-week recess is a slap in the face to all citizens at a time when medical staff have been working tirelessly since the beginning of the year and the ban on hiring in healthcare is still in force, the NGOs concluded.