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Your voice in Spain O P LIVE RESS The expat FREE COSTA BLANCA SUR / MURCIA Vol. 1 Issue 12 www.theolivepress.es April 16th - April 29th, 2020

Semana Santa 2020 Cancelled

LET US OUT! CARRIED AWAY: Easter was a total whitewash, with cleaners like this on our streets and locals having to improvise from balconies, see full story on page 9 Photos by Jon Clarke

Lawyer appeals to EU over claims lockdown infringes civil rights and makes Spain a ‘de facto dictatorship’

A SPANISH lawyer has complained to the European Parliament that the coun- try’s coronavirus lockdown rules are illegal. Jose Ortega believes the rules - which are more draconian than other Europe- an countries, such as Germany, the UK and Italy - are an infringement of civil liberties. The Valencia-based lawyer has sent a letter to the Human Rights sub-committee demanding that the basic right of

By Dilip Kuner

movement is added as a modification to the current state of alarm decree. “The government has illegally introduced a very dangerous and disturbing system of suspension of individual rights that could be described as a de facto transitional dictatorship,” insisted Ortega, who is best known for his work opposing new coastal laws.

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The letter received by MEP Leopoldo Lopez, who sits on the sub-committee, focuses on the restrictions to travel and the right to basic ‘outdoor activity’, where risks of catching or passing on the virus are low. “It is an effective suspension of the right to free movement,” insisted Ortega. “It is a fundamental right of the individual contained in the European Convention on Human Rights and in other international human rights treaties and, of course, in the Spanish Constitution.” He added that under Spanish law citizens had the right to appeal to the courts against any clauses in the state of alarm. But as the courts have all closed down as part of the emergency this is not possible, so therefore depriving people of their rights. The news comes, as it emerged that over 650,000 people had been fined in Spain for breaking the rules of the lockdown. The majority of these were for minor offences, such as not having a receipt at a supermarket or walking a dog more than 200m from homes. In most European countries, includ- ing Germany, the UK and France, citizens are allowed to take exercise outside their homes. Even in Italy at the height of the pan- demic, people were allowed to take exercise once a day. In Sweden, social distancing rules only prevent meetings of groups of more than 50 people. It is however unlikely that the European Parliament will take any action against Spain at the moment. MEP Lopez, of the PP party, confirmed to OK Diario that the sub-committee on human rights had received the complaint, but admitted that the procedure was wrong. He insisted that Ortega first had to send the letter to the Petitions Committee, which is the ‘competent body’ to register this type of citizens’ request. However, he has since replied to Ortega, saying that the committee is now ‘studying his case’. Darren Parmenter, British Councillor for International Relations in San Fulgencio told the Olive Press he was surprised with the claims and did not agree with it. “I was shocked to read that a lawyer was denouncing Pedro Sánchez to the European Parliament. “This is certainly not my view, nor those of the UK citizens I know. Of course, there are understandable frustrations from people that have had their daily lives turned upside down, but they’re the first to appreciate what has to be done to rid Spain of this terrible virus. I’ve not seen a single comment suggesting we’re living in a ‘Police State’.”